Chuckie

I know that this is a small consideration in the big scheme of things with pay/QOL/etc., but I had thought that one of the "benefits" of being in the airlines would be the ability to travel with my family at a not-so-small discount. However, I wonder how realistic this is for me given that I have two small kids and being flexible with 4 of us on non-rev is likely impossible? For those of you in the majors with families, how do you travel when you take them on vacations? A friend of mine who flies for a major said that Expedia is cheaper than the discount he gets on positive space tickets at his airline. Is this true for your particular airline? What kind of "deals" are there out there for employees other than jump seats and non-revs? I'm talking about travel with a reasonable level of certainty that all four of us will be on the same flights, and get to our destination on the same day we go to the airport.

crxpilot

You going on vacation with the family? Buy a ticket. Who wants to be sitting in an airport wasting time biting their fingernails wondering if theyre gonna get on the plane. Your wife will thank you for it!

slowplay

At my airline the employee discount can provide a substantial savings (30%) to web services if you plan in advance when the cheapest fares are available. I buy tickets for the family when we have to be someplace. We use non-rev benefits extensively for international travel, and we've only had to cough up dollars to rescue our trip once. We also get a "free" credit card linked to our frequent flyer program. I run many of our household bills through it and pay it off every month (no interest charges) and get enough miles for a couple of free tickets every year.

Non-rev requires planning and flexibility.