To use Space-A flights, eligible passengers need to sign up in advance, and priority is given based on a system of categories that rank passengers according to their status and the nature of their travel.
The following is a partial listing of eligible individuals and their category of travel. In Space A terms, your "category" of travel is your priority. The numerical order of space-available categories indicates who gets to board the plane first. Travelers in lower numbered categories move first.
You are placed in one of these six categories based on a combination of two criteria: your status (for example, active duty member, DoDDS teacher, etc.), and your situation (for example, emergency leave, and ordinary leave, etc.).
Once accepted for movement, a space-available passenger may not be "bumped" by another space-available passenger, regardless of category.
A complete listing of eligible passengers by category is found on the AMC website.
Category I - Emergency Leave Travel
- US citizen, DOD Civilian Employees stationed overseas
- Full-time, paid personnel of the American Red Cross serving with U.S. military overseas
- Military family members whose sponsors are stationed within the Continental United States (CONUS) and the emergency exists overseas
- Family members of U.S. citizen civilian DOD employees when both sponsor and dependents are stationed at the same location overseas
Category II - Accompanied Environmental & Morale Leave (EML)
- Sponsors on EML and accompanied family members.
- DoD Dependent School (DoDDS) teachers and their accompanied family members in EML status during school year holiday, vacation periods.
Category III - Ordinary Leave, House Hunting TDY and Others
- Military members on ordinary leave and military patients on convalescent leave.
- Military members on permissive temporary duty (TDY) orders for house hunting in conjunction with PCS orders. Military member can be accompanied by one family member
- Dependents of military members deployed for more than 365 consecutive days
- Military family members (up to age 23 with a valid ID card) of a military member when accompanied by their sponsor who is in an ordinary leave status between overseas and CONUS
Category IV - Unaccompanied Dependents on EML
- Dependents of military members deployed more than 30 consecutive days
- 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
- DoDDS teachers or family members (accompanied or unaccompanied) in an EML status during summer break
Category V - Permissive TDY, Students, Dependents, Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence and Others
- Unaccompanied command-sponsored dependents
- Students whose sponsor is stationed in Alaska or Hawaii
- Students enrolled in a trade school in the CONUS when the sponsor is stationed overseas
- Military personnel traveling on permissive TDY orders for other than house hunting
Category VI - Retirees, Dependents, Reservists, Disabled Veterans and Others
- National Guard/Reserve components/members of the Ready Reserve and members of the Standby Reserve who are on the Active Status List
- Retired military members who are issued DD Form 2 and eligible to receive retired or retainer pay
- Family members (with a valid identification card) of retired members when accompanied by a sponsor
- Surviving spouses of service members who died while on active duty, inactive duty training, or annual training status as well as retired military members, and their accompanying dependents; they must have a DoD USID and privilege card. Dependents younger than 14 must have valid ID
- Authorized veterans with a permanent service-connected disability rated as total or VA-100% disabled veteran
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