Originally Posted by
sailingfun
I have both Delta and AA passes. The AA system is a mess when things get busy. All this posts about mythical employees with 5 kids constantly showing up at the last moment are extremely rare. It happens but they are probably last minute because they missed another option.
Not super rare. Fairly senior FA (if not an area code, close) lives actually about five houses down from me. She has her grandkids on her travel bennies. I have not enquired how/why.
About 2-3 times a year, I see her show up with 2-4 grandkids in tow, headed to NYC to see a broadway show. Always a last minute listing, usually within 2 hours or less. I've met the mom. (she was outside waiting for them when they were returning from NYC, I was waiting on my wife to pull up.
I know they are going to a show, because they've told me. I've had Grandma as a FA on one of my trips to CDG.
This is an outstation where 50 seat RJs were the norm and 5-10 seats open was "wide open" for commuters pre covid.
But I suppose you are going to want screencaps of the pages on travelnet before you aquiesuque that it is not "exceedingly rare"
If I see it 2-3 times a year, FROM THE SAME PERSON on the late afternoon JFK or LGA flight from ORF, I'm sure it happens a lot more than I'm not aware of.. Senior person sitting reserve at home and listing at the last second? Yeah that happens.
But when someone who I think (but do not KNOW) may be slightly creatively interpreting the rules does this for leisure all the time on short notice.