Non-NonRev

Different airlines vary on this, but the general idea is this: Positive-space is considered a booking in the sense that a positive space booking take a seat out of available-to-sell seat inventory, while a space-available listing does not.

On many airlines, the space-available listing is also called a "meal listing", since it flags the catering computer system to add a meal to the catering banking list (assuming meals are served in the listed cabin). But a seat is not taken out of inventory.

Truly essential employee travel was flagged as "must-ride" (the term varies with different airlines) - this meas that the employee cannot be bumped, and could actually displace a revenue passenger. This designation might be used to transport a flight crew, for example, to a city where they are needed to operate a flight because the preceeding crew went illegal; or, to transport a mechanic with a specialized skill who was needed to perform a critical repair tasks in an outlying city. The must-ride designation was typically made by the staff travel office, and was noted in the PNR.

When on company business, I traveled on a positive space basis, but without the must-ride designation. Sometimes, if a flight looked oversold, the gate agent would ask me if I wished to declare myself a must-ride. It was my department's policy that we never did this. My solution was to avoid being bumped in the first place. I had access to the booking data, including the historical "no-show" and "go-show" percentages for a particular flight (go-show is the opposite of no-show, it is an estimate of how many of the booked passengers will actually show up for the flight). Over time, I became very adept at judging which flights were the best ones to use to avoid a potential bump.

mvoight

1. This works if booked under an AA flight number. I don't know about the OP's flights, but AA doesn't fly to Oz, so he would have to book on a codeshare to get any miles.

2. I doubt an employee 50 percent off ticket would fall under one of these classes.

vasantn

Words fail me.

Krysia

I think it's important to note that the D3 folks are not only the last to board if space is available, but way too often they are not treated very nicely by the gate agents, ane way back when I used D2 privileges, many a time it took 2 or 3 days even to leave from LAS or ORD...so I guess my point is that in addition to flexibility and patience, you should have a pretty thick skin. Have seen flight privileges pulled from employees because their D3 were less than polite. (not saying you would be less than polite, just after 3 days or so of trying to get on a plane, even the nicest folks may be grumpy)

FlightNurse

American has a Pass system they use for their employee's. D1 is the highest Priority pass, usually held for Crew members and Mechanics who need to get to their destination, its a + space pass. D2 is the typical employee pass, that can only be used by Employee's family and then they have the D3 pass. Which the employee can give me friends and other family members. The price of the ticket is based on tax's, give you an example, last D3 pass I was on (back in the 90's) I flew SAN-JFK in FC (3 class ship) total price was $157 RT.

Your Niece should be able to tell you more about the pass's and how they work.

FlightNurse

I have a brother who just retired from AA, I use to fly on a D3 pass all the time, and not once was I treated badly.... Its simple, just treat them with respect and they will treat you with the same. I was stuck in ORD coming back from LGA once, and the gate agent told me that I was able to get out but not until X flight.

Planning is the biggest key when flying on a pass. If its not planned correctly then yes, you will have a problem.

emma dog

I'm not sure how a D3 pass or any other pass described here fits with the 50% off fare description that the OP brings us. Anyone have any ideas?

ORD & LAS

It really doesnt apply to 50% off. I guess our replies starting
picking up steam we all went off kiltered as the Q & A started to
mount on the subject. But i havent had a reply from my guests/
family bout agents being rude to them(D3). Everyone i have registered/
gifted knows the ramifications of flying nonrev. They also know
never to be rude or complain no matter what outcome may arise
when flying. Sure there has been times things dont work according
to plan. But thats how it is and will be expected when flying nonrev
no matter what airline you may fly.

RxCapt

This is not correct. There was a thread a while back describing different levels of positive space travel, including Gerard Arpey's designation. These + passes begin with A, not D1.

ORD & LAS

While you are correct here as other passes such as A9, AA20, etc.
For practical purposes 97% systemwide AA nonrev travel utilizes
D1,D2,D3.. Though i didnt realize that UA boards nonrevs during
general boarding unlike AA where we are the last to board from a
previous poster?

Non-NonRev

My guess is that it may be some kind of ID50 - basically, a bilateral, interline pass rate that is specifically negotiated between, say, AA and QF .

Non-NonRev

From observing buddy pass riders at airport gates over the years, I would guess that so-called "rude treatment" was actually a case of the pass rider incessantly bugging the gate agent with inane, repetitive questions. I actually marveled at the patience and level-headedness shown by the agents.

My former airline (CO) gave us a form letter to give to the buddy pass rider (along with the pass itself). The letter explained all of the ins and outs of buddy pass travel, and included a sentence about sitting back and letting the agent do her/his work its work, that the agent would let them know when the decision time had been reached.

Matters improved when CO opened pass rider travel offices in its hubs (similar to te AA NRSA Lounges). The buddies could ask their endless questions there, taking the burden off of the gate agent trying to get the flight out on time.

allga

As an eligible AA family member (parent), and regular pass flyer, this string boggles the mind. Yes, there are some factually correct things in it, but the amount of misinformation, outdated information, conjecture, guesses, opinions (sometimes uninformed) and wild-eyed ranting make these posts a definite caveat emptor proposition.

For the record, my wife and I fly on AA passes regularly, the latest being four flights in the last week. We have current, practical knowledge of how the system works, having used it countless times over the past 11 years.

Just a few observations.

