Travel Benefits
#13
Pilots have three travel options if they are working for most 121 carriers.
1) Pay full price like everybody else.
2) Jumpseat (IE hitch a ride in an open seat on airlines that have reciprocal agreements)
3) non-rev.
Non rev (Non-revenue travel) is a space available seat on the aircraft for the employee and their travel dependants. Depending on the company, the non-rev benefits can vary greatly.
For example, when I worked for ACA/United Express, we had free travel for us and dependents on our flights, and free travel on all other United flights (UAL and UEX). Then things changed a bit and we had free travel on our flights (regardless of the codeshare), and had to pay a minimal fee for any other United branded flights ($15 per leg on any other Express Carrier, and a set fee plus .02 cents a mile on UAL or something to that effect.)
Free travel is something that I miss greatly now that I'm out of the airlines... My wife used to "commute" each week from IAD-BOS for graduate school, and I figure that my non-rev and jumpseat travels were worth over $150,000 in free travel over my 5 year airline career (I kept boarding stubs and I had over 450 flights during that period, including international first/business class trips for free).
1) Pay full price like everybody else.
2) Jumpseat (IE hitch a ride in an open seat on airlines that have reciprocal agreements)
3) non-rev.
Non rev (Non-revenue travel) is a space available seat on the aircraft for the employee and their travel dependants. Depending on the company, the non-rev benefits can vary greatly.
For example, when I worked for ACA/United Express, we had free travel for us and dependents on our flights, and free travel on all other United flights (UAL and UEX). Then things changed a bit and we had free travel on our flights (regardless of the codeshare), and had to pay a minimal fee for any other United branded flights ($15 per leg on any other Express Carrier, and a set fee plus .02 cents a mile on UAL or something to that effect.)
Free travel is something that I miss greatly now that I'm out of the airlines... My wife used to "commute" each week from IAD-BOS for graduate school, and I figure that my non-rev and jumpseat travels were worth over $150,000 in free travel over my 5 year airline career (I kept boarding stubs and I had over 450 flights during that period, including international first/business class trips for free).
#14
Free travel is something that I miss greatly now that I'm out of the airlines... My wife used to "commute" each week from IAD-BOS for graduate school, and I figure that my non-rev and jumpseat travels were worth over $150,000 in free travel over my 5 year airline career (I kept boarding stubs and I had over 450 flights during that period, including international first/business class trips for free).
Yeah, that's what's keeping in the regionals vice corporate. We use thousands of dollars worth each month.
#15
But the truth is that once you get used to living a "normal" life again, it's not that big a deal. One thing I do know though... now that I don't deal with security and employee parking shuttles on a daily basis, I have no desire to travel by airline very much any more. When I do, it's nice to have the money to buy a ticket and know that I'm going to be able to go without having to worry about a full flight or overbooking.
Even knowing the system and how to work around it and having insiders knowledge... after being able to park in my reserved parking space and walk out to the plane (50 years away), any time that I have to go over to the airline terminal, I cringe.
#16
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: DD->DH->RU/XE soon to be EV
Posts: 3,732
Yeah, maybe you heard a story of so and so getting a ride on whatever airline, but whatever.
More than likely, your airline has an agreement with XYZ airlines, ID90 or ZED.
No US airlines serve AKL. Atlas goes there but is no allowed to to take a JS'er. So you either get a ZED or ID90 on Qantas or Air NewZealand, in my case.
Don't worry, if riding on a ZED or ID90 you wont look like such a dork showing up with your backpack.
#18
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: DD->DH->RU/XE soon to be EV
Posts: 3,732
If the flight fills up, no seats in the back, you would have to JS.
You can always JS for personal reasons, it's not a big deal. However, there is a whole slew of JS etiquette that could chew up an entire freaking thread.
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2007
Position: CRJ
Posts: 2,356
not entirely true, we just got an agreement with a european airline for jumpseating privelages.
#20
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: DD->DH->RU/XE soon to be EV
Posts: 3,732
All I was saying is that some new guy shouldn't think that he can show up to ANY foreign carrier in another country and expect to be able to JS aound the globe. Although I heard that Iberia or Spanair had an "extra crew" type thing for US pilots, it was far from the norm. If you were going out of MAD it was a matter of ACTUALLY getting to the CA to talk to him about it. Problem is, the gate agent has no idea what you are talkng about and may or may not be helpful in letting you go talk to the CA or going down him/self to do it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post