Most of us in the military have heard about Space Available (Space A) travel. We've heard success stories of families who've hopped to Hawaii on the first try and horror stories of those who had to spend thousands of dollars to get home from some faraway land.
My recent experience fell somewhere in the middle.
The idea of taking a hop began when my good friends moved to Stuttgart, Germany this summer. Having lived there for four years myself, I warned them that I would visit the first chance I got. Since a commercial ticket cost more than $1,000 (and there were two of us traveling), and McChord is right around the corner, I decided to try to take a hop.
As my husband is deployed, I was able to receive an "Unaccompanied Dependent of Deployed Military Member" verification letter from his command. Moreover, since he is deployed for more than 365 days, my daughter Summer, 6, and I were entitled to fly "Category 3," which put us ahead of other unaccompanied family members (Categories 4 and 5) and retirees (Category 6).
I settled on traveling in October, since it was "off peak," and I would, I hoped, have a better chance of success. My plan was to fly from McChord to the East coast and then catch another hop to Ramstein, Germany.
In mid-September, I started calling terminals on the East coast to get a feel for who flew where and how often. I also checked the McChord terminal at least once a day to gauge its flight frequency and schedule. Most Air Mobility Command (AMC) passenger (PAX) terminals provide a recording with a few days' worth of upcoming flights, the corresponding show time and if there might be any seats available. No flight information is available online.
I also signed up for every PAX terminal on the East coast where I might end up. Registration can be done via email and is good for 60 days. If there is any discrepancy on selection for a flight, you will be chosen according to your registration date, within your category, so it pays to sign up as soon as possible. You should also register for any terminals you may need on your return flight.
My first leg was golden. We arrived at McChord for a 9:55 showtime for a flight to Charleston, S.C., (which was supposed to have a flight to Ramstein the following day), signed in as "present," and were shortly sitting, along with about 10 retirees, on an empty C-17. Total cost - $8.50 for two box meals.
It was in Charleston that the first hiccup of my trip occurred: when we landed, I learned that the flight to Ramstein had been delayed for two days.
Flexibility is absolutely key when flying Space A. The mission always comes first, so delays, cancellations and seat unavailability happen all the time. Always have a plan B. And a plan C.
The following morning, on the way to the Charleston airport, where I was going to rent a car and hang out for a few days awaiting the trip to Ramstein, my taxi driver suggested I go to Baltimore. He said it had frequent flights to Ramstein, and that I would have better luck there. As I happened to have all the PAX terminal phone numbers with me, I called BWI and learned it did indeed have a flight. That night.
Back to the flexibility thing. Instead of renting a car as I had planned, I made the snap decision to fly to Baltimore and hope for the best.
After about 8 hours spent at the BWI USO, we learned that we got the last two seats on the flight. Since it was "the rotator" flight (a contracted jet), I had to pay a whopping $32 ($16 each) for the transatlantic trip. But we got hot meals and a movie. So worth it.
Though it had taken me almost 48 hours and cost about $500, we were actually going to make it!
We spent the next week enjoying Germany. I showed my friend (who lives on the same base I did) some of my favorite spots, we did some tourist stuff (like Neuschwanstein) and caught up.
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, I called the Ramstein PAX terminal to see what flights were coming up for my return. In the back of my mind, I was prepared to make it to the East coast and then have to pay to fly home to Seattle.
However, there was a flight listed for Friday morning to McChord via McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. I had to go for it.
We made it on the flight with room to spare (again, there were lots of retirees). Again we were in a C-17. The hiccup on this trip was that instead of having a layover at McGuire, we ended up spending the night there. Air Force Lodging didn't have any family rooms available, so I had to get a hotel room off post. Cost - about $150 for the room and taxi to and from the PAX terminal.
The leg from McGuire to McChord was long but uneventful. The aircraft was pretty empty, so Summer and I (and everyone else) spread out on the floor, watched movies, and slept. And as it cost me exactly $0, you can't beat the price.
The total price of our 12-day adventure came out to about $646 (not counting spending money in Germany). So, though it may have been a bit of a hassle at times, I saved at least $1,400.
Lessons learned from my Space A adventure: In addition to flexibility and patience, pack light. You will be schlepping. But, if possible, bring the following:
- A sleeping bag and inflatable air mattress (so you can sleep on the cargo plane);
- Cold weather gear such as a hat, gloves and coat because it is pretty cold on those planes, as I learned the hard way;
- Comfortable ear plugs or, even better, noise-cancelling headphones;
- Entertainment such as an Ipad for movies and games
- Food. Though they provide box lunches for a small fee, it's always nice to have your own grub
My final bit of advice would be to go with the flow and just enjoy the journey. Because, if you ask me, that's what life's all about.
For more information about flying Space A, visit www.amc.af.mil/amctravel/index.asp.
ALSO...
DO'S AND DONT'S OF BEING POLITICAL TROOPERS
Read Comments