Air Transportation

You are training to be an Air Transportation Specialist — the person who books, moves, and accounts for passengers and cargo across the Air Force airlift network. When a pallet of critical parts needs to get to a deployed location or a casualty needs to be medevaced, you are the specialist who makes that movement happen.

Complete 2T2X1 initial skills training. Learn air transportation fundamentals — passenger service, air cargo operations, the Global Air Transportation Execution System (GATES), and the documentation requirements for military airlift. Study how to load and secure cargo on military aircraft, the weight and balance calculations that affect aircraft performance, and the hazardous cargo requirements that govern what can be shipped by air. Learn about the Military Airlift system — Air Mobility Command, the tanker and airlift wings, and how military cargo moves globally. Understand how passenger and cargo movements are documented and accounted for.

• 01Air transportation fundamentals, passenger service operations, air cargo documentation, Global Air Transportation Execution System (GATES), cargo loading and restraint, weight and balance calculations, hazardous materials air shipping requirements

• —AFI 24-101 (Passenger Movement), AFMAN 24-204 (Preparing Hazardous Materials for Military Air Shipments), applicable AMC transportation publications, GATES training documentation

• —Pass 2T2X1 initial training; GATES operation demonstrated; passenger processing procedures correct; cargo documentation basics demonstrated; hazardous cargo awareness demonstrated; initial certifications completed

• —Processing hazardous material cargo without verifying that all documentation and packaging requirements are met — a hazardous material improperly documented or improperly packaged for air shipment is a safety threat to the crew and aircraft that carries it.

An apprentice who treats every cargo movement as having a human or operational outcome on the other end — understanding that the parts pallet being loaded needs to reach its destination to fix an aircraft that pilots are waiting to fly, or that the passenger manifest being processed represents real people with families.

You are a qualified Air Transportation Specialist processing passengers, cargo, and aircraft loads at an air terminal.

Perform air transportation operations at an AMC or wing air terminal. Process passengers — check-in, space-available travel coordination, baggage handling, manifest generation. Coordinate and document cargo shipments — booking, documentation, palletization, aircraft load planning. Verify hazardous material documentation and packaging. Coordinate with aircraft crews on load planning and weight and balance. Respond to passenger and cargo issues. Support contingency and deployment operations through the air terminal. Develop expertise in specific air transportation functions — passenger service, cargo, or air terminal management.

• 01Passenger processing and service, cargo booking and documentation, palletization and restraint, hazardous materials processing, aircraft load planning, weight and balance coordination, contingency operations support, GATES proficiency

• —AFI 24-101, AFI 24-114 (Small Air Terminal Operations), AFMAN 24-204, applicable AMC terminal operations publications, unit air terminal operating instructions

• —Passengers processed correctly and efficiently; cargo documentation complete and accurate; hazardous materials processed in compliance with regulations; load planning correct; weight and balance within limits; GATES records accurate

• —Routing cargo through the documentation process without verifying that the priority and required delivery date match what the requester actually needs — misprioritized cargo that arrives days late due to documentation errors can leave maintenance operations waiting for critical parts.

A SrA who understands the urgency behind each cargo movement — recognizing which shipments are supporting grounded aircraft or deployed operations and ensuring those movements are documented and prioritized correctly rather than processed in order of receipt.

You are a senior Air Transportation Specialist developing advanced terminal management qualifications and training the specialists who move passengers and cargo through the Air Force airlift network.

Perform advanced air transportation operations and develop toward terminal NCOIC and team lead qualifications. Train junior specialists on passenger service, cargo operations, hazardous material handling, and load planning. Evaluate trainee work. Lead specific air terminal functions. Coordinate with AMC and higher echelon on complex cargo movements. Develop expertise in contingency and deployment air terminal operations — the ability to establish and operate a bare base air terminal is a key advanced skill. Interface with aircraft crews on complex load planning issues.

• 01Advanced air terminal operations, junior specialist training, contingency air terminal operations, bare base terminal establishment, complex cargo coordination with AMC, aircraft crew load planning interface, specialty development

• —AFI 24-101, AFMAN 24-204, AFI 10-403 (deployment planning interface), applicable AMC contingency terminal publications, unit air terminal operating instructions

• —Advanced terminal operations to standard; junior specialists trained; contingency terminal operations capable; bare base terminal operations developing; AMC coordination effective; complex load planning completed correctly

• —Treating air terminal operations as a purely administrative function rather than a safety-critical one — load planning errors that affect aircraft weight and balance or hazardous material errors that go undetected can affect aircraft airworthiness.

