Space-A Travel an Option for Retirees

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – Retirees who dream of climbing an Egyptian pyramid, schussing down a black diamond ski slope in Bavaria, or walking on a Hawaiian beach can make these dreams come true with space-available travel.

Typically, these dreams require a lot of money; however, Space-A travel is free with the exception of customs or federal inspection fees on some chartered commercial air service missions.

Air Mobility Command aircraft fly all over the globe and often have open passenger seats available. An AMC aircraft takes off every 90 seconds. More than 130,000 Space-A travelers take advantage of this military benefit each year.

Retired Airmen with a retiree ID card and who are eligible to receive retired or retainer pay, fly as Category VI passengers. Since missions can be rerouted, delayed or cancelled for a variety of reasons -- weather, maintenance issues or higher priority missions – retirees need to be flexible. They need to plan for any potential delays and added expenses for stays, especially in high-cost areas.

There are four different methods for signing up for Space-A travel: in person at the passenger terminal or remotely via telephone, fax or e-mail. Sponsors must provide their name and information on all traveling dependents, and their desired destination(s).

Retirees can also use the DOD-chartered airlift missions for Space-A travel, if seats are available. Although retirees cannot visit their grandchildren in Iraq or Afghanistan, they can travel to Germany if the aircraft transitions there.

If traveling overseas, retirees should know the restrictions of the host country. For example, retirees traveling to Germany are not authorized to purchase items in the base exchange, but they can go off base and shop in the local community. Status of Forces Agreements restrictions, U.S. State Department Travel Advisory guidelines, the Foreign Clearance Guide and passport and visa requirements are all necessary items to research.