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Space A(vailable) Info


Chicken

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Someone told me this last week, and I thought I'd check with some of you heavy drivers to see if there's any truth to it. Say I wanted to fly space-a out of Travis to Hawaii, and I knew a crew-member at Travis. I could theoretically call that crew member and get listed on the crew manifest....that way I wouldn't have to fight the space-a crowds.

Possible, or did this dude not know what he was talking about? I don't know anything about how crew manifests work so I thought I'd ask the experts.... :beer:

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Someone told me this last week, and I thought I'd check with some of you heavy drivers to see if there's any truth to it. Say I wanted to fly space-a out of Travis to Hawaii, and I knew a crew-member at Travis. I could theoretically call that crew member and get listed on the crew manifest....that way I wouldn't have to fight the space-a crowds.

Possible, or did this dude not know what he was talking about? I don't know anything about how crew manifests work so I thought I'd ask the experts.... :beer:

It is possible, but if he gets caught he will have to answer to the Man. When you write someone in on the Orders there is a ton of Go/No-Go checks that are required (no does any of them if they can get away with it), but one thing they do have to do is get permision from the CC/DO or the person who signed the orders.

Just fight the space-a crowd and then your bud can hook you up with a good seat, but that is about it. Well, he can also increase the seat release if you don't make the cut.

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SUU - HIK and vice versa should almost always have room with as many flights as they have. You can sign up the second you start leave (i.e. the end of your last duty day before the first day of chargeable leave). While at EDF I saw a TSgt try to scam the Space A system by putting himself on a flight without standing the space a call (he worked at the pax terminal)... when he got caught he lost his stripe (line number for master) and his NCO Academy slot. Sad things is he would've still made the flight had he just followed the cattle call.

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I have tried to read DOD 4515.13R and can't quite decrypt all of it. Can someone please summarize the space-A rules for reservists (not on any kind of active duty orders)?

It is my understanding that as a drilling reservist I can only travel CONUS.

I also understand that as a drilling reservist my spouse cannot travel Space-A at all.

Finally, what paperwork is required for a reservist to travel?

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Someone told me this last week, and I thought I'd check with some of you heavy drivers to see if there's any truth to it. Say I wanted to fly space-a out of Travis to Hawaii, and I knew a crew-member at Travis. I could theoretically call that crew member and get listed on the crew manifest....that way I wouldn't have to fight the space-a crowds.

Possible, or did this dude not know what he was talking about? I don't know anything about how crew manifests work so I thought I'd ask the experts.... :beer:

That dude didn't really know what he was talking about...if he was actually talking about orders. You can probably get away with it on a pax manifest, however the pax terminal @ Hickam will raise eyebrows when you turn in a pax manifest from the Travis pax terminal AND a manifest that the crew typed up (with just you on it). As long as you are on leave, and are entitled to space-A, you should be ok. However, this guy (and maybe you) might get some heat for circumnavigating the space a 'sign up list'. Especially if the jet is full.

Like was mentioned before, as active duty on leave, you will be pretty close to the top of the list (ahead of all the ORFs). When we're carrying 70+ seats to Hawaii, we rarely fill every seat as well. SUU-HIK is one of the most flown routes in AMC. You will have 0 problems making it there and back.

If you have a choice, fly on a -10. We're a much quieter/comfortable/quicker ride. Unless we're dragging Hogs.

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I have tried to read DOD 4515.13R and can't quite decrypt all of it. Can someone please summarize the space-A rules for reservists (not on any kind of active duty orders)?

It is my understanding that as a drilling reservist I can only travel CONUS.

As a point of clarification, travel to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa is allowed. (Reference: DOD 4515.13-R, Table C6.T1)

Finally, what paperwork is required for a reservist to travel?

Military ID and DD Form 1853 "Verification of Reserve Status for Travel Eligibility"
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  • 2 months later...

