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Posted: 10/14/2010 9:31:28 PM EDT
[#1]
Buddy Pass? Is that like when you let him have sex with your butt?
I keed. |
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Posted: 10/14/2010 9:49:07 PM EDT
[#2]
tag for later!
Delta mechanic here Edit: Buddy passes are an S4 priority. Employees fly using an S3 (sometimes an S2) retirees and parents fly on an S3B priority. This means of course that a buddy pass rider comes after employees and parents of employees. The only thing that makes one buddy pass better than another is the seniority of the employee who offered it to you. But don't lose all hope though because people fly on buddy passes every single day. Many factors go into what makes a non-revenue flight successful. In my opinion, the most important factor is flying by yourself because employees flying with their families do not want to be split up and the single seats are filled with other non-revs. The airport you are flying to is a major factor and should be taken into consideration. Do not try to fly to a popular location such as Honolulu, Hawaii on a buddy pass unless you want to spend days at the airport waiting for a flight. Edit 2: Also, buddy passes do cost money and charge a percentage for every flight mile. You might see 150 available seats now and maybe even 40 seats available the night before but not until the morning of will you have a good indication of how well the flight will be. |
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Posted: 10/14/2010 10:30:43 PM EDT
[#3]
Bring a book,laptop,etc. Just because a flight is empty doesn't mean you're going. With United, they have combined flights to run one full plane versus two semi full planes if they can get it done with cargo,passengers and baggage. I spent 13 hours at Seatac Airport once just trying to fly to SFO so i could then fly to HNL. All 7 flights they had that day to SFO were full so i never even left.
Paying Customers, Deadheading Employees, the Pope....all of them trump a pass on United. Just don't make any firm plans is all i'm saying. Of course, YMMV. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 12:34:21 PM EDT
[#4]
bump
the flights leave at different times during the day, and I wouldn't be limited to just amsterdam. I would be able to check seat availability a few days (maybe hours) before going, and therefore choose route with best odds. Any other insight? |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 12:50:56 PM EDT
[#5]
It appears you will be flying by yourself so your chances improve greatly. Stay flexible and willing to hop from gate to gate to catch a flight. I just checked seat availability from MSP to AMS for tomorrow for shits and grins and it doesn't look promising. There are six flights going and six coming back.
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Posted: 10/15/2010 12:57:33 PM EDT
[#6]
Make sure to put on the suit and tie, or at least your Sunday best. IIRC Buddy passes are expected to fly as a "Representative" of the company.
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:09:42 PM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
Make sure to put on the suit and tie, or at least your Sunday best. IIRC Buddy passes are expected to fly as a "Representative" of the company. That used to be the case but the standards for dress have relaxed greatly. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:15:21 PM EDT
[#8]
i checked the same flights for monday (less busy on mondays) and there were a good 50 seats on some of those delta flights. (I checked using travelocity).
I'm assuming this doesn't include business class, which buddy pass riders can get into as well. The dates i'm flying would be the 19th-23rd of december, so that's 5 days worth of flights.. That's at least 10 flights to get onto, during weekdays. ETA: read your edit from above flights really fill up that fast? |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:16:43 PM EDT
[#9]
A friend of mine flew to Europe a few days ago on a Delta 'buddy pass'. Her father is an employee (non-pilot).
I think she got on the second or third flight she tried. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:19:44 PM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
A friend of mine flew to Europe a few days ago on a Delta 'buddy pass'. Her father is an employee (non-pilot). I think she got on the second or third flight she tried. I'm thinking I can have similar luck, but I'm also pondering how the holidays will crowd flights to amsterdam vs. now.. I will try to fly weekdays, mind you. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:22:57 PM EDT
[#11]
I am a former airline guy and I can attest to the level of suck found in pass travel.
If you cant afford to miss a week of life dont go anywhere on a pass. As in pass travel and in life, you get what you pay for. This sums it up nicely  |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:23:35 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
i checked the same flights for monday (less busy on mondays) and there were a good 50 seats on some of those delta flights. (I checked using travelocity). I'm assuming this doesn't include business class, which buddy pass riders can get into as well. The dates i'm flying would be the 19th-23rd of december, so that's 5 days worth of flights.. That's at least 10 flights to get onto, during weekdays. ETA: read your edit from above flights really fill up that fast? I don't believe it's a case of flights filling up that fast but rather not being updated more frequently. I listed my Dad on a flight last month to LAX and of course the flights looked great until the morning of the actual flight day. He waited around and made the third flight that day. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:31:26 PM EDT
[#13]
How easy is it to hop gate-to-gate? Can I simply just go to any gate with a flight to europe and try to board, or are there things I would need to change with a ticket agent?
