Some tips -

Only travel with carry-on bags. Avoid travel on busy days which are around holidays, Thursday and Friday after noon, Sunday anytime, Monday mornings. Best days for travel Tuesday and Wednesday. Watch for bad weather, can wreak havoc on non-revs. If one of your flights cancels it could take a couple of days to get on a flight.

Frankly, speaking as a former airline employee, buddy passes are not a good deal. You're at the very bottom of the standby list and can get stuck for days, especially if traveling as a trio. Decide in advance what you'll do if there's one or two seats, will you split up?

I know a guy who went to South America on a buddy pass and never could get on a return flight. He had to buy a full-fare ticket, can you imagine what that cost? My airline friends frequently offer me buddy passes, I never accept.