Travel is one of the great benefits in being part of the military community - if you can afford it! As a member of the military community, you and your family are eligible for several travel benefits that can save you a great deal of money on vacations as well as enrich your travel life. You may not have known, for example, that:

• there are thousands of bases around the world and in the U.S. that offer temporary housing for military families
• you can fly free on Space Available (Space-A) military flights
• many airlines, hotels, resorts, travel companies, and tour groups offer military discounts
• just asking for a "military discount" can often save you money

• Military personnel and their families, under certain rules, are eligible to fly free on Space Available (Space-A) military flights.

• Space-A military flights go to over 275 locations in the U.S. and overseas. You need to be flexible since these flights do not follow regular schedules, and information on flights tends to be low-keyed since 9/11 because of security issues.

  You can't make reservations for these flights since these are basically stand-by flights - you may know if seats are available 2-3 hours before the flight departs or maybe just a few minutes before departure!

  As you plan your travel, it's best to call the air terminal and ask if they anticipate any flights to your preferred destinations on or near your planned travel dates. Then be prepared to wait on the day of your departure.

• Spouses and dependents are now (since December 6, 2007) eligible to use these flights without being accompanied by their sponsor. Here's the new rule:

  If a service member has been deployed for 120 consecutive days or more, family members can use Space-A flights without their sponsor being present.

• These can be unreliable flights in terms of scheduling. Seats may or may not be available and flights may be canceled with no backup flights available.

  Space-A flights are best used by those who have lots of time on their hands to risk cancellations, such as retirees, dependents, ROTC/Service Academy students on an extended vacation.

  If you are in a hurry to get somewhere, consider a more reliable option - military discounted commercial flights. Indeed, if you're traveling with your spouse, you don't want him or her to be UA or AWOL because of a missed Space-A flight!

  Visit these websites for more information on Space-A flights:

  www.amc.af.mil/questions/topic.asp?id=380
  http://www.baseops.net/spaceatravel/
  http://militaryliving.com/spacea/index.html
  www.militaryhops.com
  www.militarytravelstore.com

• Get a copy of this book:Military Space-A Air Travel Guide. It's available through the website below or may be available in your base exchange:

  http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/MilitaryLivingPublications/StoreFront.bok

   

  SOURCE: Adapted from Trudy S. Woodring and Ronald L. Krannich, Ph.D., The Military Spouse's Map Through the Maze Pocket Guide (Manassas Park: Impact Publications), pages 47-49. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Copying strictly forbidden.