Space A anyone?

Damian27 · Feb 9, 2013

Hi all!

This is a shot in the dark because this question only applies to a very small percentage of Americans as it is.

Any of you that have made the trip using Space A successfully have any tips/lessons learned?

I am category VI traveler so I know the wait could be very long. I'm thinking of not waiting for the last minute before I get commercial tickets. I'm it the NYC area so McGuire is the departing point...plenty of flights to Frankfurt, Madrid or Rota possible, but something tells me I shouldn't wait.

Sorry...for those of you wondering what Space A is...Space Available travel in military flights that might be under-filled. Most are free or for a VERY small tax.

Buen Camino!

Damian
2013 First Camino last week in May and returning first week in July, God willing.

Arn · Feb 9, 2013

Damian,
I've traveled Space A many times and, yes you can wait a bit. It seems most numerous flights are into Frankfurt and, for Navy/Marine types Rota. Embassy support flights tend to go to Madrid. If you go with highest percentage it's Frankfurt. From there relatively inexpensive flight to your starting place. Rota...must connect, Madrid flt to Pamplona, then bus/taxi to R'valles or SJPDP.
If you need more, just ask.
Buen Camino,
Arn

AdventureGals · Feb 10, 2013

Damian27 said:
Hi all!

This is a shot in the dark because this question only applies to a very small percentage of Americans as it is.

Any of you that have made the trip using Space A successfully have any tips/lessons learned?

I am category VI traveler so I know the wait could be very long. I'm thinking of not waiting for the last minute before I get commercial tickets. I'm it the NYC area so McGuire is the departing point...plenty of flights to Frankfurt, Madrid or Rota possible, but something tells me I shouldn't wait.

Sorry...for those of you wondering what Space A is...Space Available travel in military flights that might be under-filled. Most are free or for a VERY small tax.

Buen Camino!

Damian
2013 First Camino last week in May and returning first week in July, God willing.

Hi Damian,
I feel foolish for asking, I've been a travel consultant for years. Is the available for civilians?
How does one enquire for a such a flight?

Deleted member 3000 · Feb 10, 2013

Is the available for civilians?

No. Sorry. It is barely a perquisite for the military. I flew C-141's across the Pacific, and there were so many restrictions that we had empty seats all the time. It is great in theory, but does not work well in practice.

Damian27 · Feb 10, 2013

Thanks Arn. I reckon since this is my first Camino I wanna be sure I get there and back worry free. I'm just afraid to get to May 25 with no flights out until the 29th and then have to spend more on a commercial flight than I could have if I buy now. I used to live in Rota so I'm comfortable getting around, it's just that this would be my first outing as category VI and Im concerned about spending too much "terminal leave" if you know what I mean :lol: It would be an awesome way to get ther though.

AdventureGal...don't feel foolish, all questions are valid! Unfortunately no. It's only available to active duty military, certain reservists/guardsmen or dependents, and retirees. You know what they say, membership has its privileges!

Damian

Kathy F. · Feb 10, 2013

Hi, Damian. I've flown cat IV around the Pacific a few times. I think your chances of catching a Space A flight should be good because:

1. I've never seen a Space A flight that was fully booked up
2. You're going against the trend, which would be people stationed in Europe heading to the US at the end of the school year. You would be going in the opposite direction.

You know ahead of time when flights are scheduled to fly out and how many seats are available, so you should be somewhat prepared. This is just based on my own, limited experience. What are your plans at the end of your Camino? Do you plan to fly out of Rota? I'm in Germany and will be leaving from Paris around the same time as you - maybe I'll see you on the Camino!

Kathy

gaydearbeck · Feb 10, 2013

As long as it is not a holiday season you should be fine...My daughter-in-law and grandkids went to visit my son at Christmas in Germany...what a mess! Then ended up paying a crazy amount for last minute flights both ways cause the military flights were all taken.

Josecob · Feb 10, 2013

Damian,
I am planning on doing my 3rd Camino this year 2013. This time, I will be traveling space A from Dover AFB to Rota or to Ramstein in Germany, which ever flight come first. I have been tracking the air traffic going that way and currently it looks fine. McGuire AFB also has flights to Europe.

