Blame yourself for not listing earlier. Still it's the best non rev system out there for employees.

Somebody has been smoking some serious street crack.

I dont understand how this could be true when you have to pay just to commute to work. I hope we keep the usairways program.

And just so I get this straight, if you have more than 5 years in, couch is free?

I would gladly post my travel history. I have had first class in my 26 months at Eagle a ton. On deadheads I have had first about 40-50% of the time(if the plane had first on it). On my non-reving I have had it about 30%. I dont fly INTL alot, but that is the place people get it the most. We do pay on our metal/aa, but after 5 years coach is free. If you commute, I can see the frustration, I really can. If you live in base or can commute on another airline, it is great.

I have had passes my entire life, and still do on united. The seniority system has massive downs. One hour prior to the flight, people senior to you keep showing up. Trying to send someone on a buddy pass on the seniority system is almost impossible. There is no way to plan anything with seniority systems. Time of checkin however, 24 hours out, you have a fairly clear picture of whats going on. It forces people to stick somewhat with their plan. Seniority is great if your senior, but if not, it makes traveling impossible. Its just one more example of F the junior guy at airlines.

At Eagle we get D2 boarding priority, that is the same as AA employees. AMR uses a time of check in system, NOT seniority. That means day one at Eagle, you can non-rev, and if you check in first for a flight, your number one of the standby list. Period. Even if 40 people, that have been at the company 30 years check in after you. If you worked for Expressjet, and were flying United, you would be at the bottom of 40 people, every flippin time. Airlines put non owned commuters down at the bottom of the standby list with mainline buddy pass riders. Forget ever seeing first. Also AA is one of the most stingy on giving upgrades to paying PAX, so getting first is not overly hard. United used to be this way, but since the CAL system came in, YOU NEVER get first.

This is all subject to change with the merger, but right now, if you non rev, and will be employed by a regional, Eagle is hands down the place to go. Commuting is a different story, due to the cost side.

For example I just went down St Croix, and I had first going down for me and my fiance, and we had two seats together in coach coming back. We used our D1s, which we get 4 of each per year, but also enjoyed both ways being 1 and 2 on the standby list.

Also reg. companions do come out of that 24 pass bank, so do parents and buddy passes, which you can only list 12 people per 12 month period as a buddy.

yet my Dad uses AA/AE to jumpseat every few months, and as long as he lists using the website for listing for the jumpseat on AA, or calls ahead he has no problem.

You cant just walk up 30 minutes prior. I dont get why the guy complaining did not list online or call earlier in the day.

The discussion was about employee pass travel, not Other Airline pilots Jumpseat procedures. Yes, I agree, the listing procedure for OAL pilots trying to get a JS is onerous, but it's not the agent's fault. At 20 prior, they are working hard to get passengers and listed non-revs onto the plane, while starting to pull up the paperwork for the final closeout. They usually just don't have time to create a listing in SABRE from scratch for a OAL JS rider. Also, if an agent gave you the actual JS, instead of a seat in the cabin, even if the only seat left was a F class seat, then I believe the agent screwed up. They are normally supposed to give you a seat if one is available, and only give the JS if the flight is full.

Our Non-rev pass travel is pretty good. AE employees are on the same tier as AA employees when it comes to travel on AMR owned or controlled airplanes, since we are sister companies of the same corporation. Yes, there is a small fee, but I have never had an issue with it as long as I've worked at AE (since '91), and I spent seven years as a low paid FO. fares are between $10-20 for a Coach pass. (which is usually all non revs can get on most domestic flights, since Upgraders almost always take any remaining First class seats anyway). Hard to complain about that when it costs nearly $10 just for a Subway sandwich, or similar, at the airport. Besides, after five years of employment, the coach fees are waived (if it were up to me, coach fares would be waived for all employees, but it's not). I don't know, maybe that's how AMR rewards tenure.

It really is nice to be able to get yourself on "the list" early and be higher up the standby list than somebody else who dawdled until only a few hours before departure time. Seniority has no bearing whatsoever on one's standing on the list, and never has at AA/AE. This has never been a problem for me or anybody else here. Also, once in transit on a multiple leg journey, you become a D2T (meaning "through"), so you go above those employees on the list who are just beginning their journeys (D2). This helps to lessen the chance of becoming stranded mid-journey.

It is what it is. I've literally never heard an AA or AE employee or spouse complain about the travel policies (other than the D2 charge for newbies, which is pretty inexpensive, but really not necessary). It feels fair to all, and allows us to travel the world pretty easily - and in top comfort and style if we are willing to cough up a little dough for a 777 first class seat to Europe, Asia, or South America.:D

so what would be the cost to go to Europe both in coach and first?

From which city? It makes a difference.

LAX to LHR for example:

First class - $270 (easy to get a first class seat)
Business class - $195 (tougher to get than first class)
Coach class - $145

Yes, this is money, but I look at it like this. If I had to PAY for a first class seat to London from LAX, I'd spend $7,192 for that same seat. $270 is a steal, as far as I'm concerned. I gladly pay it.

Sure, I could come in last minute and bump you. Awesome!

Are those just the associated taxes or are there actually fares between city pairs?

Dude, they charge you to commute. What else is there to say? I have a 2 leg commute currently. Whats that gonna run me per round trip if theres no open couch? How much do they charge for the jump seat?

how much of those are TAX, I bet of the $145, close to $100 of it is taxes, that almost all places will make you pay.

Can't tell you since I haven't pay in decades except for intl.
and stop saying couch. We aren't a furniture store.

So youre not a commuter I take it? I guess if it doesnt effect you then who cares.

