Benefits | Travel Benefits

Those in the military may not be aware of this little tidbit, but you may be entitled to some travel benefits. "Space available" travel is one of the travel benefits you may qualify for. The space travel program available to some military members and families traveling by air. It is also available to retired military members. The name of this travel benefit is called Space A or Space Available Flight. Those who are eligible for these travel benefits are allowed to take advantage of available seats on an aircraft once all of the other passengers have filled their seats. The Space A travel benefit is not a given for every military member, and there are eligibility requirements. There are six different categories for eligibility as well as different regulations under each category. Those in the top category have precedence over those in the lower categories. However, once the person has been given an available Space A seat, his or her seat cannot be taken by someone else who is eligible or more eligible. Basically, once you get your seat, it is yours for that trip. The first category is Category One, which of course, has to do with emergency travel needs. These are round-trip travels in which a serious event has occurred, such as a death or terminal illness. Those in the last category, Category Six, are retirees of the military. These are those people who served in the National Guard or the Reserve or those who are on standby or on the active list. Other eligible members under Category Six include those who served in the military and have been given a DD Form 2 and can receive retired or retainer pay. Also, included in Category Six for the Space A eligibility, is a family member of a retired military service person if coupled with a sponsor and is carrying a legitimate identification card.