I am a retired military also like you a Cat VI. The thing about flying space A is that one has to have the stomach for it. I mean above all be very flexible and patience about everything developing that may be negative while on travel. For example, you could be on the waiting list # 75 with only 25 seats available but then your name could be called for that same flight going to your desired destination. You could be bumped out of the plain because of a military emergency traveler has to get home ASAP.

For AdventureGALS, she can go on space A if she is married to an active or retired military person. At the terminal she would be required to show a USA passport and a dependant military ID card.

This will be my first time in Rota, Spain. Then my next chapter will be to find transportation to Pamplona or from Ramstein Germany to SJP France???

One should register for space A as early as 3 months prior to your departure date at the departure base. It is first come first serve, for priority registration. That is accomplished by fax or emailing the base or in person if you live close by the base. As soon as you land in Europe the very first thing you do is to run to the counter and register for your flight return destination to USA.

There are several websites containing space A info. and flight schedules. The one I like best is: http://www.amc.af.mil/amctravel/index.asp

Buen space A Camino

Damian27 · Feb 11, 2013

Good to hear Kathy, and perhaps our paths will cross. I'll be ordering a forum patch pretty soon for the backpack :lol: As for my plans, I have a sister from England that I am hoping to surprise with a quick visit. I havent decided if I should see her before or after the Camino. One of the few things I have left to make a final decision on.

Gaydearbeck thanks for the input. I know how ugly (busy-wise) military terminals can get, specially in major hubs.

SpaceA, I too have been keeping an eye on the manifests, out of McGuire. BTW if you haven't done so you can link up to Dover's FaceBook page and see the daily flights...that's what I did with McGuire and its helpful. As far as getting out of Rota, a lot of our military closed up shop years ago so you'll probably have to get public transportation out - hitching a ride on a duty van was easy. Jerez de la Frontera has a small airport that you'll probably find flights out to Madrid or farther north - worth looking into. I don't remember any major rail depots in Rota though you'll probably find them in Jerez or out in Cádiz. Sevilla is also a major city fairly close by and I believe that's about where the Camino de la Plata starts.

So, y'all are renewing my dream of getting out SpaceA. My question then becomes the logistics of securing a commercial ticket (for the just in case) that won't cost me an arm and a leg to cancel 48 hours before departure if I catch a hop.

I have a feeling that visiting a travel agent might be in order?

BTW I am pleasantly surprised that there are more Space A travelers than I expected! Thanks all so much.

Damian

Bajaracer · Nov 5, 2013

Damian27 said:
Good to hear Kathy, and perhaps our paths will cross. I'll be ordering a forum patch pretty soon for the backpack :lol: As for my plans, I have a sister from England that I am hoping to surprise with a quick visit. I havent decided if I should see her before or after the Camino. One of the few things I have left to make a final decision on.

Gaydearbeck thanks for the input. I know how ugly (busy-wise) military terminals can get, specially in major hubs.

SpaceA, I too have been keeping an eye on the manifests, out of McGuire. BTW if you haven't done so you can link up to Dover's FaceBook page and see the daily flights...that's what I did with McGuire and its helpful. As far as getting out of Rota, a lot of our military closed up shop years ago so you'll probably have to get public transportation out - hitching a ride on a duty van was easy. Jerez de la Frontera has a small airport that you'll probably find flights out to Madrid or farther north - worth looking into. I don't remember any major rail depots in Rota though you'll probably find them in Jerez or out in Cádiz. Sevilla is also a major city fairly close by and I believe that's about where the Camino de la Plata starts.

So, y'all are renewing my dream of getting out SpaceA. My question then becomes the logistics of securing a commercial ticket (for the just in case) that won't cost me an arm and a leg to cancel 48 hours before departure if I catch a hop.

I have a feeling that visiting a travel agent might be in order?

BTW I am pleasantly surprised that there are more Space A travelers than I expected! Thanks all so much.

Damian

I know this is an old thread, were you ever able to travel to and from the Camino by this method?

