To add a quick note. You need to do a minimum of 4 observation rides and you are listed for the flight as a must ride, unless of course you don't show up or a fed needs the seat. The commuters in my class did this every weekend as there is no limit on how many observations flights you can go on, and the training dept is more than happy to list you for every weekend if you like. However, the fun does expire at some point during sim training, can't remeber when.

In my class we also made it a point to let the commuters have the out of town sim locations to save them money. It's handed down by seniority, but most people wanted to be helpful.