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Take to the skies: 734th AMS provides space available travel

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shane Dunaway
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
For those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines with a case of island fever, the 734th Air Mobility Squadron has the cure. 

The 734th AMS offers first-come, first-serve space available travel to all active duty, Reserve and Guard servicemembers, dependants and DoD civilians able to acquire a command sponsor letter or non-command sponsor letter, according to Senior Airman Jackie Rico, 734th AMS passenger service agent. 

Eligible members must have necessary travel documents, to include passports, identification cards, birth certificates and visas for the country of destination. Dependants must also have a command sponsor letter, non-command sponsor letter or an environmental morale leave [EML] form. Active duty servicemembers must be on leave status when applying for space-A travel. 

Those applying for travel can find information on space availability from various outlets. Channel 96, available to on-base Marianas CableVision customers, offers a three-day flight schedule. Travelers can also call 366-2093 for an automated recording that provides a 24-hour flight schedule. 

When applying for space-A travel, eligible members fall into one of six predetermined categories dictating priority for available seating. Department of Defense Regulation 4515.13-R outlines each category: 

  • CAT I - Emergency Leave, Unfunded Travel
  • CAT II - EML (active duty military members and accompanying dependants)
  • CAT III - Active duty members on ordinary leave and accompanied dependants, members on permissive TDY for house-hunting, Medal of Honor recipients, dependants of deployed servicemembers whose sponsor is deployed in excess of 365 days
  • CAT IV - Unaccompanied dependents on EML or dependents of deployed servicemembers whose sponsor is deployed in excess of 120 days but less than 365 days and Department of Defense Dependant Schools teachers on EML during summer
  • CAT V - Unaccompanied command sponsored or non-command sponsored dependants of active duty members, members on permissive TDY for reasons other than house-hunting and students
  • CAT VI - Retirees and their accompanying dependants, reservists, Reserve Officer Training Corps members, Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate students and CEC students;


"As soon as you're eligible to sign up, sign up," recommends Staff Sgt. Matthew Hamblen, 734th AMS passenger services flight training manager. "[Selection] goes by the date and time [an individual] signs up. If someone signs up at the counter five minutes before you did, they're going to get on the plane before you, so always sign up at the first available [opportunity] to sign up." 

By utilizing space-A travel, eligible members incur less travel costs and take advantage of a valuable entitlement. 

"Cost-wise it is so worth it," said Rachel Anderson, a dependant traveling to Kadena Air Base, Japan. "I think round-trip tickets are at least $1,000 [for me to fly here from Kadena]." 

For more information on space-A travel, contact the 734th Air Mobility Squadron passenger terminal at 366-5135 or 366-5165.