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Buddy Pass Rules
Thank you for your extremely informative reply. I now understand the rules and regs regarding the buddy pass.
To the rest of you that gave me the smart replies.....grow up and get a life. Thanks again |
Originally Posted by ExecDeskRep
Welcome to FlyerTalk, Centrum!
You will be flying as non-revenue D-3 standby. FF miles do not accrue. Non-rev charges are the same if you are traveling within the US, Carribean, Canada, Mexico whether you travel first class or coach. International (ie transatlantic, transpacific, South America) the fees differ according to class of service flown. And for the inquiring minds about the fee structure, here are a few examples of the "fabulous" deal D-3's receive. Traveling from ORD-MBJ by way of MIA a non-rev will pay $258.00 for the roundtrip. Traveling from ORD-LHR roundtrip coach will cost $370, Business $506, and First $656. No seasonal discounts for coach and just about every year D-3 is embargoed in the summer to Europe. Our charges used to be much lower for non-rev travel. I normally encourage my friends and relatives to watch for sales and fly confirmed; however, in the case of last minute travel the non-rev rates aren't too bad. Also, Centrum, your friend of a friend of a friend will need to list you for the flights. Do not call reservations to check on flight availability, etc. It is the responsiblity of the employee who is giving the pass. Reservations cannot help you. Good Luck and Happy Travels! ExecDeskRep My motto is/was... "friends don't let friends fly D-3" .... unless absolutely necessary, of course. |
A buddy pass to Buenos Aires - should I chance it?
To avoid paying $1,200 (or more) flying to B.A. in late October (starting in CLE and connecting in DFW), my travel partner who is a new AA employee said she would look into getting me a buddy pass. How risky is that? I've been reading about being the lowest priority when it comes to seating, and that flying internationally this way isn't advisable during the peak travel season. Should I just suck up paying full fare and being guaranteed a seat, or is it a good enough deal to do it? Any advice is appreciated.
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How badly do you need to get back on the date you want to return? If you can afford to wait a few days for a seat to open up then it is a great deal. If you'll get fired for missing work then it isn't as good a deal. ;)
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Originally Posted by atownzz
(Post 10212098)
To avoid paying $1,200 (or more) flying to B.A. in late October (starting in CLE and connecting in DFW), my travel partner who is a new AA employee said she would look into getting me a buddy pass. How risky is that? I've been reading about being the lowest priority when it comes to seating, and that flying internationally this way isn't advisable during the peak travel season. Should I just suck up paying full fare and being guaranteed a seat, or is it a good enough deal to do it? Any advice is appreciated.
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Originally Posted by AEpilot76
(Post 10212108)
A new AA employee is not eligible for buddy passes. They have to be employed for 2 yrs in order to get D3's
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Originally Posted by SafeFlyer
(Post 10212809)
Really? It was 6 months back in the mid-90's.
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If you dont mind being stuck in airports for at least an entire day at each end of your trip with the slight possibility of the worst seats on the plane , or the possibility of first class, if no one else wants it. you are at the bottom of the list. your friend should be able to tell you if a flight is 'green' on their website and therefore advisable to stanby or "red".
i tried to go lax- jfk on a d-3 at a very peak time in late june - the flights were listed as red. got on the outbound in First after a 4 hour wait and never was able to get back to lAX on my return. I had to buy a last minute ticket on B6 to BUR after waiting to standby unsuccessfully for 7 or 8 aA flights. Be prepared for anything!! depends on how much your time is worth. you can save a great deal. |
Why don't you ask your buddy to ask his coworkers? When I had employee benefits we all knew which flights were good and easy to get on and which were almost impossible. SCL was always a big problem. Even if the seat count was great and wide open and you thought you were guaranteed a business class seat, it turned out that cargo trumped humans and often these flights left with 20+ open seats, leaving non-revs behind for 3-4 days. Often the travelnet/intranet has alerts on which flights to avoid.
Bottom line, confirm your buddy is eligible for D3s. Then ask him to check the loads. Then confirm that you can be 2-3 days late on your return. I always had the option on buying and ID90 on other carriers as a back up, but I doubt you do. Its winter down there so I might not be peak season... I forget the load distribution by month now... |
D3s are very risky as they are near the bottom of the non-rev priority code list.
Traveling as a D3, one must wait for all the revenue passengers to clear and then the A2s, A1s to A7s, A9s, A10s - A14s, B2s, C1s to C3s, D1s and D2s; that's a lot of people ahead of you. I don't know if late October is the high season to South America yet, but if it is and your travel is not flexible, I would advise against non-revving... Matt |
Originally Posted by MGW2000
(Post 10213211)
Traveling as a D3, one must wait for all the revenue passengers to clear and then the A2s, A1s to A7s, A9s, A10s - A14s, B2s, C1s to C3s, D1s and D2s; that's a lot of people ahead of you. |
Originally Posted by Landing Gear
(Post 10213686)
I figured out that D3 must be the "buddy." What are all these other codes? Is A1 the ultimate? Who is that, Arpey?
The "C" codes are interview travel I believe The "D" codes are employee travel. D2 is employee, D2P is a parent of an employee, D3 is a buddy, D4 I think is a dispatcher or ATC, D6 is another airline pilot jumpseater, D7 is another airline flight attendant jumpseater |
Don't forget the fees for you friend may be as little as 391.80 for Y, or 641.90 for F. These do sound like great prices, but again, standby is not always pretty.
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I'd be concerned about the American Eagle flights from CLE/DFW & DFW/CLE than getting to B.A. Those usually are booked full.
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Originally Posted by AEpilot76
(Post 10213739)
(these are just some examples, I think Arpey is A2)
A2b: The following apply on business travel: * Chairman, president, senior officers * AMR subsidiaries senior officers * Select officers of other airlines A2p: The following apply on personal travel, including a spouse, a domestic partner, a registered companion, and dependent children: * Chairman, president, senior officers * AMR subsidiaries senior officers * Select officers of other airlines Matt |
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