Travel Benefits
Space-Available (Space-A) travel:
Allows you to fly free on a military plane anywhere in
the U.S., Guam, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, when space is available.
Members of the Army National Guard are entitled to travel, at no charge and on a space-available basis, on military aircraft within
and between the Continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, U.S. Virgin
Islands, and Puerto Rico. To make use of space-available transportation, a
member of the Army National Guard must meet the following conditions:
- He or she must have a current, valid military ID card.
- He or she must be in a pay or non pay status, and perform regular periods of
inactive duty training – drill.
- He or she must have a DD Form 1853. The DD Form 1853 authorizes him or her
to use military space-available transportation. The unit commander must sign
this form or other duly designated authority.
Members may go to a Passenger Service Center in the passenger terminal to
register for Space-A flights or may register by mail, fax, or e-mail.
The request should provide a statement that
required border clearance documents are current and a list of up to five country
destinations. Travelers remain on the Space-A register for 60 days after
registration, or for the duration of their travel orders authorization, or until
they are selected for travel, whichever occurs first.
Each terminal maintains a Space-A register (organized by priority and
date and time of registration for travel) that is updated daily. The register is
located in the terminal and directly accessible to you. Travelers may call the
terminal directly to find where they stand on the travel register.
A valid military ID card is required for all
passengers. Passports, visas, and immunization records are also required for
overseas travel, along with leave orders or other travel authorizations. Once
registered, the traveler must wait for notification that his or her travel
category and date/time of sign up has been reached. When selected for a flight,
the traveler must be ready to proceed. Space-A travelers are not required to be
present for all scheduled departures.
In addition to their facing frequent long waiting periods, it should be noted that the
Government is not obligated to provide return or continuing transportation to
Space-A passengers. Space required passengers or cargo may require the removal
of Space-A passengers at any point. If removed en route, you may re-register
with your original date and time of registration. Passenger agents will assign a
new date and time to any country you change or add on your application.
Space-A passengers should ensure adequate funds are
available to procure commercial transportation for return flights or
accommodations for lengthy stays while awaiting Space-A flights. Successful
Space-A journeys require patience and flexibility.
General information about Space-A Travel
Space-A travel seats are normally available after all
official duty passengers have been accommodated. Passengers are permitted to
sign up for a maximum of five destinations, with the last destination being
"all" to qualify for any opportune travel to a destination not normally served
by the departure terminal.
Space-A passengers are removed from the Space-A register when they:
- Are selected for a flight.
- Have not moved by their leave expiration date.
- Have been on the Space-A register for 60 days.
Space-A travelers may re-register after they are removed from the list;
however, they will be given a new date/time of sign up and drop to the bottom of
the list in their respective category.
The Space-A passenger should be prepared to spend time awaiting travel, and always be ready
to travel at personal expense. As long as seats are available on an aircraft,
every attempt will be made to use them for Space-A passengers.
Passengers will be offered air transportation on a first-come,
first-served basis, based upon established space-available categories.