1. The only practical way for the OP to know the ins and outs of the offer being made is to work it out with the employee who is theoretically providing the discount. If the employee is too new or too inexperienced in pass/discount issues to understand the details of what's going on, then he/she must look into the matter and learn the details.

2. Unlike what at least one poster said, all D-pass flying on AA is non-rev, space available. D-passes never earn mileage credit. There is a pecking order starting with D1, which is a pass available only to employees and immediate family members in VERY limited quanitities each year. They're meant to be used on the rare occasions when the employee needs to "jump the line" to get a higher boarding priority than standard employee pass riders. D2 is the standard employee and immediate family pass (wife, partner, kids). D2P is next in priority and is for the parents of the employee. Then comes D3, which is the AA equivalent of the "buddy pass," although they don't use that term. Even lower on the priority list are TWA retirees and ZED tickets, which are heavily discounted tickets used by employees and families of other airlines. D passes sometimes require that service charges be paid, depending on who's flying, the employee's longevity with the company, the relationship to the employee, and whether the trip is domestic or international. The employee has a limited number of passes that can be shared among parents and D3 guests. Service charges for D3 passes are CONSIDERABLY higher than those for D2 and D2P, and increase with length of flight and class of service. All D2P and D3 passes require a service charge. Contrary to what at least one poster has stated, D3 guests are eligible to fly in first and business if seats are available and if they list for these classes. If they list for premium classes and they're full, they get bumped back to coach if there's space.

3. It is very much worth noting that in many cases D3 service charges are not far away from the most deeply discounted revenue fares. Potential guests should make note of this, because sometimes the few extra dollars for a revenue ticket is money well spent, since it gets you positive space. In other cases, depending on advance purchase times, markets, etc., D3 passes are a good deal. You should always reimburse the employee for the service charge. And remember, all D passes, including D3, are for personal travel only; no business may be conducted on the trip. The employee's job may depend on your obeying the rules.

4. It is absolutely true that pass flyers need to be flexible and have "plans B, C and D" ready to go. That said, in 11 years of heavy pass flying, domestic, international and ZED, we've been bumped from exactly three flights, none of which has resulted in anything longer than a three-hour delay. Lucky? To some extent, of course. But once you learn to play the game there are techniques (and instincts) you can use to your advantage. For instance, we list for the earliest flight we can, so that there are more options if we get bumped.

5. In all those years I've never seen gate agents treat pass flyers any differently than they treat anybody else. In fact, when we began to use passes, i kind of expected a bit of a cold shoulder, but it never happened. When you think about it, it's easy to figure out why: counter agents, gate agents, and everybody else at the airline also have families and friends who fly on passes (not to mention their own sweet selves), so the Golden Rule tends to kick in. They tend to treat us the way they'd like their colleagues to treat them and their families. It's all generally very pleasant, given the pressure they're sometimes under. I find that a smile and a kind word generally elicits a similar response. Simple as that.

6. Somebody was ranting about non-rev lounges. They do exist at a handful of the larger airports. They are not Admiral's Clubs, or anything like them. They came about as a grass roots project by airline employees, who scrounged some spare rooms, furnished them as best they could, and put a sign on the door that says "We Are Family." They're a homespun courtesy for fellow employees and their families, and they speak very well for the people who work at AA and Eagle.

7. Since there's so much talk about when non-revs get to board, i might as well set the record straight on that one too. Non-revs get to board when they are issued a boarding pass (assuming their group has been called--otherwise they wait for their group). When are they issued a boarding pass? It depends. When there is a iight load, non-revs will get a boarding pass right out of the kiosk in the lobby just like a revenue passenger. This makes sense, because it saves paperwork at the gate where it's obvious from the jump that the passenger will be accommodated. Sometimes, the gate agent will issue boarding passes before boarding begins. In this case, non-revs board with their group. Other times, with heavier loads, boarding passes will be issued in the middle of boarding or even at the end of general boarding. it all depends on seat availability (especially for first and biz listings), and agent workload. It's nothing to panic about, we just go with the flow. Rest assured, we won't be seated until all you revenue passengers and road warrior DYKWIA upgrades have been taken care of.

8. On the "cluelessness" and making a fuss at the gate issues, here are my observations: The huge majority of pass flyers are employees and their families who do it all the time, know the ropes, and are perfectly calm and unannoying. Even you FT "experts" might not know who some of them (us) are. Of course, there will always be the occasional first-timer who's confused and/or worried. That just goes with the territory. I've occasionally spotted them and tried to quietly reassure them, calm them down, answer their questions. But I don't know why they should be a big issue for everyone else. If you've got positive space, you'll get on (or get compensated), so why worry about a nervous D-3?

In summary, the huge majority of employees, families and guests who fly on passes know that non-rev is a privilege, and they appreciate it. They all realize that revenue passengers pay the bills and allow them or their family members to have jobs serving them. They know the advantages and pitfalls of pass flying, and most are smart enough to plan alternate routings in case they get bumped. None of this is rocket science, and those who do it well and joyfully--the great majority--are credits to themselves and to AA.

JDiver

allga, thanks so much for your clear, extensive explanation!

ugorightigoleft

+1. As a former AA employee (and yes, current EXP...I guess I drank the AA Kool-Aid) the post from allga is dead-on in terms of the pass system and describing the "typical" non-revs--unassuming, know the drill, etc. All that was left out was "well dressed" (at least compared to many revenue flyers) but think that is covered in another thread.

Well done!