US Airways Buddy Pass
 

I will be traveling from Aruba to Orlando, FL, stay in Orlando for 3 months, and then from there go to Europe. Someone I know (US Airways employee) is getting me a buddy pass for the trip.

Is it possible to get a buddy pass for a multi-city trip? Or would I need two separate buddy passes? Especially since there's 3 different continents involved and 3 months apart.

I will be traveling to the states with the Visa Waiver Program which requires me to show to the immigration officer when I arrive there a return ticket out of the US to prove that I intend to leave the states within 90 days. When I get my ticket/boarding pass on the day I leave to Orlando, will it show the flight for US to Europe which would be 3 months later? Or would I get the whole ticket or something?

I intend to leave on Tuesday May 11th. When I check the US Airways website for flights from Aruba to the Orlando on that day it seems like there are not many seats left, only a few exit row and choice seats. My friends says that there are many seats available though which he would have seen on whatever system employees have access to. Are there any US Airways employees out there that could give me an opinion or confirmation?
I was considering traveling on Thursday 6th May since according to the US Airways websites there are a lot of open seats for that day but I would rather not have to rush to leave if there are open seats on the Tuesday after. Can I base my decision on what the US Airways website says or is the seat info on there not actual?

1. you really need to sit down with your "sponsor" at USAir and have a LONG talk. These questions should be discussed with him/her.

2. I am pretty sure it's a couple of tickets. The trip to MCO is one and the trip to Europe a few days later is two

3. Generally buddy passes don't show the return flight. You show back up and do this all again.

4. Website seating plans are NOT valid indicators of anything.

He/she is right, I fly on my friends Buddy pass with US and all you get is a record ID. You just show up anytime you want to go a flash your locator number and then they will give you a ticket to clear screening. You should be able to print an itinerary however I don't know if this is acceptable for customs. You need to call Homeland Security and explain your situation. If you get turned around in custom the airline gets fined for sending passengers without the correct documents. You wouldn't want to get for friend/family in the hot seat over this. On the flip side US air shouldn't send you less you have the right paper work to clear customs.

Good luck on the Europe buddy pass, its very possible you could get stuck for days as those flight are usualy full with non-revs. Just getting to PHL from MCO can be tough. Trust me I live in MCO and avoid PHL like the plague with the buddy pass.

Thanks for the tips :)

I wish I could sit down with my friend to discus it all over, but he is in the states and me in the Caribbean. I try emailing him but he is horrible at responding to emails. So I gave him a call today but could only talk for a bit since he was just leaving to go out of town and won't be back till Saturday.

So that's why I decided to try asking here since by the time I hear from him the day to leave will be closer and I need to start getting ready. He has given me buddy passes in the past when I was in Orlando and had no problem then since we could speak in person.

Moving to US Airways forum for more feedback.

BAMAT
Moderator, Budget Travel

For something like this I would also go to the departing Airport in Europe and ask them exactly what documentation is required for buddy pass travels originating in Europe.
They will know that probably much more then your friend, unless he works there too.

You should be able to get one buddy pass. With US passes (buddy or employee) one pass is good for either a one-way or round trip back to the departure airport. The only portion I'm not sure of is whether the system will let you build a PNR with up to a 90 day gap between flights since I've never done it. However, since buddy pass prices are based on a zone system there shouldn't be much difference in cost if you do it with 3 one-way passes.

When I get my ticket/boarding pass on the day I leave to Orlando, will it show the flight for US to Europe which would be 3 months later? Or would I get the whole ticket or something?[/quote]

You won't get a ticket. If the system allows up to a 90 day break between flights, you'll get what amounts to a PNR which includes your name and travel details. You don't even get a boarding pass till just before you get on the airplane - there's no way to get one in advance for a specific flight, nevermind for a series of flights up to 90 days in the future.

[qupte]My friends says that there are many seats available though which he would have seen on whatever system employees have access to.[/quote]

The number of open seats can and does change up to the time you get on the flight. As others have said, the US seat chart isn't a reliable indicator. Also remember that those using buddy passes are at the bottom of the pecking order for getting on a flight. There may appear to be a lot of seats available, but other non-revenue passengers (employees, their families, express employees, their families, etc) could fill them leaving you at the gate with no seat.

Also as someone said, getting to/from Europe during the summer is difficult for employees and can be nearly impossible for buddy pass holders. So if you undertake this adventure, leave yourself plenty of spare time. You don't want to be trying to get to Europe the day your 90 day visa waiver runs out only to not get on the flight and exceed the 90 day limit. I'd leave at least a week or two leeway to Europe so at worst you could get back to Aruba within the 90 days.

Jim

Help
 

Daughter qualified for National meet but having difficulty finding a reasonable flight. Seeking buddy passes from either RDU or CLT to Wichita, KS July 27-31. If you can help we would really appreciate it. Thank you.:)

Buddy Passes are no good if you need to travel on specific, set dates.

+1000 imo for the most part they're worthless.

See my previous post & don't expect any employee to give a buddy pass to some one they do not know, far to many risks involved. Otherwise welcome to Flyertalk.

Welcome to FT mmouzzon20^

I'd suggest going to kayak.com, making an account, and setting a daily price alert. Being a week out, I don't think you're going to see much change.

So ...
I guess I will be that guy, and have to point out the US Airways does not fly to Wichita at all. They dropped the station from PHX a few years ago. :)

YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR DAUGHTER FLYING ON A BUDDY PASS. Flights are very full and you do not want her to have added stress for a "meet". You want what is called "positive space" in industry. Try to find a friend who can book you a dividend miles ticket or fly another airline but do not fly buddy pass

$413. Doesn't seem like a bad fare at all for a last minute trip.

Flying on a US Airways buddy pass to Wichita could take a while--you'd have to wait for them to start service there again. (Anyone else remember the glory days when US Airways Express had a ton of EAS routes in Kansas?)

Charlotte (CLT) to Wichita (ICT) - Tue, Jul 26
Charlotte (CLT) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) - Tue, Jul 26
American 585 Dep: 7:05AM Arr: 8:40AM 2h 35m MD-80 Coach (V)
Layover in DFW 0h 55m

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Wichita (ICT) - Tue, Jul 26
American 471 Dep: 9:35AM Arr: 10:45AM 1h 10m MD-80 Coach (V)


Wichita (ICT) to Raleigh/Durham (RDU) - Tue, Aug 2
Wichita (ICT) to Chicago (ORD) - Tue, Aug 2
United 6469 Dep: 6:32PM Arr: 8:20PM 1h 48m Canadair Reg. Jet Coach (G)
OPERATED BY UNITED EXPRESS/SKYWEST AIRLINES Layover in ORD 1h 35m

Chicago (ORD) to Raleigh/Durham (RDU) - Tue, Aug 2
United 3465 Dep: 9:55PM Arr: 12:45AM 1h 50m Embraer RJ-170 Coach (G)
OPERATED BY UNITED EXPRESS/SHUTTLE AMERICA