Upgrades on ZED or ID90 (or any emp rate)?
 

I have a question for anyone in here who can qualify for employee rates on other airlines (besides the one you work for)..

Do you ever have luck being upgraded to first or business class when flying on a non rev ZED or other emp rate fare?

I'm just curious what my chances will be for getting bumped up on an upcoming flight to Zurich on United.

Years ago I used to fly non rev on a friends Buddy Passes and I would ALWAYS get bumped up to first class.. This was several years ago though.. Do they still do this?..

Your chances of an upgrade on your upcoming flight -> 0.

ZED non-revs are only eligible for upgrades if their airlines' reciprocal agreement allows you to list for first/business class. Generally this would only occur if the two airlines enjoy a very close relationship e.g. United and Lufthansa or Northwest and Delta. WN employees don't have this privilege with UA (why would UA upgrade WN employees if UA employees can't be upgraded on WN?). When you were on a Buddy Pass in the past you were eligible for and listed in first, which is why you got the big seat.

I've *never* been upgraded to first or business on a ZED ticket unless I was listed for that cabin. And that would be, of course, at the bottom of the upgrade priority list. Although I have been given an occasional E+ seat on UA, which is probably the most you can hope for.

The only times I've been op-upped have been when I was travelling on regular revenue tickets. Which is the way it should be.

When are you hoping to travel? ZED TATL in the summer/early autumn is very ambitious, particularly for someone relatively new to the game (guessing from the questions you've posted). I assume you've got a few backup plans to get home?

Good luck!

ZED fares are actually of three types - YR1, YR2 and CR2.

The YR2 type ZED is by far the most common and is often referred to as "ZED" in its own right. The YR2 permits space available travel in Economy Class only.

The YR1 permits confirmed travel in Economy Class and the CR2 permits space available travel in Business Class. Most concurrences do not include YR1 or CR2 and hence their use is not widespread.

Although the above regulations exist in theory, you should be well aware that like anything in the airline industry, what happens at the gate stays at the gate. ;)

That's kind of what I was implying... I've heard stories from coworkers of mine of being upgraded on ZEDs before, and it's always been sort of a result of a little bit of schmoozing.. As it was when I was non reving for United as I mentioned before.

I know that a ZED fare typically is a coach seat, but it's not uncommon for airline employees to be upgraded if there's an open seat in first class.. It's just been a while, and I'm not sure if this phenomenon is widespread or not..


As for backup plans,.. It's a ZED high ticket.. So, it's interchangeable with other carriers within the ZED agreement should my flight be booked up..

Not to mention the already existing animosity towards WN employees by legacy carrier employees :o , So that probably doesn't help either..

No NonRev Talk
 

Come on guys, let's leave shop talk to another place. We don't need our customers knowing all of our individual benefits. Now, I know how the pax know airline lingo when they appear at the gates. I've had REV Standby ask if I have accomodated nonrevs ahead of him. These are our secrets, please.

I was unaware that airline employee flight benefits were a big secret..

On a side note,.. If anyone knows of a good employee travel forum that is active, I'd gladly relocate this type of discussion there..

This is "flyertalk".. Not, revenue only flyertalk.

Check the referenced poster's other posts for a good chronicle of disdain for, interestingly, both airlines and pax alike.

Are you talking about me?

No, no. I was addressing that to you concerning the poster you quoted.

Sorry for the confusion :)

Upgrading other airline employees on passes is the thing of the past. We don't have empty F Class seats anymore and if we did the first people that are going to get them are our own employees, if they are willing to pay for it. Nothing is free anymore.

If you really want F Class I suggest that you purchase a Y ZED fare ticket and also purchase a F ZED ticket and tell the gate agent that you are holding both should a F Class seat becomes available. You can always refund the unused ticket.

OK thanks for the advice..

I heard NW advertise for jobs on the radio and tout the free travel a few years ago, so I guess the secret’s out.

Hey, what are those things called Buddy Passes I heard someone talk about? Can I be someone’s new best friend?

I can't speak for other airlines, but at Southwest employees are issued 4 buddy passes per quarter... They're basically freebie tickets.. You can give them away to friends or family to fly free on Southwest.

It's also fun to try and trade these passes with friends who work with other airlines because different airlines serve different cities etc. (I've been actively seeking people on these forums who might want to trade with me).