Flight Benefits? What Flight Benefits?? (UAL)
08-26-2012, 03:52 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jun 2012
Posts: 161
Flight Benefits? What Flight Benefits?? (UAL)
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 $275 round-trip, first-class upgrade ticket to see my mom living in another country for now, but I'm afraid he's going to be kicked out of first class by some economy class revenue PAX buying his seat for an upgrade fee. Why even subject my loved ones to this?? Is this the new Race to the Bottom, Loss-Leader, sardine-can, Rusted-Rooster-Express to Calcutta normal??
Time Line: Late August - First, they had to leave BUF where we'd planned her to leave, and drive to ROC (sub-sonic) since the ticket agent in BUF said, "Aw hun, you ain't never gonna get outta Buffalo on standby. All the Canadians come here from Toronto and stay over-night the night before the flight since tickets are far cheaper in the USA." (Yea! Product of the Race to the Bottom. Go Free-Market!)
Once she arrived in EWR, every flight was so cluster f#$%'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??
08-26-2012, 03:59 PM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2010
Position: Schempp-Hirth
Posts: 417
What's your point? You're an express employee *****ing about a free ride on UAL? I don't get it.
08-26-2012, 04:03 PM
#3
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Apr 2007
Position: A320
Posts: 1,308
Live and learn man. Live and learn. Flight benefits used to be considered part of an airline employees compensation. If you aren't an actual employee of the mainline carrier, its a joke.
Lesson learned, never use a buddy pass / pass travel benny for anything other than an emergency. And when it doesn't work out, well you knew what you were getting into.
Lesson learned, never use a buddy pass / pass travel benny for anything other than an emergency. And when it doesn't work out, well you knew what you were getting into.
08-26-2012, 04:11 PM
#4
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2005
Position: Retired 767 Captain
Posts: 548
Well boo hoo. Welcome to the airline business. What you described has happened to each and every one of us. Quite your griping and take it like a man.
08-26-2012, 04:14 PM
#5
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Joined APC: Feb 2008
Position: Urban chicken rancher.
Posts: 6,070
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 $275 round-trip, first-class upgrade ticket to see my mom living in another country for now, but I'm afraid he's going to be kicked out of first class by some economy class revenue PAX buying his seat for an upgrade fee. Why even subject my loved ones to this?? Is this the new Race to the Bottom, Loss-Leader, sardine-can, Rusted-Rooster-Express to Calcutta normal??
Time Line: Late August - First, they had to leave BUF where we'd planned her to leave, and drive to ROC (sub-sonic) since the ticket agent in BUF said, "Aw hun, you ain't never gonna get outta Buffalo on standby. All the Canadians come here from Toronto and stay over-night the night before the flight since tickets are far cheaper in the USA." (Yea! Product of the Race to the Bottom. Go Free-Market!)
Once she arrived in EWR, every flight was so cluster f#$%'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??
08-26-2012, 04:20 PM
#6
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2011
Position: 737 CA
Posts: 949
Seriously man? I guess you expect UA to positive space you anywhere you want on your days off?
Non-revving is a priviledge of working for an airline. It's also a risky proposition (ask any of us who did or do commute). Most people go into it with the understanding that they're at the mercy of everything a normal, paying passenger is, and then a whole other set of circumstances on top of it.
Not to mention, you tried to non-rev in and out of Newark. That's a whole special situation.
Flown BUF-EWR and back plenty of times...don't recall it being stuffed with pax on a daily basis, even on the -200.
Non-revving is a priviledge of working for an airline. It's also a risky proposition (ask any of us who did or do commute). Most people go into it with the understanding that they're at the mercy of everything a normal, paying passenger is, and then a whole other set of circumstances on top of it.
Not to mention, you tried to non-rev in and out of Newark. That's a whole special situation.
Flown BUF-EWR and back plenty of times...don't recall it being stuffed with pax on a daily basis, even on the -200.
08-26-2012, 04:26 PM
#7
Line Holder
Joined APC: Oct 2010
Posts: 32
Originally Posted by SuperConductor
I'm a new Express employee...
This was all supposed to be a friggen benefit that I'd earned. ***??
This was all supposed to be a friggen benefit that I'd earned. ***??
08-26-2012, 04:37 PM
#8
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2007
Position: 330 FO
Posts: 584
In his defense, it wasn't always that way.
Remember the days of, "if I can't get first, I'm not going."?
Course, back then 60-75% loads were considered "good" by the airlines. Now-a-days, if you're not well north of 80%, you're losing.
Another consequence of yield-trashing bargain basement fares.
Anymore, I only give buddy passes to other airline guys, who know the drill.
Course, my dad always seems to get the last seat on every flight he tries. Brags about it and to hear him talk, it's something he does, and not just dumb luck. Like everybody else is "just doing it wrong". Pretty funny to listen to, actually.
To the OP, these days, better to just not give buddy passes to the un-initiated. Good way to get YOUR privileges revoked, and - or- , scar your "buddy" for life.
Remember the days of, "if I can't get first, I'm not going."?
Course, back then 60-75% loads were considered "good" by the airlines. Now-a-days, if you're not well north of 80%, you're losing.
Another consequence of yield-trashing bargain basement fares.
Anymore, I only give buddy passes to other airline guys, who know the drill.
Course, my dad always seems to get the last seat on every flight he tries. Brags about it and to hear him talk, it's something he does, and not just dumb luck. Like everybody else is "just doing it wrong". Pretty funny to listen to, actually.
To the OP, these days, better to just not give buddy passes to the un-initiated. Good way to get YOUR privileges revoked, and - or- , scar your "buddy" for life.
08-26-2012, 05:08 PM
#9
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Thread Starter
Joined APC: Jun 2012
Posts: 161
Ha ha ha ha haaa! Classic "internet-forum" I-have-nothing-constructive-to-say-so-I'm-going-to-write-a-derogatory-reply....reply. 
Originally Posted by Roll Inverted and Pull
Well boo hoo. Welcome to the airline business. What you described has happened to each and every one of us. Quite your griping and take it like a man.
08-26-2012, 05:12 PM
#10
Banned
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Joined APC: Jun 2012
Posts: 161
Originally Posted by Terrain Inop
What's your point? You're an express employee *****ing about a free ride on UAL? I don't get it.
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