Amsterdam, Berlin, London.. I don't really care because I'm paying the rest of the way. I just need to cross the pond. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:36:30 PM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
How easy is it to hop gate-to-gate? Can I simply just go to any gate with a flight to europe and try to board, or are there things I would need to change with a ticket agent? Amsterdam, Berlin, London.. I don't really care because I'm paying the rest of the way. I just need to cross the pond. When I fly over the pond, I honestly don't really care which country I touch down in. Just hop a train and within a day you are where you want to be. Sometimes, you don't even get harassed to buy a ticket 
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:40:18 PM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
Quoted:
How easy is it to hop gate-to-gate? Can I simply just go to any gate with a flight to europe and try to board, or are there things I would need to change with a ticket agent? Amsterdam, Berlin, London.. I don't really care because I'm paying the rest of the way. I just need to cross the pond. When I fly over the pond, I honestly don't really care which country I touch down in. Just hop a train and within a day you are where you want to be. Sometimes, you don't even get harassed to buy a ticket Yea, but on a buddy pass are there any complicating factors that would keep me from going to every single gate with a flight to europe? If I could do that, then my opportunity would be better. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:47:40 PM EDT
[#16]
Travel very light. You will be last to board and if you have a standard sized roller bag, you may have to check it plane side. If you can get by with just a small soft duffel that can be stuffed anywhere and a small backpack to go under the seat in front of you you will be better off.
Non rev rules: Always take the first flight out. Get going towards a hub if the weather starts getting bad. Travel light––travel fast. Watch the loads. Have extra food as you may or not be feed. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:52:05 PM EDT
[#17]
Don't check any bags. Carry on only.
Try for a non-stop flight. Less chance of gettiong bumped. Bring a credit card in case you get stuck somewhere. Dress nicely. Behave yourself and everything will be fine. |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 1:55:39 PM EDT
[#18]
My friend is on vacation right now, so I can't ask him this myself,
Am i stuck to a particular route, or can I hop around to any gate with a flight to europe, if that's all I really need? |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 3:18:53 PM EDT
[#19]
As someone stated before be flexible, you may get on the flight or you may have to wait a few days, bring cash and credit card, pack light, dress in a decent manner and most of all be courteous no matter what happens. Your buddy could lose his flight privelages or even his job if you show your ass. A good friend of mine asked for a buddy pass for his son. His son flew to Belgium, made the flight and even got first class seating both ways, everything went smooth. Another friend asked for a buddy pass for his sister, I gave her one and briefed her on how they work. She made the flight okay to her destination. Coming back she couldn't get a seat and was going beserk at the gate. She was gonna have to stay a few days as I recall. She was making such a scene at the gate that the gate agent called me while I was at work and chewed me out saying That I need to talk to her again about how buddy passes work, the whole time I could hear her in the background yelling at the top of her lungs. After talking to her she calmed down, I had to talk with my foreman the next day, the gate agent made a complaint and my Family's flight privelages were about to be terminated. I don't help people with buddy passes anymore.
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Posted: 10/15/2010 6:02:44 PM EDT
[#20]
thanks for all the input, guys.
Anyone else have any knowledge of delta buddy pass travel, whether anecdotal or professional? |
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Posted: 10/15/2010 7:11:18 PM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
Travel very light. You will be last to board and if you have a standard sized roller bag, you may have to check it plane side. If you can get by with just a small soft duffel that can be stuffed anywhere and a small backpack to go under the seat in front of you you will be better off. Non rev rules: Always take the first flight out. Get going towards a hub if the weather starts getting bad. Travel light––travel fast. Watch the loads. Have extra food as you may or not be feed. This is all true , I have flown a bunch since my GF has flight privileges, Be prepared to be bumped , early flights are almost always better. be at the airport and check in at the counter early. being nice to the counter person can sometimes help. Dress nice . consider alternative routes or nearby airports if you are pushed for time. you can sometimes get close. above all be flexible. |
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Posted: 10/16/2010 1:15:06 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Travel very light. You will be last to board and if you have a standard sized roller bag, you may have to check it plane side. If you can get by with just a small soft duffel that can be stuffed anywhere and a small backpack to go under the seat in front of you you will be better off. Non rev rules: Always take the first flight out. Get going towards a hub if the weather starts getting bad. Travel light––travel fast. Watch the loads. Have extra food as you may or not be feed. This is all true , I have flown a bunch since my GF has flight privileges, Be prepared to be bumped , early flights are almost always better. be at the airport and check in at the counter early. being nice to the counter person can sometimes help. Dress nice . consider alternative routes or nearby airports if you are pushed for time. you can sometimes get close. above all be flexible. Be nice. Hint after checking in at the gate, say to the agent, "I am going to grab a cup of coffee, do you want anything?" Ninety-nine time out of a hundred, they will say no, but they will remember you as being nice. Most here on ARFcom would last a day at their job without an epic-level thread. And anyways, a cup of coffee is worth an airplane ride to the Old Country. |
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Posted: 10/16/2010 1:53:09 AM EDT
[#23]
Quoted:
My friend is on vacation right now, so I can't ask him this myself, Am i stuck to a particular route, or can I hop around to any gate with a flight to europe, if that's all I really need? Can't speak on Delta, but I can't imagine things work much different than the US Airways passes I can give out. Your itinerary can be changed, just talk to a gate agent and they will help you get on something. Take the early flights, they never seem to fill up. I've given out about 15 passes or so and the only problem that's been encountered was when my sister-in-law got stuck trying to get home from Spain. Apparently most of Europe goes on vacation in August. Had no idea ...  Other than that, I have had a couple people rerouted (planned them to go through PHL to Toronto and they went through CLT instead) but that's no big deal. Are you paying at the airport or did your friend pay online? At Airways, if you are traveling with your buddy your boarding priority goes up. If you are traveling alone you are a lower priority (S7). If it comes down to you and another S7, I THINK your priority is based on check-in time. Airways has a system where your buddy (or you) can pay online, then you can check-in 12 hours before dept, print your tickets and boarding pass bypassing the ticket counter when you get to the airport and head right for the friendly TSA folks.