I took advantage of free air travel this summer using the Space Available program and put together a briefing for the cadets at my det. I figured someone might find this useful... It is a bit dry as all the personally identifying info has been stripped out and the pictures removed to bring down the file size, but there is some good stuff in there for any cadet interested in the program. Feel free to post any questions you may have. Enjoy...

SpaceAtravelstripped.ppt

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  • 1 year later...

Me and the wife did space-a to Hawaii last summer. I took a month of leave and we wanted to spend 7 days in Hawaii. The trip ended up being 11 days with an extra 3 days spent in Hickam billeting and 1 at Travis. We got lucky with the flight out there, ended up catching a direct flight from Scott to Hickam. Trying to get back was when the fun started. Flights kept on getting canceled out of Hickam so we had to bag drag between the AMC terminal and billeting 3 days in a row trying to get out of there. Overall, it was a great trip though. Instead of paying commercial air we had to pay an extra 4 nights of billeting. Not a big deal.

That Peppard site really helped because it shows all of the daily space-a schedules. I would not do it though if I only had 7 days of leave. I would recommend taking 14 days of leave for a 7 day trip. Also, you'll probably have better luck traveling in the spring or fall compared to summer because of all of the parents traveling with kids during the summer.

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I was thinking sometime in the future of taking like 7 days worth of leave and trying to take a Space-A flight out of Charleston to Hawaii/Germany, wherever. Has anyone done this before? Any success? Anybody tried it out of Charleston AFB? Stories are welcome.

Thanks.

I've flown out of CHS space A about 6 times and it's usually really good. Flights to Hawaii are rare, so rare that the pax rep was telling me they sent a C-17 there a while back with only 10 pax and plenty of open seats! Your best bet will be the direct flight from CHS to Travis (which happens a few times a month) and trying to get on one of the daily flights to Hawaii out of Travis. Germany or Spain however, will not be a problem out of Charleston. They go to both locations almost daily. Just stick to the AMC hubs and you will be fine. BTW, pepperd.com is the a great resource. Check those flight schedules online and you can quickly find ideas on where the jets usually fly. Another thing to consider out of CHS is the Southern Shuttle which stops at Homestead, MacDill, and Jax NAS. Also, keep your eyes open for the flight to St Croix, I've always wanted to do that and it looks like it would be relatively effortless. Let me know if you have any other questions and let me know how the trip goes. Good luck.

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If you can get access (and a CAC reader), SMS will allow you to see all of the flights in/out of places along with the mission remarks. Makes traveling space-a easy!

Flew space-a to Hawaii with the fam again this fall with absolutely no problems. If you are AD and travel between Sep-Nov & late-Jan to early May, you shouldn't have many problems most places. We were able to get on every flight we wanted to out of Travis & Hawaii. Traveling during the summer months & holidays is doable, but not quite as easy.

ATI cargo flies a DC-8 to/from Travis & Hawaii once a week w/32 seats each time. Comes complete with 2 flight attendants, in-flight movies, hot meals, drinks...ALL FOR FREE! Can't be beat!

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My advice, never count on a C-5 as your space A solution. SMS is a good tool to find a ride. Have a pocket full of cash, and a few extra days.

Going yes. Coming home no. Especially if it's someplace like Elmendorf in the summer or Hickam.

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  • 2 years later...

Random question... My cousin is an the Army and owns an ridiculously large dog. He is PCSing to England soon and the airlines apparently don't have/can't support a crate that is large enough for the dog.

They thought about the Space A option but have been getting the run around from different AMC terminals. Some have told them it will not be a problem to fly Space A with the dog, some have said absolutely not. They would obviously like to have a solid answer rather than show up and it not work out.

I was under the impression that the only animals allowed on AMC aircraft were military working/SS dogs.

Since it is under a PCS would the rules be different? Thoughts?

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Every 11-2-Vol3 I've flown with has said something to the effect that you cannot transport pets for space available. However, they've said you can if it's in conjunction with a PCS. He might have to fly as a duty passenger vice space A to qualify for large dog transport.

