KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii - Space-available flights is a service offered by the Department of Defense which provides unused seats on military flights to service members, their families and retirees looking to travel at little to no cost.
Although the flight is free, there is no guaranteed spot. The seat assignments are made on a space-available basis.
“It’s certainly a money saver if they have the time and patience to use it,” said Ron Abernathy, flight chief with passenger services at Joint Base Pearl Harbor – Hickam Air Mobility Command. “As an example we typically move approximately 90,000 passengers annually through our facility and much of our business is through the education process of other services.”
In Hawaii, the nearest Space-A is Joint Base Pearl Harbor – Hickam AMC Passenger Terminal.
Flight schedules for Space-A are released three days ahead of the planned departures. Seats available are listed as early as two to three hours before the flight.
Passengers are also ranked in order of priority, depending on the importance of the travel. Vacations on leave are accepted reasons for Space-A travel, but service members with emergency leave receive priority.
Registration for the Space-A flights are only valid for 60 days with the exception of active duty. The earlier a passenger is registered, the higher priority they have in their travel group.
Passengers can register for a flight in five ways: In person, fax, email, Internet or mail.
Space-A occasionally flies with commercial contracted flights. In this case, there will be a fee between $15 and $30 depending on the airport. There would also be a fee for meals served aboard those flights.
Flexibility is key when flying Space-A, Abernathy said. Space-A, though efficient and financially beneficial, is risky. There are no guarantees to or from the intended passenger destination.
“If you have to be at a destination on a particular date and are relying on a Space-A flight I would advise against it as there are too many variables affecting military flights,” Abernathy said.
“Having said that, our system is perfect for retirees who have time and flexibility on their side. For active duty who can’t sign up for Space-A until their leave is in effect, there is always the possibility of burning leave while waiting for their exact destination.”
Travelers may carry two luggage items up to 70 pounds a piece at no charge.
Space-A travels all over the world. Some exotic places the flights go are New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Japan and the Philippines. For details, call 448-6833 or visit http://www.amc.af.mil/amctravel.
| Date Taken: |
10.24.2013 |
| Date Posted: |
10.24.2013 23:17 |
| Story ID: |
115708 |
| Location: |
KANEOHE BAY, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: |
1,107 |
| Downloads: |
2 |
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This work, Space-A flights offer free travel with DoD aircraft to service members, families, retirees, by Sgt Sarah Anderson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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