An SSgt who regularly reviews load plans for compliance and accuracy — catching errors before aircraft crew sign-off rather than after, and building a quality check culture in the terminal that prevents rather than corrects documentation problems.

You are the Air Terminal NCOIC, responsible for passenger service, cargo operations, and the air transportation function at your installation.

Serve as the air terminal NCOIC. Own the passenger service program, cargo operations, hazardous materials compliance, and terminal quality management. Brief the Transportation officer and squadron commander on terminal performance, compliance status, and any operational issues. Coordinate with AMC on cargo traffic and capacity issues. Manage the terminal's compliance with AFMAN 24-204 hazardous materials requirements. Lead contingency operations planning. Support deployment operations through the terminal. Manage terminal personnel development.

• 01Terminal NCOIC duties, passenger service program management, cargo and hazmat compliance, AMC coordination, contingency planning, deployment support, personnel development, transportation officer interface

• —AFI 24-101, AFMAN 24-204, applicable AMC terminal operations publications, unit air terminal operating instructions, applicable IATA and ICAO dangerous goods regulations

• —Terminal operations compliant with all applicable regulations; AMC coordination effective; hazardous materials compliance continuous; contingency plans adequate; deployment support effective; personnel trained and qualified; transportation officer interface professional

• —Allowing hazardous materials compliance to be driven by completion rates rather than accuracy — the air terminal where everyone gets their hazmat certification renewed but where actual hazmat processing shortcuts persist has a compliance gap that represents real safety risk.

A TSgt who periodically conducts spot-check reviews of hazardous material shipment documentation — verifying that certifications and packaging compliance are genuine rather than assuming that training completion ensures operational accuracy.

You are the senior Air Transportation NCO, advising commanders on air terminal operations and the airlift capacity that supports your installation.

Serve as the wing transportation squadron superintendent or MAJCOM air transportation NCO. Advise commanders on air terminal performance, airlift capacity issues, and the transportation factors affecting wing mobility and deployment capability. Interface with AMC on institutional cargo and passenger capacity issues. Manage complex personnel actions. Contribute to Air Force air transportation policy. As 1stSgt, own the welfare and discipline of the air transportation formation.

• 01Wing/MAJCOM air transportation oversight, AMC institutional engagement, airlift capacity advisory, transportation policy contribution, complex personnel management, senior enlisted advisory

• —AFI 24-101, AMC terminal operations publications, applicable MAJCOM transportation publications

• —Wing air terminal meeting AMC performance standards; AMC relationships productive; airlift capacity advisory accurate; policy contributions valid; personnel actions appropriate

• —Not identifying recurring airlift capacity constraints that affect wing deployment timelines — the MSgt who accepts capacity limitations as fixed rather than as problems to escalate through AMC channels is leaving planning workarounds in place when the underlying constraint might be addressable.

An MSgt who maintains a deployment capacity assessment — documenting recurring airlift constraints that affect the wing's ability to meet deployment timelines and formally presenting those constraints to AMC for resolution.

You are the most senior Air Transportation enlisted leader, shaping the career field and the Air Force airlift capacity that supports global force projection.

Serve as the AMC or Air Staff air transportation career field functional manager or senior enlisted advisor. Shape training standards and the pipeline producing air transportation specialists. Advise four-star commanders and Air Staff leadership on airlift capacity, terminal operations modernization, and the transportation factors affecting Air Force global power projection. Interface with AMC leadership on terminal operations standards and capacity policy. Contribute to Joint and Air Force airlift doctrine. Advocate for the investment needed to modernize Air Force air terminal operations.

• 01Career field functional management, AMC leadership engagement, enterprise airlift capacity advisory, terminal modernization advocacy, airlift doctrine, four-star advisory, pipeline oversight

• —AFI 24-101, AMC doctrine publications, Air Staff A4 transportation publications, applicable Joint publications for strategic airlift

• —Career field producing qualified air transportation specialists; Air Force air terminal operations meeting AMC standards; terminal modernization needs formally documented; airlift doctrine current; four-star advisory accurate; AMC leadership relationships productive

• —Allowing air terminal operations training to lag behind the technology changes that affect how cargo is documented, tracked, and managed — the career field where training is still focused on legacy systems while operations have transitioned to new platforms is producing specialists who are less effective on day one at their first unit.

A CMSgt who has aligned air transportation training with the actual systems and procedures used in current terminal operations — ensuring that graduates of technical training can operate effectively in the terminal environment they will actually encounter rather than the one that existed when the curriculum was last updated.