Space-A flights now available for military spouses Published April 21, 2008 By Nel Lampe Mountaineer staff writer FORT CARSON, Colo. -- When a military plane flies on a mission from one base to another, sometimes all the seats aren't filled. If a seat is empty, it may be used by someone who is eligible to fly if there is space available, referred to as "Space-A." Until recently, servicemembers, under certain conditions, could fly Space Available status, and their family members could accompany the sponsor on the flights. But those rules have been changed so that family members of servicemembers deployed for 120 consecutive days or more can use Space-A flights without their sponsor present. Such family members must have a letter of verification from the servicemember's command. The new policy applies to legal dependents -- spouses and children under age 18 -- and applies to flights within the U.S., between the U.S. and overseas and flights between overseas bases. The change was announced by officials at the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. Before making plans to head for the nearest air force base to board a plane, potential passengers should follow these guidelines. · Potential passengers are not able to make a Space-A reservation. The key words here are "space available." · Military aircraft do not necessarily follow set schedules, such as airlines do. Military aircraft flight times are subject to change and there is no guarantee that there will be seats available. · Generally, Space-A seats are identified two or three hours before a flight takes off, but occasionally, available seats may not be known until just prior to takeoff. · Passengers are not guaranteed a connecting flight to their desired destination nor are they guaranteed a return flight. · With the letter of verification from the servicemember's commander in hand, family members may register at a military installation that has aircraft traffic, such as an Air Force base or Naval base. In the Colorado Springs area, that would be Peterson Air Force Base. · Once registered, names will remain on the register for 60 days or until the registrant takes a flight. Call 556-4521 for information. Family members interested in Space-A flights must register at Peterson's Base Operations Office in building 122. Duty hours are 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Mondays-Fridays. · There is no charge for eligible passengers to fly Space-A from Peterson. · Once on the register, it's the family member's responsibility to check for a flight by calling Peterson's recorded message at 556-4707. The recording gives the time a registrant must be at the passenger terminal and the number of seats available, if known. The recording is updated each weekday at 7:30 a.m. Peterson flights do not go overseas, but to the stateside destinations as mentioned in the recording. In seating Space-A passengers, Air Force passenger terminal personnel must follow these priorities: · Emergency leave, unfunded travel and servicemembers and families on environmental morale leave · Ordinary leave for servicemembers and their families · Medal of Honor recipients and their families; unaccompanied family members on environmental leave (to now include this new category of unaccompanied family members), Department of Defense School System teachers and their family members · Servicemembers on permissive temporary duty, college student family members as well as retired servicemembers and their families Being successful at getting a Space-A flight requires flexibility and time. Potential Space-A fliers must be at the passenger terminal at the "show time" as announced on the recorded message, which is usually a couple of hours before the flight arrives. Sometimes the number of seats is not available ahead of time, according to Tech. Sgt. Kevin Kleffner, Peterson Terminal Operations. According to Airman 1st Class Kristi Murray, Peterson Terminal Operations, military flights typically stop at Peterson a few times each week. Occasionally, C-21 and C-12 aircraft flights out of Peterson have Space-A seats. These aircraft have a baggage limit of 30 pounds, rather than the 70-pound bags allowed on C-130, C-17 and C-5 aircraft. "Have money set aside to buy a ticket," is the advice Airman Murray gave, in case seats are not available for return flights. Mission requirements may also result in passengers being "bumped" at a stop along the route. Airman Murray said most Space-A travelers are retired military, who may have time and flexibility to wait for space-available flights. Many people have successfully flown Space-A, some even reaching an exotic destination. Former Soldier Robert Charles used his terminal leave to fly Space-A to Australia. After visiting with friends, he caught a flight out of Travis, bound for Australia. The airplane had a maintenance problem at one of its stops, and he had to get a motel room for four days before heading to Australia. He spent a week in Sydney before hopping a military aircraft out of Australia. While assigned in Germany, Charles also used Space-A flights to and from Spain. Retired Col. John Tilford is a veteran of many Space-A flights. "Many of the seats (on military aircraft) are too hot or too cold," he said, suggesting that passengers dress in layers. He recommends buying a box lunch before the flight if the Passenger Terminal offers them and bringing along bottled water. Mr. Tilford pointed out that military planes can be noisy; ear plugs come in handy. His final advice: "Be flexible. This is an adventure."