Do UAL employees pay extra for premium standby?
Oct 5, 2018, 1:13 pm
#16
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
I don't know the answer (as of today and for UA). I do know from personal experience (when I was a kid, having benifits on RW>RC>NW; and then from friends or in a few cases people I dated) as to a few airlines. When I was a kid, it was $5 in Y $10 in F. Last memory I have is either on JAL or CX or ANA (I frankly can't remember which it was) and it was free in Y, but there was something like a $25 co-pay if they got J space.
AA is free in Y, but article does not say for F/J space what the co-pay is: https://www.dallasnews.com/business/...mployee-travel
The bottom line is that pass benefits are a major hook for airline employees. The GAs/FAs are not paid particularly well, and the experience (particularly the GAs) is not exactly peachy all of the time. "Free Travel" - for them and family - tends to be a major reason why airline employees stick with the job. And for the FAs/GAs it also tends to be a second job in a two income family. It is not exactly easy to live single on a FA/GA salary, particularly not in the major metro areas where many hubs are located.
Oct 5, 2018, 9:46 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: FL 290 through FL390
Posts: 1,687
The uncertainty of whether my wife and I will be able to get on a plane as space-available passengers is always a concern so we almost always buy tickets like everyone else. The only time I fly on standby is when I’m traveling without my wife, and as a UA pilot, I have a good chance of at least getting on a cockpit jumpseat.
The tickets to places we usually fly are so cheap that I don’t even care if we’d have gotten on the flight as standbys. My wife cares a bit more, but when I remind her of all the boring tours of our crew rooms while waiting for another chance, she gets over it.
FAB
The tickets to places we usually fly are so cheap that I don’t even care if we’d have gotten on the flight as standbys. My wife cares a bit more, but when I remind her of all the boring tours of our crew rooms while waiting for another chance, she gets over it.
FAB
Oct 5, 2018, 11:06 pm
#18
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: ZRH/LUX/LON
Programs: BA GGL/ VS Gold. Former: UA 1K (10 years+) , EY partners Plat, SQ PPS Club, SU Gold, LH SEN/HON
Posts: 770
No. They have to pay some taxes ( departure taxes, etc). Often what will happens is they are waitlisted simultaneously in coach and business, and clear into any seat available. Some routes are harder to get premium, employees don't always get to fly premium. They get to fly whatever seat becomes available. Sometimes that's the jump seat. In the 3 cabin days, this included First Class in a 3-cabin airplane, and often that’s what they would get. The ticket is otherwise free. They can go anywhere UA flies. Different rules for other airlines though.
As a 1K for 10+ years flying solo, I will tell you, I have seen some shenanigans. Sometimes I have been moved ( against my will or wishes) to a different seat in the same cabin to accommodate a United employee wanting to sit next to his spouse, and often cahoots with the gate agent in various circumstances. Mysteriously my seat assignment will change, and it's not because of an aircraft change. Sometimes employees will move up relatives from E+ to Business after the door closed. I saw that on pre-merger UA. All kinds of shenanigans.
Determination of who gets the empty seats is made based on date of hire. Date of hire is everything. Among the employees, there is an elevated level of travel called, Non-Revenue Space Positive, which means that the person gets to travel on any available empty seat as long as one is available. Jeffrey Smisek, the old UACO CEO used to travel on Non-revenue space positive.
I am not a UAL employee, just someone who used to fly UA pre-merger and post merger for years, as 1K and seen a lot. A lot of the shenanigans happened back in the Glenn Tilton era, I don't see it so much of it anymore. If you observe anything that is not right done by UA employees flying for free, you should report it to 1K voice or Customer care. I got so fed up of being hosed, I started to report employee travel bad behavior to 1K Voice. I became a pro at unmasking UA employees traveling off duty.
There are rules on how they are supposed to dress etc, so its not all roses. But hey, having a work perk of being able to fly on any empty seat anywhere United flies is sort of nice, I would treat it with respect not with an attitude of entitlement, at the expense of a paying passenger, which sometimes does happen.
The best non revenue employees traveling are on Lufthansa. They don't ask for anything special, and take what is given to them, and its almost of as if you don't notice they are even there, but they are.
As a 1K for 10+ years flying solo, I will tell you, I have seen some shenanigans. Sometimes I have been moved ( against my will or wishes) to a different seat in the same cabin to accommodate a United employee wanting to sit next to his spouse, and often cahoots with the gate agent in various circumstances. Mysteriously my seat assignment will change, and it's not because of an aircraft change. Sometimes employees will move up relatives from E+ to Business after the door closed. I saw that on pre-merger UA. All kinds of shenanigans.
