Patriot Express service to change Published July 11, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Angie Perez 18th Wing Public Affairs KADENA AB, Japan -- More changes are in store for the Patriot Express. Starting this week, the Patriot Express will be flying in and out of Kadena once every two weeks rather than weekly. To compensate for the reduction in flights, service members and their families who are PCS'ing will be flying in a larger 747 aircraft which seats up to 400 passengers, about 100 more than the A330 Airbus that has been flying PE missions. The PE will arrive at Kadena on Thursdays and will depart on Fridays. This schedule is expected to continue until the end of September when the summer PCS season wraps up according to Tech. Sgt. Cheyenne Strachota, shift supervisor for the 733d Air Mobility Squadron. Because there are fewer flights per month under the new schedule, more people may end up flying commercially when they PCS, said Colonel Dave Bush, Commander of the 733d AMS. This is particularly likely if the timing of the PE flights will result in a member missing his or her report date at their next duty assignment. What has not changed is that there will still be Space-Available opportunities for military members and their families looking to fly to Yokota or even back to the United States. "The aircraft is used primarily for official travel, but the government has allowed us to utilize the whole aircraft," said Sergeant Strachota. "So whatever we don't use for what we need, we open up for Space-A's to give them an opportunity to get home at an inexpensive rate." Officials say it's difficult to predict how many Space-A seats will be available on the Patriot Express. "Although the NWA 747 has more seating capacity, during the summer PCS months there is usually a higher volume of travelers," said Col. Bush. "We would like to stress that personnel traveling on official orders have priority over Space-A, and the number of Space-A seats will vary according to mission requirements." Terminal officials caution that in order to avoid long lines on the day of departure, those traveling on the Patriot Express should pre-check-in their luggage the day before. Planning is especially important for Space-A travelers according to Sergeant Strachota. "The biggest piece of advice I have for Space-A passengers is to plan their travel accordingly," said the sergeant. "Start your leave a few days before departure to give yourself a better chance of getting on. Don't wait until the last minute or you'll be at the bottom of the list." If travelers have any questions, they should call the AMC Passenger Terminal at 634-0153, 634-0994 or 632-6487.