I traveled this way as a Category VI in mid June from NAS North Island, CA in a C-40 (Boeing 737-700C) to Norfolk, VA where I got bumped off two flights and had to wait six days (stayed with family thankfully) for another flight from NAS Oceana, VA on an empty C-40 with 7 passengers (seating for 121) to Lisbon, Portugal.
Once I got there, I got a room for the night and booked a flight to Bilbao for $168.00 the next morning and took a bus to Pamplona that afternoon and stayed the night and then took another bus to SJPDP the next day.

Flying back was an adventure as well, after Finisterre, I took the bus to Santiago, then took the train to Puerto Santa Maria, and then a taxi to Naval Station Rota, where I waited for four days for a flight.
Finally got a ride on a slow Navy C-130T transport and flew 8.5 hrs to St. John, Newfoundland, Canada where we spent the night and flew out the next afternoon for 4.5 hrs to Andrews AFB, MD, saw Air Force One land, and a few hours later flew to JB McGuire-Dix, NJ in a C-17 transport which took 30 min.
Waited a few hours for a KC-10 air tanker and flew 4.5 hrs to Travis AFB, CA and stayed the night.
The next morning I flew to March ARB, CA in a C-17 which took 90 min. and then got picked up and drove back to San Diego.

I plan on flying to my next Camino by this mode of travel, even though it took a while to get there and back, it was all worth it and was an adventure in itself.

Kathy F. · Nov 6, 2013

But you can't beat the price!!
FYI - I had to take a 3-day bus ride just to get from Santiago back to Stuttgart.

Bajaracer · Nov 6, 2013

Lessons learned from traveling on military Space Available flights.

Be flexible, you may not get manifested on the flight you want, even if you get manifested on a flight, you can still get bumped off at the last minute.
As a Category VI (retiree) passenger, you are the last priority for selection.
Sign up early by email and print a copy, they will select you by the earliest sign up date and time.
Summer is the busiest time with active duty (Category III) and their families traveling to and from Europe.
Get knowledgable on where bases with air terminals are located and what services are available.
Constantly check flight schedules, flights pop up all the time. All the more reason to bring an unlocked GSM smartphone with a local SIM card with data and voice.
As a Cat VI passenger, don't even think about flying out of Ramstein, Germany during the summer, I spoke with a Cat VI passenger who was traveling with his two kids (both lived in Germany) to Ca. for the summer and was told that no Cat VI passenger had even flown out of Ramstein during Jun.-Jul, thats why he was flying out of Naval Station Rota.
I chose Rota because it was easier to fly out of and one of the closest to Santiago, €140 for the train to Puerto Santa Maria and a €30 taxi to the base.
There is no cabin service on space a flights, bring your own food and refillable water bottle.
Take whatever flight is offered, it may be a few days for the next flight. I flew across the Atlantic in a C-130T turboprop, very slow, very noisy, (wore earplugs) and very chilly.
If you have to be someplace by a certain date, have a backup plan to purchase tickets, it may cost more than if you would have bought a round trip ticket.
Will I travel to my second Camino this way? Absolutely! In fact, I might even try to start the Via de la Plata by walking out the gate of Naval Station Rota and head north.

Bajaracer · Nov 6, 2013

FooteK said:
But you can't beat the price!!
FYI - I had to take a 3-day bus ride just to get from Santiago back to Stuttgart.

Where in Stuttgart are you located at? I was stationed in Böblingen in the mid 80's and worked in Ludwigsburg and Nelligen.

Kathy F. · Nov 6, 2013

Bajaracer said:
Where in Stuttgart are you located at? I was stationed in Böblingen in the mid 80's and worked in Ludwigsburg and Nelligen.

Yep. You got it!

Bajaracer · Nov 6, 2013

FooteK said:
Yep. You got it!

I worked and lived at what is now Meilenwerk and my shop office is the old wood building that Irwin Rommel used as an officers mess.

chuckt53 · Nov 7, 2013

Damian27 said:
Hi all!

This is a shot in the dark because this question only applies to a very small percentage of Americans as it is.

Any of you that have made the trip using Space A successfully have any tips/lessons learned?

I am category VI traveler so I know the wait could be very long. I'm thinking of not waiting for the last minute before I get commercial tickets. I'm it the NYC area so McGuire is the departing point...plenty of flights to Frankfurt, Madrid or Rota possible, but something tells me I shouldn't wait.

