Space Available Travel (Space A)

Space Available Travel, commonly called "Space A", is just as the name implies. The program is operated by the United States Air Force's Air Mobility Command. When mission and cargo loads allow, there are often seats made available to eligible passengers. With a little patience and flexibility, you can travel all over the world for almost nothing. It is an often overlooked benefit that is not readily available to our civilian counterparts as you MUST meet these eligibility requirements. There are six (6) categories.

Category I - Emergency Leave Unfunded Travel. Transportation by the most expeditious routing only for bona fide immediate family emergencies, as determined by DoDI 1327.06 and Military Service regulations. This travel privilege will not be used in lieu of funded travel entitlements.

1. Emergency Travel in connection with serious illness, death, or impending death of a member of the immediate family of the following:
      United States citizen,
      DoD Civilian Employees stationed overseas.
2. Full-time, paid personnel of the American Red Cross serving with United States military services overseas.
3. Uniformed service family members whose sponsors are stationed within the Continental United States (CONUS) and the emergency exists overseas.
4. Family members of United States citizen civilian employees of the DoD when both sponsor and dependents are stationed overseas at the same location.

Category II – Accompanied EML.

1. Sponsors on environmental and morale leave (EML) and accompanied family members.
2. DoD Dependent School (DoDDS) teachers and their accompanied family members in EML status during school year holiday or vacation periods.

Category III - Ordinary Leave, Relatives, House Hunting Permissive TDY, Medal of Honor Holders, and Foreign Military.

1. Members of the uniformed services in an ordinary or re-enlistment leave status.
2. Military personnel traveling on permissive temporary duty (TDY) orders for house hunting.
   
   If the permissive TDY is for the purpose of permanent change of station house hunting, the member travels in Category III and can be accompanied by one family member.
   
   
3. Dependents of military members deployed for more than 365 consecutive days.
4. Bona fide family members (up to age 23 with a valid identification card) of a service member of the uniformed services when accompanied by their sponsor who is in an ordinary leave status within overseas areas between overseas stations and air terminals in the CONUS.
   
   This privilege does not apply to travel of dependents to or from a sponsor's restricted or unaccompanied tour location or to travel in a leave status to or from TDY locations. It applies only to round-trip travel to an overseas area or the CONUS with the sponsor. DODI 4515.13 restricts use of these privileges to establish a home for family members in an overseas area or the CONUS.
   
   
5. Foreign exchange service members on permanent duty with the DoD, when in a leave status.

Category IV - Unaccompanied EML.

1. Dependents of military members deployed for more than 30 consecutive days.
2. Unaccompanied family members (18 years or older) traveling on EML orders.  Family members under 18 must be accompanied by an adult family member who is traveling EML.
3. DoDDS teachers or family members (accompanied or unaccompanied) in an EML status during summer break.

Category V - Permissive TDY (Non-House Hunting), Students, Dependents, Post Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence, and Others.

1. Unaccompanied Command-sponsored dependents. Students whose sponsor is stationed in Alaska or Hawaii.
2. Students enrolled in a trade school in the CONUS when the sponsor is stationed overseas.
3. Military personnel traveling on permissive TDY orders for other than house hunting.

Category VI – Retired, Dependents, Reserve, ROTC, NUPOC and Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) members & 100% Disabled Vets.

1. National Guard/Reserve components/members of the Ready Reserve and members of the Standby Reserve who are on the Active Status List.
2. Retired military members who are issued DD Form 2 and eligible to receive retired or retainer pay.
3. Family members (with a valid identification card) of retired members when accompanied by a sponsor.
4. As of 13 Aug 2018, authorized veterans with a permanent service-connected disability rated as total or VA-100% Disabled Veteran.