Determination of who gets the empty seats is made based on date of hire. Date of hire is everything. Among the employees, there is an elevated level of travel called, Non-Revenue Space Positive, which means that the person gets to travel on any available empty seat as long as one is available. Jeffrey Smisek, the old UACO CEO used to travel on Non-revenue space positive.
I am not a UAL employee, just someone who used to fly UA pre-merger and post merger for years, as 1K and seen a lot. A lot of the shenanigans happened back in the Glenn Tilton era, I don't see it so much of it anymore. If you observe anything that is not right done by UA employees flying for free, you should report it to 1K voice or Customer care. I got so fed up of being hosed, I started to report employee travel bad behavior to 1K Voice. I became a pro at unmasking UA employees traveling off duty.
There are rules on how they are supposed to dress etc, so its not all roses. But hey, having a work perk of being able to fly on any empty seat anywhere United flies is sort of nice, I would treat it with respect not with an attitude of entitlement, at the expense of a paying passenger, which sometimes does happen.
The best non revenue employees traveling are on Lufthansa. They don't ask for anything special, and take what is given to them, and its almost of as if you don't notice they are even there, but they are.
Oct 6, 2018, 12:35 am
#19
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: FL 290 through FL390
Posts: 1,687
No. They have to pay some taxes ( departure taxes, etc). Often what will happens is they are waitlisted simultaneously in coach and business, and clear into any seat available. Some routes are harder to get premium, employees don't always get to fly premium. They get to fly whatever seat becomes available. Sometimes that's the jump seat. In the 3 cabin days, this included First Class in a 3-cabin airplane, and often that’s what they would get. The ticket is otherwise free. They can go anywhere UA flies. Different rules for other airlines though.
As a 1K for 10+ years flying solo, I will tell you, I have seen some shenanigans. Sometimes I have been moved ( against my will or wishes) to a different seat in the same cabin to accommodate a United employee wanting to sit next to his spouse, and often cahoots with the gate agent in various circumstances. Mysteriously my seat assignment will change, and it's not because of an aircraft change. Sometimes employees will move up relatives from E+ to Business after the door closed. I saw that on pre-merger UA. All kinds of shenanigans.
Determination of who gets the empty seats is made based on date of hire. Date of hire is everything. Among the employees, there is an elevated level of travel called, Non-Revenue Space Positive, which means that the person gets to travel on any available empty seat as long as one is available. Jeffrey Smisek, the old UACO CEO used to travel on Non-revenue space positive.
I am not a UAL employee, just someone who used to fly UA pre-merger and post merger for years, as 1K and seen a lot. A lot of the shenanigans happened back in the Glenn Tilton era, I don't see it so much of it anymore. If you observe anything that is not right done by UA employees flying for free, you should report it to 1K voice or Customer care. I got so fed up of being hosed, I started to report employee travel bad behavior to 1K Voice. I became a pro at unmasking UA employees traveling off duty.
There are rules on how they are supposed to dress etc, so its not all roses. But hey, having a work perk of being able to fly on any empty seat anywhere United flies is sort of nice, I would treat it with respect not with an attitude of entitlement, at the expense of a paying passenger, which sometimes does happen.
The best non revenue employees traveling are on Lufthansa. They don't ask for anything special, and take what is given to them, and its almost of as if you don't notice they are even there, but they are.
As a 1K for 10+ years flying solo, I will tell you, I have seen some shenanigans. Sometimes I have been moved ( against my will or wishes) to a different seat in the same cabin to accommodate a United employee wanting to sit next to his spouse, and often cahoots with the gate agent in various circumstances. Mysteriously my seat assignment will change, and it's not because of an aircraft change. Sometimes employees will move up relatives from E+ to Business after the door closed. I saw that on pre-merger UA. All kinds of shenanigans.
Determination of who gets the empty seats is made based on date of hire. Date of hire is everything. Among the employees, there is an elevated level of travel called, Non-Revenue Space Positive, which means that the person gets to travel on any available empty seat as long as one is available. Jeffrey Smisek, the old UACO CEO used to travel on Non-revenue space positive.
I am not a UAL employee, just someone who used to fly UA pre-merger and post merger for years, as 1K and seen a lot. A lot of the shenanigans happened back in the Glenn Tilton era, I don't see it so much of it anymore. If you observe anything that is not right done by UA employees flying for free, you should report it to 1K voice or Customer care. I got so fed up of being hosed, I started to report employee travel bad behavior to 1K Voice. I became a pro at unmasking UA employees traveling off duty.
There are rules on how they are supposed to dress etc, so its not all roses. But hey, having a work perk of being able to fly on any empty seat anywhere United flies is sort of nice, I would treat it with respect not with an attitude of entitlement, at the expense of a paying passenger, which sometimes does happen.
The best non revenue employees traveling are on Lufthansa. They don't ask for anything special, and take what is given to them, and its almost of as if you don't notice they are even there, but they are.
FAB