So what? Is there some sort of god given right to NOT be charged because you commute? It is what it is. I'm sure you spend that much at any given time during the day and don't think twice about it. Besides, you can deduct the charges from your Taxes or come in on another airline if there is one on the route or routes. Many of our FO's do just that - to save money.

If the flight is full, I believe the JS is free. No charge.

I'm a commuter, btw, and I was when I was a low paid FO too. The charge was not something I ever thought about because I had no choice in the matter. I personally have never cried over a $10-20 commute anyway.

My point is that for those of us who commute, under the current us airways program, this is a paycut. Plain and simple. Hopefully it wont survive the merger and we can have the current airways (better) program.

I screwed that up. I gave you the much higher D3 rates. My bad. The Employee/spouse rates for LAX to LHR are:

First class - $119.20 (fee is 100)
Business class - $79.20 (fee is 60)
Coach class - $54.20 (fee is 35)

And I would love another option other than airways. Always been treated much better off line. Unfortunately, im pretty limited getting to CLT.

You have more than five years with your company (PSA), right? You would NOT be charged. After five years seniority, coach fares are waived. You're good to go.

Whatever we get, we get. I'm hoping to hang onto the AMR system, and from what I'm reading, we probably will. It's really not a bad system.

I assume these are ONE way figures?

Yes. One way. A bit more to return to the US.

Yes more than 5 years with psa, but it seems that those who cant afford an extra expense (Jr fos) will be getting hit with one. What can one expect to spend per month with one leg commute? An extra $100?

Admittedly, it's the one aspect I consider unfair. Those LEAST able to afford it are the only ones charged. Seems wrong to me. If I had my way, nobody would be charged for a coach seat.

Overall, though, it's a good system.

If they could adopt the free coach system from airways, and keep everything else the same, that would be ideal.

cool, thanks for the example fares....and commuting always costs more than living in station whether or not your paying for your crash pad or hotel room for a night, or $10 for the seat.......so...just another reason to live where you work....

Yes, it's crappy we pay first 5 years. Nobody likes how offline can go free and our people don't.. BUT, it's still WELL worth it for the listing priority we get with the check in times being first come first serve, and D1 ability. I travel international a lot, and it's easy for me to always get #1 or #2 on the standby list and actually get on every flight with my registered companion, rather than being stranded in some foreign country because I was number 87 on standby behind some ramper's cousin and their 12 kids, like I see on UAL and Delta all the time.

Fee goes away after 5 years anyway.. and if you are in the cockpit it's always FREE. Asking for the cockpit jumpseat gets you around the fee if they are wiling to do it. Whenever I commuted before my 5 years was up, I just avoided Eagle/AA most of the time, unless I absolutely needed the priority to get on (like on a weather day), then I'd gladly pay the $10 over getting stranded overnight. Now after my 5 years is up, it's been fantastic. I don't pay for coach, my companion doesn't pay, my parents don't pay.. I always have the potential ability to get priority over a 30yr AA pilot "on their own airplane" if I am good with the system or they could do the same on my airplane as well. I have never ridden in anything other than Business or First on countless international AA flights due to the priority I can get. There is no better at any regional IMO. Changing it to the way others do it would be the dumbest thing ever.

People on the outside are just looking at it the wrong way.. yes a junior guy gets charged "a little". ($7-13) domestic.. but where else will a JUNIOR regional pilot have the ability to get TOP priority on the standby list, even over the mainline people?? It's a trade-off. Well worth it too IMO.. pay $10 and get on, or go free with some other system and wait around the airport all day/night because your listing priority sucks..

When you are standing at the gate for the last flight home of the day on AA in Tokyo and there is only 2 seats available and 19 standby's on the list, trust me, you will LOVE our system (if you actually planned ahead 24hrs). Plus, $10 non-rev fee to get home after a 4 day for a new-hire is still cheaper than buying a hotel room and losing a night off at home because you didn't have the priority to get on with some other system..

I agree. At this point I will pay 11.33 and get to where I need then be stuck in ORD. But I do too generally avoid AA/AE unless its vacation with my RC or D2p's. I'm counting down to 5 years unless we dont make it that long ha ha. Even with it, our travel is second to none at this point. I cant count the amount of times I've seen 30+ on non rev lists on DAL and all the top 10 or 15 have 1988 or earlier DOH. Unreal.

Best travel benefits for a regional period.

I tried to copy/paste my travel history to give an example of costs and how often I got first, but its too complicated for me to get it to work.

isnt UAL now charging all their regional affiliates a fee to non rev?? Sounds like DELTA is the only place this can be avoided as a commuter airline.

Ill take being high up in the priority list here, over anything else.

I commute to SJU from ORD sometimes, I don't care paying $20 for almost 5 hr flight.

well your the one out of one hundred who do.

I think he meant that he doesn't mind paying for the 5 hour flight. That's how I read it, anyway.

This is what I meant. It is what it is...management won't change it because pilots and FAs are complaining about it.

I do like AA/AE system and its a fair game for all non-rev pax.

Last I saw a post over 2 months ago mentioned the iPad EFB. Any news on the status of them coming online? Also, how will the program work? Is every pilot issued a iPad or will they all have to buy their own? And I assume this incorporates most manuals and all the charts?

If it mimics the AA iPad EFB program, it contains Jeppesens and all company manuals which are obviously updated electronically. AA provided iPads and a big hyperjuice spare battery to each pilot. Still have to have a paper QRH. Charts and 10-1 pages remain paper, but I was told, that'll be fixed in a few months.

Trimming the kit bag down to a couple of pounds, and not having to do revisions ever again, = glorious. Even pink bulletins are electronically updated.

Had the Eagle assistant POI, who is in charge of approving our EFB program on my jumpseat this week. He said as long as those who are testing it don't have any problems in the next few months he will approve full use of the EFB by July.