Sorry...for those of you wondering what Space A is...Space Available travel in military flights that might be under-filled. Most are free or for a VERY small tax.

Buen Camino!

Damian
2013 First Camino last week in May and returning first week in July, God willing.

Bajaracer said:
I worked and lived at what is now Meilenwerk and my shop office is the old wood building that Irwin Rommel used as an officers mess.

There is a nice app for a smart phone called "take a hop" is will list many of the bases for Space A travel. It has link to the bases as well as phone numbers including local lodging, etc. You can also used to register for travel.

I used on my Camino trip this Sept. Can in handy. Remember that the Space A list is good for 60 days. That will the list they use. Be sure to register at every base that you might be using

Be flexible in your planiing

Chuck

Bajaracer · Nov 7, 2013

chuckt53 said:
There is a nice app for a smart phone called "take a hop" is will list many of the bases for Space A travel. It has link to the bases as well as phone numbers including local lodging, etc. You can also used to register for travel.

I used on my Camino trip this Sept. Can in handy. Remember that the Space A list is good for 60 days. That will the list they use. Be sure to register at every base that you might be using

Be flexible in your planiing

Chuck

I have that app on my iPhone and used it to sign up for my flights there and back, it needs to be updated to include date of birth which is now required.

ChristineW67 · May 9, 2014

Bajaracer said:
Lessons learned from traveling on military Space Available flights.

Be flexible, you may not get manifested on the flight you want, even if you get manifested on a flight, you can still get bumped off at the last minute.

As a Category VI (retiree) passenger, you are the last priority for selection.

Sign up early by email and print a copy, they will select you by the earliest sign up date and time.

Summer is the busiest time with active duty (Category III) and their families traveling to and from Europe.

Get knowledgable on where bases with air terminals are located and what services are available.

Constantly check flight schedules, flights pop up all the time. All the more reason to bring an unlocked GSM smartphone with a local SIM card with data and voice.

As a Cat VI passenger, don't even think about flying out of Ramstein, Germany during the summer, I spoke with a Cat VI passenger who was traveling with his two kids (both lived in Germany) to Ca. for the summer and was told that no Cat VI passenger had even flown out of Ramstein during Jun.-Jul, thats why he was flying out of Naval Station Rota.

I chose Rota because it was easier to fly out of and one of the closest to Santiago, €140 for the train to Puerto Santa Maria and a €30 taxi to the base.

There is no cabin service on space a flights, bring your own food and refillable water bottle.

Take whatever flight is offered, it may be a few days for the next flight. I flew across the Atlantic in a C-130T turboprop, very slow, very noisy, (wore earplugs) and very chilly.

If you have to be someplace by a certain date, have a backup plan to purchase tickets, it may cost more than if you would have bought a round trip ticket.

Will I travel to my second Camino this way? Absolutely! In fact, I might even try to start the Via de la Plata by walking out the gate of Naval Station Rota and head north.

Thanks for the detailed advice. I used frequent flier miles to score a ticket to Paris for my June 16 start out of SJPDP, but I want to try flying space A out of Rota to or near Seattle towards the end of July. I'm cat VI. Do you think this is possible? I've never tried space A, but am all about learning how. I'm not sure how to sign up yet, but Ill start my research. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Bajaracer · May 10, 2014

ChristineW67 said:
Thanks for the detailed advice. I used frequent flier miles to score a ticket to Paris for my June 16 start out of SJPDP, but I want to try flying space A out of Rota to or near Seattle towards the end of July. I'm cat VI. Do you think this is possible? I've never tried space A, but am all about learning how. I'm not sure how to sign up yet, but Ill start my research. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I sign up using the take a hop app, print out a copy of the email, show up to the terminal and check in and wait for the next outbound flight based on priority. I would sign up for the flight right when you leave for Paris so you'll have an early sign up date (good for 60 days) and possibly be ahead of other CAT VI passengers.

I took the train from Santiago to Puerto Santa Maria and then a taxi to Rota and checked into the Gateway Inn on base for $35 a night.

Any questions, PM me.

