username

On my flight today, this guy (on the standby list so I am assuming he is likely a non-rev passenger) in the row in front of me played the music on his phone without a headset all the way from the gate. As we took off, he turned the music even louder.

When I asked him to put on a headset, he did not listen. So, I asked an FA to do it. The guy acted as if it was not his fault as UA did not give him a headset. She got him one and that fixed the problem.

Then when I got off the plane, I saw he had totally trashed his seating area - it looked like the floor of Texas Roadhouse

I really doubt this guy is a UA employee (and I hope this guy is not - customer-face or not). This made me wonder... do front line employees have a channel to report nonrevs with bad behavior? Does UA ever tell employees "you've got a bad relative/friend and no more pass for this person"?

dank0014

Good question. I wrote in to 1K last month as pretty sure it was a non rev since they were on standby business and F list and the guy got placed in a Y seat. The entire flight he was being very demanding and needy - required bottled water from the front, a business class meal, etc. I also had to listen to him complain the entire 10 hour flight on how he was screwed over for not getting a business seat yet another non rev received it. It just poorly reflected on UA. 1K just said thanks and we appreciate your loyalty and feedback and will share with management. I would have to assume they have to have a way to look into problem non revs

simmang

I have traveled as a non-rev on both UA and AA, and in both cases the sponsoring employee cautioned me to be on best behavior to protect their flying privileges (not that they were afraid I wouldn't be). Not sure exactly how feedback system works, though.

United747

I don't think there is a form, per se. But it is easy enough for other employees to find out who the person is and report him to a superior, etc. I think they take this stuff serious.

username

I have had HP non-rev doing a multi-level marketing presentation to me in-flight and a UA non-rev trying to swap my row 21 reclining with their row 20 non-reclining but today's experience topped both. The guy was actually inconsiderate and nasty.

In the 90s, I had non-rev benefits on CO so I know there are all kinds of rules and know people who were denied boarding for not wearing slacks and dress shoes...

A lot of companies have cut a lot of these non-regulatory compliance functions - my first full-time employer had people who called and checked your voicemail greetings Maybe the times have changed at UA too and there is no more enforcement?

tuolumne

The company has always taken any sort of flagrant disregard of their NRSA travel guidelines very seriously. And yes, employees do report such behaviors.

I've seen:

2009 JFK-SFO: Buddy pass rider (not active employee/retiree/defendant) screamed at GA for getting Y instead of F. Conversation quickly got to man calling said GA an "idiot". Talked with GA one week later. Sponsoring employees pass travel privledges were suspended for 12 months.

2010 NRT United First lounge: Drunk 20-ish looking dependent kid got reprimanded for demanding entry into the UFL. Told he was risking his father's NRSA privledges with the type of tone he was using. Asked NRT agent about 3 months later what happened...she instantly remembered and with a grin told me that not only was he kid denied boarding for his NRT-HKG leg, but his fakers pass privledges were suspended for 12 months.

2007 SFO-PEK: Visibly intoxicated employee caused a scene at gate for not receiving F or C. Saw him try and lunge for GAs throat with hand. Not only denied boarding and offloaded from Y, but had SFPD escort him away in cuffs. His pass travel was suspended indefinitely, and I later heard was forced to resign.

These are just about half of the events I've whitnessed over he years. UAL takes this very seriously.

JNelson113

My friend was an FA for United and she said that there were very strict requirements for these passes. She had to be 100% sure that the user would conduct him/herself appropriately or she could lose the pass.

Bowgie

This is good. I wonder if airlines blackball REVENUE passengers for serious bad behavior. Revenue pax are probably 10x the problems of non-rev's.

username

Years ago, I was sitting next to a woman who was an agent at one of these huge corporate travel agencies. She told me so and so from a major network news department was not allowed to travel on an airline due to bad behavior so they have to book him on alternate carriers. So, I guess there is some kind of list somewhere.

PropClear

Yes they do.

As to the first post, pure speculation, but I would guess that was perhaps a pax who missed their original flight and so was put on the standby list for a later flight (standby rather than confirmed if flights were full). The second post (on both standby lists) does sound like a non-rev, though.

And as to the OPs question, yes a gate agent can certainly report bad non-rev behavior (I had one of my employees a few years back almost get put on non-rev probation).

Silver Fox

I hope they do. And this is slightly off topic, but why do people these days think it is ok to walk along in public with the conversation on speaker and no headset?

I just hope that what you had to endure never happens to me as I am likely to be escorted off the plane upon landing.

doobierw

Actually, the 'Standby' list that you guys see contains both revenue AND non-revenue pax. No way for you to tell the difference, with the exception that revenue standby will always be above the non-revs on the list.

We (as employees) have the ability to access another list which shows the number of revenue vs. non-revs for a given flight.....which I can then look at the monitor and figure out that say the top four names are rev, and anyone below that is non-rev.

With respect to the OP....non-revs are ID'd on the passenger manifest and F/As know who is who. Anyone (rev or non-rev) can be reported through gate agents, supervisors.....law enforcement....as the situation warrants. In theory, people can indeed have their travel privileges taken away.

Silver Fox

Is it true to say that on the day of departure if I look on the upgrade and standby list and I see the same name on all of the waitlists, that that person(s) are non-rev? Just curious.

phxrsng

I don't think so. During IRROPS for a connection when I had been upgraded on the inbound and on the missed connection I appeared on all standby and waitlists for the flight they were trying to get me on.

HeadInTheClouds

Now that's what I call follow up!

FWIW, after 5MM+ between UA/DL/AA, I truly cannot think of a single truly egregious non-rev behavior incident I've encountered. Overall, by my experience, I'd say the rules are overwhelmingly well enforced and respected.