We've all heard the stories of the people who travel the world for free on "Space A" or space-available travel, but I have yet to meet anyone who actually uses Space A. Are these urban legends, or is Space A a tangible benefit that can be used productively by those in the know? As it turns out, if you understand the Space A kabuki dance and have time on your hands, you might just be able to use this valuable benefit to stretch your vacation dollars.
The most significant complication to using Space A is that there is no single flight booking engine, such as Expedia or Orbitz, that shows flight schedules for military flights. This requires Space A travelers to do the research themselves. In addition, Space A passengers never are guaranteed a seat-priority always is given to operational requirements, military personnel under orders, or other strictly military purposes. Space A travelers often spend a great deal of time in terminals waiting to see if they can get on the flight manifest. Finally, it is very difficult to travel with family; traveling Space A often means hitching a ride on aircraft not designed for passengers (read: cold, noisy, and no in-flight movie). For these reasons, Space A often is appropriate only for people with a bit of free time and a penchant for adventure.
One of the most significant changes to the Space A program is the recent decision by the Air Mobility Command to scale back dramatically the Patriot Express program, a regular favorite of Space A travelers. Patriot Express, the military's chartered air service responsible for transporting servicemembers to and from overseas duty, has been providing regular flights to Europe since the 1960s. By fiscal year 2007, the program will reduce significantly the number of flights to Europe and close all U.S. gateways, except Baltimore -Washington International Airport.
* Eligibility. So, you still want to give it a try? Great. The first thing to understand is your eligibility and your Space A category. Space A is available only to personnel with some type of Department of Defense or Uniformed Services ID card. Unfortunately, veterans (nonretirees) are not eligible to use Space A. Under an innovative new Air Mobility Command test program, family members in the company of their sponsors can fly among stateside locations.
* Category. Your Space A category is essentially your priority on the flight. If there is room on a qualifying Space A flight, base operations will assign the seats in order of category-from Category 1 (emergency leave) all the way down to the lowest priority, Category 6 (reserve/guard, retired, dependents, ROTC). There are a host of nuances to categories and you should research your unique circumstance.
* Documentation & Immigration. All Space A passengers need appropriate documentation prior to travel. The most commonly required documents include ID cards, leave documents (as necessary), passports (with visas, as appropriate), and immunization records. Travelers generally can depart the continental United States from both civilian and military terminals, but reentry into the United States for non-active -duty personnel (those traveling on passports) may require that the reentry terminal have appropriate immigration facilities, which generally means returning to a commercial gateway.
* Choosing a Gateway. Not surprisingly, military airfields often have more Space A flights than commercial airports. Although there are a large number of potential departure terminals, some of the best Space A hubs are Dover Air Force Base, Travis Air Force Base, Norfolk Naval Station, Rhein Main Air Base, and RAF Mildenhall.
* Getting on the List. Once you have a gateway selected, you must register at the terminal's passenger service centers (in person, by e-mail, or fax). In most cases, you should be prepared to provide copies of all travel documents. During registration, you will be asked to select up to five destination countries-and may opt for one of the five to be "all." Passengers remain on the registration list for up to 60 days or until selected for travel. You should be ready to go and in the vicinity of the terminal during the manifesting "show time"-often two hours or more prior to departure. Official Space A information (including key phone numbers, e -mail addresses, and regulations) can be found on the Web at public.amc.af.mil/SPACEA/spacea.htm/.
Although not appropriate for everyone, Space A is an often-underutilized benefit that can open the world to even the most frugal travelers. If you subscribe to the old adage that "the journey is more important than the destination," the adventure of Space A may be for you.
Mr. Michel is the President of Military.com, a company focused on connecting service members, veterans, and their families to all the benefits earned in service to America. he is a former naval officer.