Why You Should Care About Baggage Allowance on Space-A Flights
by John W. Jackson Jr. - September 17th, 2022
When traveling on military Space Available flights, commonly referred to as Space-A, many factors determine whether you will be able to board a flight. One thing that most people forget about is their luggage or baggage overload. Since Space-A passengers are not authorized excess baggage, not even for a fee, you must stay within the designated baggage limitations for the type of aircraft that you will be boarding.
What are the weight limits for Space A baggage?
Long answer short, it depends. If you’re connecting with a commercial flight, keep in mind their limit of 50 pounds. On Space-A flights, if you bring a standard issue B-4 duffle bag, it is considered one piece of luggage (these can weigh up to 100 pounds). Any other baggage over 70 pounds will count as two checked bags.
A good rule of thumb is to pack as light as possible to increase the number of aircraft you will be able to board. Having less than 30 pounds total will get you on about 99% of the aircraft. You can find the most up-to-date information on the official AMC Space-A Baggage Allowance page.
How to plan your Space A baggage
The customer service representative should inform you at roll call of the type of aircraft and the baggage limitation. If the baggage limits are listed on a board in the terminal, remember those limits are “per bag.”
However, if you are traveling with family, then they will take the maximum allowable weight, multiply that by the number of family members and you will be able to pool that weight, so you do not have to worry about individual bags resulting in baggage overload. That’s for dependents only, not friends that may be flying with you.
Even your smallest family member is allowed the maximum weight, and let’s face it, most babies and small children do not need as much of an allowance as the parents and the accessories they will need to carry. To make things even more in your favor, all car seats, strollers, walkers, and wheelchairs do not count towards your total weight allowance.
Read more about what to pack when flying Space A in this article.
Need to reduce your baggage weight?
So, what do you do if you find yourself over the limit for the flight you want to get on? Well, if it is only a “few pounds,” then the passenger service representative may just let it go, but you can’t depend on that because they are under no obligation to do this.
There are very few options at this point, but all is not necessarily lost. If the few pounds are in the 10 to 20-pound range, then you will need to determine how important this flight really is to you. Can you pass on this flight and wait for another? Another flight may have a larger weight allowance, but you won’t know for sure.
Your first option for fixing the baggage overload should be to rearrange your content. If one bag is over and the other is under, move the contents to the lighter one. You can just do it right there on the floor. Most travelers will understand what’s going on. You can also put some of the extra in your carry-on bag if that one is not over the limit.
If you are traveling with someone, not part of your family, then maybe they will be a little under their baggage weight limit and will offer to carry some of your stuff. Even if you have just met someone while at the terminal, you can ask them to help you out. This requires the trust of likely a stranger, but I have found that the military family, and even more closely, the Space-A family, usually stick together.
They may want to run the items you are asking them to carry through security first. Don’t be offended by this. They need to be careful too. Just the same as your first option, things can be moved around in their suitcases also. You can just collect it when you get to your destination. Hopefully, they will be going as far, or further than you or you will be in the same predicament at another stop. Someday someone may ask you to carry something for them.
Another way to get under the weight limit, and the last resort for most people facing baggage overload, would be to give and/or throw some of your stuff away. If you deem it so necessary to get on that specific flight and are desperate enough, you will do this. I’ve seen it done a few times and even had someone give us a whole suitcase full of things, including new clothes, and some unopened groceries. I promptly brought the bag to security and had it x-rayed before attempting to check it in as my own.
A few Space A packing tips
The official AMC Prohibited Travel Items page is the best resource for what you cannot pack. Just like on commercial flights, keep valuables, medicine, and important documents in your carry-on baggage. Label your bags with your contact information and place a card inside with that same information. Each passenger is permitted to hand-carry one article (small luggage, garment bags, backpack, etc.) and one personal item (cosmetic case, purse, briefcase, small boxes, packages, etc.) for storage in the passenger cabin area.
There are additional Space A travel resources in our article here.
John W Jackson Jr. retired from the Air Force in 1993. He’s been married for just over 38 years. They have a son and four grandsons and have lived in the Philippines for the past seven years. John is an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys, John Wayne, Hank Williams Jr, and listening to older country music. When he is not involved with the Empire Builder series games or playing dominoes, he offers sage advice on using Space A travel.
