UA Employees fired for selling NRSA passes
Mar 8, 2019, 5:24 pm
#16
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 3,359
NRSA can stand by for any cabin. If there is a co-pay, it's higher for premium cabins. If you list for a higher cabin you generally list for all lower cabins too (which is why you see them on the flight standby list as well as the F standby / upgrade list, same place as you see displaced F pax who are standing by for the flight).
-James
Mar 8, 2019, 6:45 pm
#17
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It's all about priorities. Fire the ones who abuse benefits, but ignore or promote the ones who abuse customers.
Mar 8, 2019, 8:37 pm
#18
Join Date: Dec 2006
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There is actually minimal, if any fraud with this because of how it is setup. You get one person you can designate for these privileges; UA doesn't care the relationship. You can change it after I believe a year (maybe 3 months), but there is a not insignificant waiting period to change this designation. Anyone else needs to use one of your buddy passes.
Everyone else is a buddy pass. They're not that cheap. I can literally count the number I've used on my two hands in my four years.
Seems like at least some of the people in question were added as a +1 or parent using falsified documentation. Good that they're gone than ruin the perks for those of us that don't abuse it!
***only speaking for myself, not on behalf of the company***
Mar 8, 2019, 8:41 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2008
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I looked at at a similar program for my company with virtual cards. Although it wasn’t a good fit for what we wanted to use them for, I was super impressed with some of the technology. Upon issuance you can control things like the vendor name, expiry date, merchant type etc... and I think I recall seeing a restriction on zip/postal code to control where they can be cashed.
Mar 9, 2019, 6:44 am
#21
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pretty sure these are virtual cards. I think I recall seeing threads on ft about people trying to cash them in through a square account and it failed.
I looked at at a similar program for my company with virtual cards. Although it wasn’t a good fit for what we wanted to use them for, I was super impressed with some of the technology. Upon issuance you can control things like the vendor name, expiry date, merchant type etc... and I think I recall seeing a restriction on zip/postal code to control where they can be cashed.
I looked at at a similar program for my company with virtual cards. Although it wasn’t a good fit for what we wanted to use them for, I was super impressed with some of the technology. Upon issuance you can control things like the vendor name, expiry date, merchant type etc... and I think I recall seeing a restriction on zip/postal code to control where they can be cashed.
If my bank makes it trivial for me (on my personal CC account) to generate a virtual card with a set max spend and validity dates I imagine that to a customer of United's size and velocity it's even easier.
Mar 9, 2019, 8:43 am
#22
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There is actually minimal, if any fraud with this because of how it is setup. You get one person you can designate for these privileges; UA doesn't care the relationship. You can change it after I believe a year (maybe 3 months), but there is a not insignificant waiting period to change this designation. Anyone else needs to use one of your buddy passes.
United discovered some employees gave fake documentation to in order to name travelers as their stepparents or domestic partners.
"Some of the employees who gave up their passes received payment, while others were deceived into giving away their pass travel privileges based on the pretext that the passes were for a good friend or a relative (although even that would be against the rules)," the airline stated in the article.
"Some of the employees who gave up their passes received payment, while others were deceived into giving away their pass travel privileges based on the pretext that the passes were for a good friend or a relative (although even that would be against the rules)," the airline stated in the article.
Mar 9, 2019, 9:31 am
#23
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ORD
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They are not. Many is the time I have used them in a connecting city.
Mar 9, 2019, 10:13 am
#24
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: ZRH / SEA, DL PM
Posts: 1,165
Not surprised
I have a couple of friends who work for different airlines and they all sell passes to friends and friends of friends...
People just know that airline employees have those passes and proactively make offers. I tried to snag a pass couple of times and they were all gone when I asked.
I would be surprised United was not aware of wide spread abuse. Maybe that's why they made it big news with firing and hope that there will be less abuse.
I think the passes should be restricted for travel on the same flights with sponsor.
People just know that airline employees have those passes and proactively make offers. I tried to snag a pass couple of times and they were all gone when I asked.
I would be surprised United was not aware of wide spread abuse. Maybe that's why they made it big news with firing and hope that there will be less abuse.
I think the passes should be restricted for travel on the same flights with sponsor.
Mar 9, 2019, 10:17 am
#25
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Mar 9, 2019, 6:22 pm
#26
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Furthermore, anyone caught rigging the upgrade list to clear nonrev coworkers, friends, family or other-airline non-revs should be terminated immediately. Clearing of the upgrade list is not difficult to police and audit.
I don't have a problem with UA firing employees who sell passes, but anyone dumb enough to pay for what they know is a standby pass with an expectation that it's a confirmed space ticket, first class or not, is an idiot. If the employee is somehow modifying the document they are giving buyers or purposely misrepresenting it it to buyers, they should be charged with criminal fraud.
Mar 9, 2019, 7:22 pm
#27
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 1,358
I wonder if the fired employees also lost the employer's contribution to the retirement plan? In other words, the employees would get to keep their own contributions, but would forfeit (or not vest) the employer's contributions?
Mar 9, 2019, 10:51 pm
#28
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Mar 9, 2019, 10:57 pm
#29
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This thread is making me LOL about how much punishment FTers want to see meted out to employees who do something to reduce FTers' chances of getting upgraded.
No sin could be worse! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!! (Almost) LITERALLY!!!
This is definitely not to say that employees who violate pass travel privileges should not be held accountable consistent with UA policy. They definitely should be (and the accountability is in fact quite severe), because bad apples spoil what is a great benefit for those employees who follow the rules, and deprive revenue customers of an advertised benefit.
But really, take away earned pension benefits because someone couldn't get upgraded on the cheap? Rolleyes, and see, e.g., ERISA.
No sin could be worse! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!! (Almost) LITERALLY!!!
This is definitely not to say that employees who violate pass travel privileges should not be held accountable consistent with UA policy. They definitely should be (and the accountability is in fact quite severe), because bad apples spoil what is a great benefit for those employees who follow the rules, and deprive revenue customers of an advertised benefit.
But really, take away earned pension benefits because someone couldn't get upgraded on the cheap? Rolleyes, and see, e.g., ERISA.
Last edited by Bear96; Mar 9, 2019 at 11:02 pm
Mar 9, 2019, 11:16 pm
#30
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