Originally Posted by
Twister
So is there a limit on the number of flights (annually, etc) a family member can receive on "Space Available" status?
No limit (at DL, at least). You pay $50 a year to be "in the system"; you and all of your eligible pass riders can then fly standby as much as desired. If you choose not to pay the $50 bucks, you're limited to the jumpseat only. (While plenty of people grumble about the $50, I know of no one who doesn't pay it.)
Originally Posted by
Twister
Also, can anyone explain what "ID 90" is and what its advantages are? Obviously better than Space A, but what?
ID90 = "Interline Discount 90%"; there are some variations on the theme (ID75, etc.). Same concept as ZED ("Zonal Employee Discount") fares, different price structures. Used for standby travel on offline (i.e., other than your own company) metal. ZED seems to be the most common--there's a matrix for high/med/low pricing (based on the agreement between your own company and the the airline on which you travel) and distance traveled (3 tiers, I think?), with a pre-determined rate in each square. Generally a great deal for international (i.e., long distance), terrible for domestic (shorter distances), particularly if multiple legs are involved (each is priced independently)--buying an online fare will be cheaper. IDxx is simply a discounted percentage applied to a specified fare (eg, an ID90 fare for a $500 ticket is $50)--
not the fare you find on Kayak, but the "published," "full" fare. Any of these are fully refundable if not used.
Disagree, personally, about ID90/ZED being "better" than online non-rev, it just covers different situations. Generally, it will always be cheaper (i.e., free!) and "better" (higher priority) if you can fly on your own metal. If you're going somewhere that your airline doesn't fly; or if you're looking to bounce around internationally; or if there's simply a much more convenient schedule on Airline X, then the ZED fares are "better"....
Keep in mind also that your badge generally gets you in the jumpseat of any domestic carrier anywhere they fly (you'll only get the cockpit jumpseat on your own company for international flights, but you can still board for an available cabin seat using your jumpseat privileges).
BTW, you'll peg yourself as a military hick if you keep calling it "Space A"....
The cognoscenti call it "non-rev"....