Space A Travel

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Promotional material by the US military for Space A Travel

Space A Travel or Space Available Travel is a means by which by uniformed members of United States services, reservists and retirees are permitted free travel on aircraft under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense as an alternative to commercial flying, as long as there is space available on the aircraft to transport them.

[edit] Requirements and rules

The branches of service who receive this are:

The Department of Defense enforces several rules by which personnel must abide if they are undertaking Space A Travel. It is insisted that uniformed personnel must be in possession of a leave or pass that covers the duration of their trip, and Space A Travel should not be used in conjunction with travel required by the service, if a place on an aircraft is reserved for a uniformed member of the services, he or she are not permitted to take a Space A flight to the same destination regardless of convenience.

Aside from members of the Marine Corps, travelers do not have to be in uniform for their flights, and are instead permitted to wear suitable civilian attire. All passengers are permitted to take two luggage items as long as they are under 70 pounds in weight, and mothers who are less than six weeks from the birth of their child, nor children under 6 weeks old, are permitted to fly without written permission from a doctor.

[edit] The process

Passengers applying for Space A are required to sign up on a register maintained at each installation from which Space A flights are available. Active uniformed members must present identification cards (known as 'Green Cards') while retired members must present the equivalent 'Blue Cards'. Various other services, such as the National Guard, must present their own relevant identification.

After signing up, Space A Travel applicants are assigned a number from 1 to 6 depending on the priority of their movement, 1 being the highest priority. Thus, an applicant with priority 1 will gain a place on an available aircraft over an applicant with priority 4, for example. They are also placed in categories depending on the reason for their travel (emergency leave. duty etc.) and their current status (active combat, for instance). The priority of their movement can also be altered by superior officers if events warrant.