Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Retirees’ CornerSpace-ABy CDR Ted Lamb, USNR (Ret)Contributing MemberTravel on military aircraft isone of the privileges ofmilitary service, but thereare two things to remember:there has to be a flightgoing where you want togo, and there must be a seat available foryou. When those things come together, youcan travel to some wonderful places, andwith minimal cost. The main thing a retireeor a Reserve member must have is a “planB,” when you can’t get where you want togo, or to return from far away when therejust isn’t a seat for you.A member on active duty or retired withpay may travel anywhere space-availabletransportation goes. Other Reservists,including retired but not yet entitled to pay,are limited to the 50 states plus Puerto Ricoand other U.S. territories. Family members(those with dependent ID’s) may travel withtheir sponsors only if the sponsor is onactive duty (on leave) or retired with pay.There is a comprehensive Department ofDefense regulation governing travel onmilitary aircraft, which includes spaceavailabletravel. Space-available travelersare grouped into six categories, with activeduty on leave being in Category III, and amember not on active duty (either retired orReserve) being in Category VI, the lowestpriority.So, how does one find out about Space-Aopportunities? Just about every base thathandles Space-A passengers has a flightrecording, which gives information aboutupcoming flights. Most bases, for forceprotection reasons, limit information toshort periods, about 48 hours ahead. Somebases will give information further out –you’ll need to call the line of the desireddeparture base to see what information isavailable. You will be given a “show time,”which is the time by which you mustpresent yourself to the counter and let themknow that you are “present” for a flight.Can you sign up at a terminal in advance?Yes – an active duty person may sign up themoment leave begins, and most terminalswill accept e-mail sign-ups. A Category VIperson may sign up at any time, and themember’s name is kept on the register for60 days (but some Navy locations will havea 45-day period). This can be important,because passengers are called based firstupon category, then, within the category,according to the sign-up date (and time).One important thing to remember: aflight may be listed on the departure board,but that doesn’t mean that passengers willbe accepted, or even that the flight will go.Hazardous cargo, medical evacuations andmission changes affect flights, which iswhy having a “plan B” is important.There are several sources of information,both on the Internet and in printed material.Two publishers have reference books:Military Living and Space-A Travel. Theirpublications may be available at yourlocal exchange or may be ordered on-lineat http://www.militaryliving.com andhttp://www.spaceatravel.com. The DoDregulation may be found at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/html/451513.htm. There is a gold mine of informationavailable at http://www.spacea.net,and there is a bulletin board for exchangeof information at http://www.pepperd.com.Once at your destination, you’re on yourown; but many bases have accommodationsfor the traveler. The Navy Lodge system,for example, has facilities in Japan, Italy,and Spain. Any base where you land willhave an office where a traveler can getassistance with reservations, attractions,and touring. One caution: there may berestrictions on use of exchanges andcommissaries (depending on treatiesbetween the U.S. and the host country).We have traveled to Europe and Japanseveral times on a space-available basissince I began receiving retired pay. It’s agreat way to travel and to meet other nicefolks with military backgrounds.See you at the terminal!UPDATENOW!Have you changed address, telephone, fax, or e-mail?Please contact Naval Reserve Association’s membership assistant atTel: 703.548.5800; Toll free: 1.866.672.4968Fax: 703.683.3647or E-mail: membership@navy-reserve.org24 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2008