Passenger Initiatives & You
Your Next Flight Could Be Free
H
ave you ever longed to travel to exotic places? To walk around the Parthenon in Athens, to view Paris from the Eiffel Tower, to shop at the Rostro (Street Market) in Madrid, or to enjoy a stein of beer during Oktoberfest in the Rheine Land of Germany? Many have been able to enjoy such adventures using free flights on Air Mobility Command (AMC) aircraft. AMC transports more than 2.8 million passengers each year. If you are active duty military or a retired military member, you and your dependants are eligible to travel on AMC airplanes. There are two major categories of travelers on AMC missions: the Space-Required (official travel) and the Space-Available1 (Space-A) traveler. The Space-A program was designed as a privilege for military members. In addition, retired military members are also extended the same privilege, as a way to show the gratitude of a grateful nation for their military service. Dependent family members are also generally authorized to accompany their sponsor on DOD missions where space is available.
The AMC staff is striving hard to significantly improve your travel experience through several new Passenger Service Initiatives. If we can see it, touch it, and experience it, we are trying to make it better. Much like your experience when traveling through civilian airports, no two military passenger terminals look the same. You may encounter some commonalties: waiting areas, check-in counters, customer service agents, baggage checkpoints, and arrival/departure gates. However, AMC terminals often provide services not normally found at civilian airports, such as dedicated family lounges. Some AMC family lounges are very nice facilities and others are very basic. AMC’s goal is to upgrade all family lounges to the “showcase” standard. In most of our terminals, there is a dedicated family lounge. In AMC, we are establishing standardized guidelines to define the interior design and amenities for these family lounges. These guidelines provide standards for safety, cleanliness, style, and military requirements. There will be changing stations and cribs for infant care, play areas
for toddlers, and televisions and other media for older children and adults, all combined in an attractive and restful environment that will ease the burden for our travelers. Once the guidelines are complete, we will implement them throughout all AMC passenger terminals. It is our goal to make sure that wait areas are well maintained and tailored to meet your military and family needs. Our larger terminals will provide you greater amenities, such as more dining choices, bigger waiting areas, and the improved family rooms. Our goal is that you and your families will always find a warm and inviting area in which to relax and unwind during your travel. However, not every location that processes passengers has a passenger terminal or family room (due to space or funding restrictions). Based on mission requirements, some Space-A opportunities are occasional and sporadic at low volume airfields, and therefore, passenger amenities are very limited. Changes in technology are also making your travel with AMC easier. A recent passenger service improvement is the ad-
By Maj Nathan McLeod-Hughes, Scott AFB – HQ AMC, A4 Passenger Policy Branch 8 |
Defense Transportation Journal
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August 2011
