IsleOfMan

How is discussing an employee benefit of a large publicly traded company out of line? Would you balk at a Google employee discussing their massages and car washed? Would you cry foul of a Anheuser Busch employee discussing their monthly beer allowance? Unless there's a clause in your terms of employment that prohibits public discussion, I don't see the problem. Even then, discussion by non-employees (the bulk of this discussion) would have no bearing on such a clause. Just because someone isn't an employee doesn't mean they know nothing of the topic.

KCnAtl

Gonna have to go with DeltaPurser on this.
I am NOT an employee, but my S/O is, so I am quite familiar with the policies.
I honestly could not tell you if it is official DL company policy for employees not to discuss flight bennies (without asking) but I do know he has been encouraged to avoid talking or bragging about flight privileges to people outside the company and immediate family or those utilizing a buddy pass.

Mostly because flights are so full and the lack of int'l free upgrades, paying pax are sensitive to situations where DL will, in accordance with its policies, will sometimes deny a passenger something they might otherwise be entitled to (an upgrade or even a confirmed seat).

This thread contains some accurate information and some that is well..not quite accurate.

It is natural for FF's and others to be curious about the flight privileges that airline employees enjoy since it one of the major benefits offered to employees. I also see nothing wrong with such a discussion taking place here. I think (and I may be wrong) that DeltaPurser's objection is that some DL employees have posted information here, which for some employees at least, is a no-no. Also, since the flight bennies are part of the compensation package, there is the normal sensitivity surrounding having that discussed the world over.

Would you want YOUR compensation package (salary, stock options, medical, PTO) open to scrutiny by complete strangers?

IsleOfMan

My salaries & benefits are at my discretion to discuss and, honestly, if there were a pertinent discussion where my knowledge were helpful/beneficial I probably wouldn't hesitate discussing my benefits and how they are structured. Salary is a different matter, but even then I don't think I'm as sensitive to others knowing as most. If there were a policy against discussing them, or even if it were frowned upon, I likely would refrain... but if there's no set policy it's still my right to discuss. The biggest problem I had with the poster's objection is saying that the discussion should not be taking place at all, even within the non-employee community.

J-M

I have to disagree with you on that one. Just go to Airline Pilot Central or Jetcareers, and you'll find all of this info plus more for every major and regional airline. Sure, those are industry boards, but they are viewable by the public, and it's really no different than this discussion here.

DeltaPurser

Well, just because something is done somewhere else doesn't necessarily make it right, does it?

It IS against company policy to discuss details of our travel benefits with "outsiders". That's all I need to know. If others choose to ignore this, that's their issue...

AirlineGuru

Hi,

I'm new to MyFlyerTalk.

I am the son of a Northwest Airlines retiree, and I have some questions about Delta's rules for employee/nonrev travel benefits.

As you may know, Delta and Northwest are preparing to merge...so that is why I am curious and am asking the questions below.


:-:1. Is domestic travel unlimited? What about international travel? I know there is a non-refundable $50 annual activation fee for travel benefits, but is there a charge for nonrev travel? If so, what is the charge and is it different for active employees, retirees, "buddies", etc? Is there a charge for first class if you are lucky enough to get a first-class seat?


:-:2. Spousal, Family & Friends, "Buddy" travel: is it allowed? How does it work? Can any of those people (spouse, parents, siblings, nondependent children of the employee/retiree, friends) travel without the employee? Are there restrictions on the number of flights, etc?


:-:3. Can any nonrev sit in first class if it is available? If so, does it cost more? Delta's website states the following (in bold):

For you and your eligible family members, the flight is free, but when flying to international destinations, there may be government or airport fees.

So flying domestically is free...? Who exactly are "eligible family members" in the above sentence?

How much does it cost to fly to international destinations, Hawaii, and similar far-away destinations?


:-:4. I am the nondependent child of a retiree. Can I use any of these benefits ("buddy" pass, etc.)? Delta's website states the following (in bold):

Individuals eligible for reduced-rate travel are your:
• Nondependent children
• Travel companion
• Family & Friends guest

How are the above three groups defined? What travel benefits do they get and how much do they pay?


