Non-Rev versus standby
 

I am sure this had been asked a thousand times if so just provide the link.

I am booked on a later AA flight delayed 4 hours. numerous passengers on stand by list for earlier flight. Two Flight attendants non-rev on my ORD/DFW delayed flight walk up and are given seats on earlier flight. Didn't seem right to me. Does non-rev have priority over standby?

Thanks!

Yes ..if they are traveling for work ..

Correct.

If they are traveling for work and have to be on that flight to get to their next scheduled flight to work, get to a stranded plane for MX, etc. (AKA a "Must-Ride" situation).... then they do take precedence over Standby pax.

It is in essence a positive space ticket for the employee that is traveling for work reasons.

A little fuzzy on where management and other company pax fall in the priority scheme when traveling for training and non-urgent business related matters.
I believe that is considered Non Rev Positive Space (NRPS), and is most certainly ahead of NRSA (employee leisure) travel in the pecking order. But how it stacks against Standby Pax, I am uncertain.

There's one other thing that could have happened. Flight attendants are eligible to fly in the jump seat even when traveling for personal reasons (including commuting). Obviously, paying passengers cannot use those seats, so even if no revenue standbys are getting on some flight attendants (or pilots) traveling as nonrevs may still get on as jumpseaters. It will look like they skipped people, but it's only because they're eligible for seats that the others (including other nonrevs) aren't.

This is likely the case. Flight attendants can ride in empty cabin jumpseats and pilots can ride in empty cockpit jumpseats. No reason for heartburn.

If they are truly non-revs, they should only get seats after all revenue standby passengers have gotten seats. As others mentioned, they could have been jumpseating, which not all non-revs are able to do. If they were Non Revenue Positive Space (NRPS), then they would have looked like ordinary confirmed passengers.

Think of positive space as holding a confirmed ticket like anyone else has. The only difference is the airline is paying themselves for that ticket (by costing money taking the seat out of inventory). Anyone with positive space privilege receives a confirmed seat and will come ahead of any one standing by for the flight, revenue or otherwise. The only time a positive space passenger would lose out on that seat to a revenue passenger is if the flight is oversold and the positive space passenger isn't a must-ride employee (must ride being defined as, the employee's presence is required at the destination, taking this specific flight, or there will be some other failure in the company's operation). Otherwise if the flight is oversold, and the passenger isn't a must ride, then they will be offloaded before any denied boarding occurs.

In short, general pecking order for how seats are prioritized for allocation:
1) Positive Space Must Rides
2) Revenue passengers including award tickets
3) Positive space, non-must ride situations
4) Revenue standbys (hardship exceptions)
5) Revenue standbys (IRROPs displaced from their original flight but confirmed on a later flight than what they're on standby for)
6) Revenue standbys (voluntary)
6) Non rev standbys (many further levels of division/prioritization that not relevant unless you're a space available traveller)

What are hardship exceptions?

I'm guessing bereavement revenue passengers?

We're the non-revs given seats in F or in Y?

Were you booked in F or in Y?

I would guess it would include handicapped passengers and their traveling companions and (official) unaccompanied minors, perhaps other minors if an overnight would otherwise be required during IROPs.

I think it would be people for whom there is not an immediate open seat available that day when their original flight is cancelled.