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Random question... My cousin is an the Army and owns an ridiculously large dog. He is PCSing to England soon and the airlines apparently don't have/can't support a crate that is large enough for the dog.

They thought about the Space A option but have been getting the run around from different AMC terminals. Some have told them it will not be a problem to fly Space A with the dog, some have said absolutely not. They would obviously like to have a solid answer rather than show up and it not work out.

I was under the impression that the only animals allowed on AMC aircraft were military working/SS dogs.

Since it is under a PCS would the rules be different? Thoughts?

Pets can only enter the UK through the PETS scheme which requires certain airlines and certain routes. Space A will be a def no go.

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He will have to be space required for PCS or on orders with a working dog.

The only way space-A is seeing-eye-dog or seeing-eye-dog in training; or another type of assistance animal. Side note: On an airliner I saw an assistance pony one time...weird and farty.

P1010062.jpg

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That's hilarious.

So, if they got "Space Required" on their orders, they could theoretically hop on a -17 bound for Ramstein and should have no real issues, right?

As was stated earlier:

"Pets can only enter the UK through the PETS scheme which requires certain airlines and certain routes."

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I think what some people here are missing is that you'd have to meet the UK's rules in addition to the AF's. Customs doesn't give a shit about the vol 3. PCSing to/from OCONUS with pets is usually a nightmare, but they're worth it. Dude with the epic dog needs to get started on this shit about 6 months ago. I'd recommend talking to TMO to see who has the contract to fly you overseas, check out that Airline's pet policy, then take circuitous travel rather than hoping you get 1 of the 6 pet spots on the Patriot Express. Alternatively, start the paperwork for the dog and hire someone to fly it to England. I ended up having to pay someone to fly my dog out of Japan because TMO fucked up my travel request.

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  • 1 month later...

Translation of article:

"95% of space-A travel is on commercial contract aircraft. They'll fly less as budgets draw down. We won't give space-A benefits to those who've never had the privelage, which will hopefully minimize the drawdown pain to those who already have the benefit."

Perhaps I'm missing something, but how is this a "good deal going away"?

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My Amn on the honor guard lost their minds when Congress decided ALL vets can have a military funeral.

Agreed. That's asking a lot of the Airmen. They should only do good deal professional sporting events and NASCAR races.

Fucking vets. Fuck them and their families. Fuckers. Honor Guard folks should be guarding something that is honorable, not these fucking bullshit dead fuck vets.

Probably Obama's fault.

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Agreed. That's asking a lot of the Airmen. They should only do good deal professional sporting events and NASCAR races.

######ing vets. ###### them and their families. ######ers. Honor Guard folks should be guarding something that is honorable, not these ######ing bullshit dead ###### vets.

Probably Obama's fault.

Nice. When I got guys PTDY for a week multiple times a year to do multiple funerals for folks who didn't retire, or serve even close to a decade, or did their draft time in Germany, it seems a bit strange.

The broad from "who wants to marry a millionare" gets a military funeral if she/family so desires.

Yea.. fck the vets is totally what I was saying. :salut:

Also, happened during Bush II's presidency. Obama is clear, though I think the Congress might have been Democrat at the time.

EDIT: Political Clarity

Edited by 17D_guy
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Translation of article:

"95% of space-A travel is on commercial contract aircraft. They'll fly less as budgets draw down. We won't give space-A benefits to those who've never had the privelage, which will hopefully minimize the drawdown pain to those who already have the benefit."

Perhaps I'm missing something, but how is this a "good deal going away"?

Well, you see, traveling on Space Available flights is virtually free.

Traveling via commercial airlines costs hundreds to thousands of dollars.

So traveling Space-A can save you hundreds to thousands of dollars....which is a good deal.

They're going to significantly cut back on Space A...a good deal.

So this is a good deal that is going away.

Did I go too fast for you?

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