Bottom line is as long as you can be flexible you've gotten a good deal. |
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Posted: 11/29/2010 9:56:39 AM EDT
[#24]
bump
recap - im using a delta buddy pass, meaning i'll be flying standby so i have a 5 day window to get on a plane from msp to ams. there are two flights a day. right now on every flight there's an average of about 60-100 seats still open. i'm 18 days away from the first possible flight right now. predictions on how fast the planes will fill up? i'm inclined to think that not too many people will be booking last minute to get on a 1500 dollar international flight around christmas time.. |
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Posted: 11/29/2010 11:19:26 AM EDT
[#25]
There is a lot of good advice already posted, but I think I can add my $.02.
My Dad was an airline captain with America West, so I grew up flying nonrev. You are still waaay to far out to judge seating and availability. There could be a storm somewhere in the world, or a single plane with a mechanical, forcing a cancellation hours before your flight, this will spill all the passengers that were on that flight into the one you intend to take. I know it doesn't help to hear it, but the real frustration of nonrev travel is that you can't be 100% certain you are on the flight until the door closes ( I have seen people bumped after boarding but it is extremely rare). Mid week and Saturday are your best travel days. Friday, Sunday, Monday, and any "eve" are the worst. I'm not sure how Delta works, but when I was traveling, I would pick the flight I wanted to start with, book that one and show up early to check in (Be sure to check in as early as possible - I have bumped other nonrevs just by being in line literally in front of them at the gate for check-in.) When checking in at the gate, ask how it looks, if they give you a boarding pass and seat assignment, you are prob. golden. If they say it looks full tell the agent your situation. If you really only need to get across the pond, the agent can then book you into the next most promising flight - this is sort of like jumping from gate to gate. |
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Posted: 11/29/2010 11:37:54 AM EDT
[#26]
#1 rule of non-reving, dont talk about non-reving.
Other than that if you go middle of the week. Should be fine. Why are you wanting to go to Amsterdam. Red light district no longer exists. Commie bastards. 
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Posted: 11/29/2010 1:13:32 PM EDT
[#27]
layover to another part of europe. i'm paying for the remaining leg using free delta vouchers once i get there.
i'm a little nervous that i'll get screwed, but i'm hoping that with 10+ flights my odds are approaching a limit of 100 percent |
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Posted: 11/29/2010 2:54:24 PM EDT
[#28]
I consider giving a person a buddy pass a form of cruel and unusual punishment. It's like letting a 5 year old play with a landmine. One can't even concieve all the ways that the 'plan' will be disrupted. I have seen situations where folks eat more $$$ in airport food than the ticket would have cost. If Lufthansa strikes, you might not get home for weeks. If the Icelandic volcano burps, you could be gone for weeks. If an airworthiness issue comes up somewhere in the Delta longhaul fleet (think Qantas and their A380 woes) you could be gone for weeks. And that's to say nothing of the short term, day-to-day struggles of nonreving. Good luck.
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Posted: 11/29/2010 2:59:05 PM EDT
[#29]
Friend's sister works for Delta. She got us some passes and I have to pay something like $50 a ticket. Great deal since the flight would have been 10x that much even on a discount site.
Didn't get bumped and we had no hassles. Would do again! |
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Posted: 11/29/2010 4:42:43 PM EDT
[#30]
Quoted:
I consider giving a person a buddy pass a form of cruel and unusual punishment. It's like letting a 5 year old play with a landmine. One can't even concieve all the ways that the 'plan' will be disrupted. I have seen situations where folks eat more $$$ in airport food than the ticket would have cost. If Lufthansa strikes, you might not get home for weeks. If the Icelandic volcano burps, you could be gone for weeks. If an airworthiness issue comes up somewhere in the Delta longhaul fleet (think Qantas and their A380 woes) you could be gone for weeks. And that's to say nothing of the short term, day-to-day struggles of nonreving. Good luck. +1 Every time one of my friends asks for a buddy pass, I explain that I wouldn't be much of a buddy if I gave them one. If I ever really need to get rid of a girlfriend, all I have to do is invite her out for a non-rev weekend trip. She will pretty much hate me by the time we get home. As an employee, I travel on a higher pass class than buddy passes, I have cockpit jumpseat privileges, and I avoid non-reving like the plague. If you want a less stressful trip, but a priceline ticket. |
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Posted: 11/29/2010 4:47:18 PM EDT
[#31]
I used a buddy pass one time and only one time. I would much rather pay for a seat on a plane than risk not getting one. I was the last person on the second flight after the first flight was full.
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