Originally Posted by SuperConductor

I'm a new Express employee and tried using my flight benefits for the first time for my "First Friend". Wow! What a friggen mistake!

Time Line: Late August - First, they had to leave BUF where we'd planned her to leave, and drive to ROC (sub-sonic) since the ticket agent in BUF said, "Aw hun, you ain't never gonna get outta Buffalo on standby. All the Canadians come here from Toronto and stay over-night the night before the flight since tickets are far cheaper in the USA." (Yea! Product of the Race to the Bottom. Go Free-Market!)

Once she arrived in EWR, every flight was so cluster f#$%'ed (88 standby fliers on last flight out) that I had to put her in a hotel over-night ($135) in Newark and BUY her tickets to see me the next day here where I live and return then EWR a few days later. ($489!) Cha-ching! for UAW. Making money off their own employees!! This was all supposed to be a friggen benefit that I'd earned. ***??

On her return, she barely got out of EWR, back to ROC. UnGodly!!!

On top of making me look like more of an inept moron than I already feel like for putting up with being an airline pilot in the USA, now I'm afraid to send ANYONE on my flight benefits ANYWHERE. I had advised my dad to buy a $275 round-trip, first-class upgrade ticket to see my mom living in another country for now, but I'm afraid he's going to be kicked out of first class by some economy class revenue PAX buying his seat for an upgrade fee. Why even subject my loved ones to this?? Is this the new Race to the Bottom, Loss-Leader, sardine-can, Rusted-Rooster-Express to Calcutta normal??