ChristineW67 · May 10, 2014

Bajaracer said:
I sign up using the take a hop app, print out a copy of the email, show up to the terminal and check in and wait for the next outbound flight based on priority. I would sign up for the flight right when you leave for Paris so you'll have an early sign up date (good for 60 days) and possibly be ahead of other CAT VI passengers.

I took the train from Santiago to Puerto Santa Maria and then a taxi to Rota and checked into the Gateway Inn on base for $35 a night.

Any questions, PM me.

Thank you so much! I found the app you mentioned and will reserve in a couple of weeks. I don't know how to PM, so hopefully you won't mind one more question - when did you travel? I'll be trying at the end of July. I know summer is very busy, as I once made the expensive error of trying to get out of Ramstein one summer.

Bajaracer · May 10, 2014

I traveled from late June and flew out the first week of August from Rota.

ChristineW67 · May 10, 2014

Awesome.

wvtreehanger · Jul 6, 2014

Newbie here. Glad to find a Space A thread! I've flown from eastern US to Germany via Space A twice (2011 and 2012). The first time I flew on a tanker from a reserve base in Pittsburgh, PA, to Munich. Make sure to check reserve and guard bases near you to see if they have anything going out. Flew back on a C17 from Ramstein. Flew a Patriot Express out of BWI to Ramstein the following year and back on a C5. Only had to wait a day for each trip back but that is due to it being during late Fall. I expect I will try to get to the Camino via Germany as my budget is not geared for commercial across the pond flights. So, I'm wondering, how does one get from Germany to SJPdP? Glad to be part of the forum BTW. This will be my first Camino.

Bajaracer · Jul 6, 2014

wvtreehanger said:
Newbie here. Glad to find a Space A thread! I've flown from eastern US to Germany via Space A twice (2011 and 2012). The first time I flew on a tanker from a reserve base in Pittsburgh, PA, to Munich. Make sure to check reserve and guard bases near you to see if they have anything going out. Flew back on a C17 from Ramstein. Flew a Patriot Express out of BWI to Ramstein the following year and back on a C5. Only had to wait a day for each trip back but that is due to it being during late Fall. I expect I will try to get to the Camino via Germany as my budget is not geared for commercial across the pond flights. So, I'm wondering, how does one get from Germany to SJPdP? Glad to be part of the forum BTW. This will be my first Camino.

I'd try to get a flight to NAVSTA Rota or Moron AB if you can, traveling to SJPDP from Germany can be expensive, look at my previous posts.

Use rome2rio.com to figure out transportation from Germany, and from bases in Spain and Italy as well.

Army.Bagpiper · Aug 18, 2016

Greetings everyone! I may have missed the thread; but does anyone have any recommendations for travel from Rota to St Jean?

I will be starting from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida and going Space A. Being fairly easy to get to Rota I just thought that I might as well begin from there - I am looking to get to St Jean by the most inexpensive route possible though, so if I need to go Space A elsewhere, I am open to that!

Any help is greatly appreciated. I am looking to begin the first week of October 2016.

Thank you!
jeff

whariwharangi · Aug 18, 2016

Army.Bagpiper said:
Greetings everyone! I may have missed the thread; but does anyone have any recommendations for travel from Rota to St Jean?

I will be starting from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida and going Space A. Being fairly easy to get to Rota I just thought that I might as well begin from there - I am looking to get to St Jean by the most inexpensive route possible though, so if I need to go Space A elsewhere, I am open to that!

Any help is greatly appreciated. I am looking to begin the first week of October 2016.

Thank you!
jeff

Take taxi from Rota to Renfe station at Puerto de Santa Maria ... approx 12 km.

Renfe Train from Puerto de Santa Maria to Irun/Hendaye. This involves transfer at Madrid, Cordoba, or Zaragosa.

If your train terminates in Irun and not in Hendaye take Metro Donostialdea from Irun Colon (next to Renfe station) to Hendaia (next to Gare d'Hendaye).

Take SNCF train from Hendaye to Bayonne.

Take SNCF train from Bayonne to SJPdP.

You will likely have to overnight at Irun.

Army.Bagpiper · Aug 22, 2016

Whariwharangi; THANK YOU, that was very helpful!

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