Mil Space-A vs non-rev

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09-25-2013, 04:51 PM

Jughead135

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Mil Space-A vs non-rev

I'm fresh out of active duty, in ground school at my first 121 airline (hell, my first "real" job!). Wondering if any of you who've been on both sides of the fence find any value in using mil space-A benefits vs non-rev benefits?

I wonder, for example, if it'd be worth it to non-rev to BWI to Space-A on a Rotator.... <insert your example here>.... Pros/cons?

Thanks for poking a minimum amount of fun at the noob with the noob questions....

09-25-2013, 06:19 PM

Toonces

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Jughead135

You could do that at a number of airports. Non-rev to Norfolk, taxi to Naval Station Norfolk ($15), rotator to somewhere mediocre. I think it's a mixed bag. My father flew for a number of carriers and we did our share of non-revving and space A. I've also run the Space A train a few times on active duty. If it's just you, and maybe a spouse, great.

Honestly, its like walking on to a popular golf course as either a single or a foursome. Sometimes you get lucky and play a 3 hour speed round, sometimes you get stuck with the 6 hour triple bogey bandit Woods wannabes, or get denied altogether. But playing the course might just be worth it...

09-26-2013, 12:50 AM

BDGERJMN

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Having just flown out of BWI on the rotator making my way to Kabul, I will tell you that all of the rotators were extremely full of deployers(yes we're still sending folks over to support ISAF/USFOR-A) and PCS families for I-stops along the way. I think that will be the case in the near term but in a few months you should be seeing more open seats headed East as fewer folks are deploying. Your problem may be getting back with 1000's of redeployers leaving Afghanistan. TRANSCOM is leveraging every seat possible for those folks coming back to the states. At each stop heading over to Afghanistan, there were numerous space A folks waiting for seats on the way home from Europe.

09-26-2013, 06:33 AM

rickair7777

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Non-rev used to be MUCH better than Space-A.

Even today with relatively higher pax loads, non-rev is still by far the better option even if you have to take multiple legs. Also it's easier to plan non-rev because you have multiple options and can get a somewhat reliable look at loads.

Space-A was fun when I had a lot of leave to burn as a JO. The trick was to do your connections in cool places so it didn't suck so bad when you got stuck for days on end. One time the AFB we were headed to in west Texas closed their runway so the plane landed at a civilian field in the middle of nowhere. Of course there was a white bus full of medevacs waiting, so we got booted. Saved by Greyhound...