:-:5. Is there a difference between "Family & Friends" passes versus "Buddy" passes? Or are they the same thing?

SORRY FOR BEING SO DETAILED!! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ANY INFO YOU HAVE!!

Take care.

AndyTLe

I don't have the answers for your questions but wanted to be one of the first to welcome you to FT.

BFG

This really isn't the correct forum to ask these questions. This is not an employee website. This is a site for members of the Delta Skymiles program which is our frequent traveler program.

AirlineGuru

OK...do you know which forum I should use for this type of question? Thanks.

jbatl

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; PPC; 240x320))

Welcome to FT, AirlineGuru. Nice handle.

You'll find the crowd here is not so receptive to questions about NRSA travel (and don't even think about asking for availability info). That said, there are a few unofficial DL insiders around who probably have easy answers to your questions. Don't get discouraged if you don't get the most positive responses to your OP.

AirlineGuru

Thank you so much JB. Yeah, I was wondering about the person who told me I was probably posting in the wrong forum. While polite, I was wondering why the person referred to SkyMiles as "our" program. I guess they just feel like they belong to SkyMiles, like it's some social club LOL.

majorwibi

I would disagree that this isnt the best forum since these are DL specific questions. Just because the primary focus of this forum is DL Skymiles doesnt mean that DL related questions shouldnt be asked here

I am making the assumption that all of these are for DL specific travel. I dont have a clue how this will work for the merger and wouldnt even begin to hazard a guess at it since this is probably pretty far down the merger concern list right now.

Yes. Yes but after 6 travel days per year you have to pay an extra fee per trip. There is just the standard activation fee plus any taxes associated with international flights. No additional charges for F or J.

Buddy pass is allowed. All travel on S4 priority currently. There are restrictions (embargo dates) where Friends and Family travel is not allowed

For 2008 they are January 2, 2008, March 15, 2008, March 16, 2008, June 28, 2008, November 30, 2008, December 20, 2008

If listed for F and space is available (after all the Medallion upgrades and stuff) then you could get seated into F. Eligible family members for my family are my wife (employee), myself and her parents (since we have no kids). On DL from SLC to OGG I dont think we paid anything. From JFK to BUD we paid taxes and fees but it wasnt much. They get withdrawn from my wifes paycheck and it didnt cause us too much concern.


This is something that still needs to be worked out. None of the employees know exactly how this merger is going to affect flight benefits and until some official word is put out I would be doing nothign more than guessing.


Pretty sure they are the same thing but someone who is closer to the system than I am can probably shine some more light on this one.

jbatl

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; PPC; 240x320))

It was the whole 'Keep Delta My Delta' thing. We just got really carried away.

DLBeno

Buddy passes and "Family and Friends" are different.

Buddy passes are given out to employees each pass year (their hire date). They are allotted 8 for the year and can give them to whomever they want. The priority is an S4 which makes things interesting during embargo dates and heavy travel dates....it's not unheard of for buddy passes to sit around in airports for days at a time trying to get out.

Family and friends is an actual paid ticket. It is positive space--i.e., you are a paying passenger with all of the rights and benefits of a paying passenger.

The program allows for 20% off the lowest fare in either coach or F/J. It's a pretty decent deal is you actually **must be someplace** on a regular basis. My mother sometimes uses this if she needs to be in NY for meetings. These benefits are allowed for only those people whom are on the employees benefit listing...they cannot just be given to anyone (well, I guess they could be, but the employee would get fired afterwards).

If you need any information about pass benefits feel free to PM me.

Best.
-b-

payant

As other posts indicated, the whole nrsa travel system will be reworked to some extent with the upcoming merger. A big point of discussion will be merging the seniority systems.
On Delta, employee/retiree seniority controls your place in line to some extent. Active employees on casual travel are in category S3. If you are on business or using a vacation pass, you are a higher category. Retirees are
S3B-further down the totem pole. Other passes are S4.
My wife's hire date is 9/54 but lately standby is tough. For example, a Thursday ATL-MCO flight found us waiting thru two departures and finally getting the third at midday. There were 29 people on standby (not upgrade) on the flight we finally got on. Returning ATL-SEA on a Tuesday, we did not clear until the last flight-eight hours waiting.