If you are active military personnel, there are discounted airline fares available to you. Most airlines provide discounts to active members of the uniformed forces. Airlines understand that members of the armed forces typically have little forewarning about their time of leave and that it is hard to gain access to cheap airfare. Many airlines also provide discounted fares to dependents and family members of the serviceperson. Other perks offered by airlines may include relaxed advanced reservation requirements, reduced minimum stay requirements, preferred boarding privileges, and access to club facilities during layovers. Some airlines also offer special Veterans Advantage cards.
Be prepared to book your ticket by calling an airline representative or by talking to someone at the gate as discounted military fares are almost never available on airlines’ websites. You must provide a military ID to get these discounts and children and dependents may have to present an active Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card.
The other option for cheap flights for active military personnel or veterans is a program called Space A, short for “Space Available Air Transportation on Government Owned or Controlled Aircraft”. Space A allows you to fly on military aircraft and commercial charter flights scheduled by the Department of Defense to carry out missions. If there is free space on these flights, you can fly for free.
The rules and regulations for Space A are complex and there is not much of a central system where you can access flight information. Members of the Uniformed Services, retired members of the Uniformed Services and their family members, members of the Reserve Components, Civilian employees of the DoD stationed overseas and their families, American Red Cross personnel serving overseas with the U.S. military, and DoD Dependent School (DoDDS) teachers and their family members are generally allowed to partake in Space A.
Passengers need to register with their military installation and will be placed on a locally managed Space A register. Most installations allow signups via electronic mail, fax, or postal mail, and some even have signup forms on the web. Each person is placed on the register using two factors: category of travel and signup date. The category of travel is an assigned number from 1 to 6 based on the passenger’s status (active duty, retired military, emergency traveler, etc) and this categorizes their priority. A priority 1 passenger will get placed on a flight before a priority 4 passenger.
The most important factor for active duty military personnel is that you must be on approved leave, pass or liberty for the entire duration of the trip. Another restriction is that your trip can only be for the purpose of leisure. It may not be used for personal financial gain, business enterprises or be used in conjunction with travel required by the service.
Some tips for using Space A are that you should have a very flexible schedule and be prepared for unforeseen circumstances if you fly via Space A, as there are no guarantees of space availability. Space A flights fly between military bases that can be somewhat remote so be prepared to take a bus or train to your destination. It is easier to fly to locations in Japan and Europe where there are large military bases. Be flexible when planning your trip- if you cannot get a flight directly to the country of your choice, such as France, consider flying to the United Kingdom and then taking a relatively cheap flight from there. If you are flexible and patient, chances are that Space A will work out for you.