'Friends & Family Fares' for EK Employee's
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
'Friends & Family Fares' for EK Employee's
My friend works for EK, and has offered me one of his discounted fares he gets (he gets a certain quota each year he can use for friends and family). Has anyone ever used these before? From what I understand, you basically fly on standby, but at a very cheap rate? I guess the same deal EK employee's get themselves when the want to do personal travel? Any experience appreciated.
#2
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 5,454
It's a standard ID90 ticket - so subject to space available, at 10% of the full fare ex-taxes, and assuming you are leaving ex-DXB, you'll find out at T-60 whether you made it on to the flight. Your friend should have access to portal/FABS to tell you the chance of making it onto the flight closer to the time. He will get an e-ticket once it's all processed and email it to you in the normal fashion.
Note that as an ID90 Special Ticket you'll probably be first to be kicked off the list if there are last minute revenue passengers who need to be accommodate on the flight.
Note that as an ID90 Special Ticket you'll probably be first to be kicked off the list if there are last minute revenue passengers who need to be accommodate on the flight.
#3
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 5,454
Oh - sometimes the ID50 or even ID90 fares are actually more expensive than any special offers that might be going on at the time!
Additionally, your sponsor will be responsible for you following the dress code and behavioural standards expected by EK employees on staff travel - and of course there will be STF on the manifest so they will know who you are on board
Additionally, your sponsor will be responsible for you following the dress code and behavioural standards expected by EK employees on staff travel - and of course there will be STF on the manifest so they will know who you are on board
#4
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,941
Oh - sometimes the ID50 or even ID90 fares are actually more expensive than any special offers that might be going on at the time!
Additionally, your sponsor will be responsible for you following the dress code and behavioural standards expected by EK employees on staff travel - and of course there will be STF on the manifest so they will know who you are on board
Additionally, your sponsor will be responsible for you following the dress code and behavioural standards expected by EK employees on staff travel - and of course there will be STF on the manifest so they will know who you are on board
Regarding fares: I used to fly ID90s (mostly on EY) many times, although not recently. I cannot confirm that the ID90 fares were anywhere close to discounted economy, they were much cheaper. If I recall correctly, a return ticket AUH-Europe was in the range of AED 500 all-in for economy class and AED 1500 all in for business. I maybe wrong here, but for sure much cheaper than any available market fare.
#6
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 61
Specials for non-relatives are not standby, they are firm only, as such they are expensive and frankly almost unobtainable on popular routes.
Family tickets can be standby but only for near named relatives and although there has been "ways" of getting them in the past, if caught you'll end up walking home or buying a full fare.
Family tickets can be standby but only for near named relatives and although there has been "ways" of getting them in the past, if caught you'll end up walking home or buying a full fare.
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Dubai
Posts: 3,301
#9
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 5,454
Regarding specials for non-relatives being firm, do bear in mind that as with all air travel, revenue or non-revenue, the load controller may have need to offload people, and whereas a firm ticket has a better chance of getting on board and will be ahead of the queue than sub-load, getting a seat is not guaranteed and you'll behind revenue pax. Hence why availability (and price!) is restricted. But this is nothing different to when a Y/J or even F pax (generally not on EK) gets offloaded due to overbooking in the normal course of operations.
On an aside, I bet some clever person in revenue management has worked out the profits made from "concessionary" travel! I bet the yields aren't dissimilar to the more saver Y fares for connecting through DXB. I mean, you've got a captive audience, whose friends and family love it that they know someone who can get them a "special" ticket to visit them, or whatever. Ensures additional incremental revenue and good word of mouth marketing, makes the staff member they know and by association the airline a bit more glamorous...people think they get a good deal but actually yields are just typical (and profitable). Just a loss of the O&D premium to DXB. No big deal!
I suppose I am quite cynical these days...
#10
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP; BoNVoY Tit LTP
Posts: 1,923
[Apologies if I am reviving a dead thread so mods please put this in the right place if this is not it]
A relative has worked for Emirates for a while and I have heard about the 50% off (id50?) flights. How does it work? Do I just book and enter a code? Do I earn miles?
A relative has worked for Emirates for a while and I have heard about the 50% off (id50?) flights. How does it work? Do I just book and enter a code? Do I earn miles?
Last edited by ckendall; Jul 7, 2016 at 7:22 pm Reason: erroneous assumption
#11
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 238
Its works by your friend/family giving you one of their quota, or adding you to their staff travel list if its not limited. They create booking via their internal staff travel booking system. There is no code, you don't earn miles, and as its a subload ticket, you aren't entitled to any customer care (hotels, meals etc) should the flight cancelled/delayed. furthermore, if there isn't a seat on the flight, you don't go.
#12
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP; BoNVoY Tit LTP
Posts: 1,923
Its 50% of the highest published fare in the respective cabin plus taxes. Its not always so cheap actually for ID50. ID90s are better of course.
Its works by your friend/family giving you one of their quota, or adding you to their staff travel list if its not limited. They create booking via their internal staff travel booking system. There is no code, you don't earn miles, and as its a subload ticket, you aren't entitled to any customer care (hotels, meals etc) should the flight cancelled/delayed. furthermore, if there isn't a seat on the flight, you don't go.
Its works by your friend/family giving you one of their quota, or adding you to their staff travel list if its not limited. They create booking via their internal staff travel booking system. There is no code, you don't earn miles, and as its a subload ticket, you aren't entitled to any customer care (hotels, meals etc) should the flight cancelled/delayed. furthermore, if there isn't a seat on the flight, you don't go.
#13
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Economy, mostly :(
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 7,801
It makes almost no sense to ever use this fare. I have access to these fares through a relative working at EK and he has told me before it's not worth the hassle. We worked it out once and it was about 3% below the regular Flex fare but obviously with lowest priority etc so makes no sense.