family flight benefits

phoenixflyer · April 3rd, 2007, 06:16

when talking to my parents about my regional 121 job search, they seem to be more interested in what kind of flight benefits they will get then anything else. which is fine by me, since they paid for 6 years of college, all my flight training, and bought a house for me to live in while training in phx. problem is, i dont know what to tell them, i have no idea of the benefits for family members of pilots. can anyone fill me in on the benefits for different regionals

thanks
rob

Captain_Bob · April 3rd, 2007, 07:43

For most 121 carriers... your flight benefits extend to you, your immediate family (Spouse and children), and your parents (not in-laws)... if you don't have a spouse... then you can pick a "Travel Partner".

If your parents are flexible... then this is one of the best pre/post retirement gifts you can give them. My parents are semi-retired and know how to book themselves, look up loads, figure out alternate ways to get to their destinations, purchase ID-90's, the location of all the employee travel offices at all the hubs, etc... They never even had a passport until I got this job.

The key is... they need to be flexible since it is "Space Available" or "Standby" travel... and they'd be really better off with a laptop with real-time internet access whenever they do travel. Many folks have one or two bad experiences starting out and then vow never to try again. So... you have to be their on-call "support team" the first several times they do it on their own. But the more you teach them how to do it themselves... the better off they will be... and the more sleep you'll get on the days they do travel.

Hope that helps!

Bob

greaper007 · April 3rd, 2007, 07:48

My mom has been without pass benefits since my parents got divorced. So she was pretty happy that I could hook her up. When you go through indoc in training you should be able to sign them up. Then depending on the airline you may have a 1-6 month wait before they can use their benefits. Some airlines offer absolutely free travel to your parents. Some require them to pay a nominal fee. I think my mom can hit Europe for about a hundred bucks roundtrip. The key to non-revenue flying is hitting the absolute first flight of the day (like 5 o'clock in the morning flights) and avoiding nasty hubs like Philly.

rookiepilot_20 · April 3rd, 2007, 10:01

Wow man, your parents paid for all that education and a home!? Do they want to pay for my training as well?

wheelsup · April 3rd, 2007, 10:05

If you parents put out as much money as you are inferring ($300k+) the flight "benefits" are going to suck. They are all standby and with all the oversold flights these days it's just easier to buy a ticket. They can afford it

.

C650CPT · April 3rd, 2007, 10:36

yeah Im thinking if my parents did all that for me ... well then they would have a first class ticket any where any time no questions asked. ON ME!!!!

TravDK · April 3rd, 2007, 10:45

I flew non rev a lot during my time working the ramp for AirTran. When you start you are at the bottom of the totum poll and that transfers to your parents as well. During peak vacation times, forget about making an expected flight or sitting together. But if your flexable and have back up plans it is great.

List them on the earliest flights out, people always miss those, but make SURE you inform them that at some time, they will be spending an unplanned night near the airport at their expense.

Like anything, it's what you make of it. When I missed the last flight out I would spend my 'hotel' money around nearby nightlife, if any, and spend a free night at the 'Terminal' Inn.

TravDK · April 3rd, 2007, 10:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by C650CPT

yeah Im thinking if my parents did all that for me ... well then they would have a first class ticket any where any time no questions asked. ON ME!!!!

Doug Taylor · April 3rd, 2007, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by phoenixflyer

when talking to my parents about my regional 121 job search, they seem to be more interested in what kind of flight benefits they will get then anything else. which is fine by me, since they paid for 6 years of college, all my flight training, and bought a house for me to live in while training in phx. problem is, i dont know what to tell them, i have no idea of the benefits for family members of pilots. can anyone fill me in on the benefits for different regionals

thanks
rob

Pretty much ditto what Bob said along with the ability to buy a positive space, discounted ticket in addition. Something like 20% off the lowest advertised fare.

phoenixflyer · April 3rd, 2007, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by C650CPT

yeah Im thinking if my parents did all that for me ... well then they would have a first class ticket any where any time no questions asked. ON ME!!!!

i would do that.. but they wouldnt accept.

kellwolf · April 4th, 2007, 21:16

Also, it depends on the carrier what they have to pay. When I was at SWA, all the flying was free. No "service charge", no taxes, nada. When I started here, you had to pay a fee per mile, plus taxes on int'l. As of now, NWA has waived the fee if you fly coach, so all you have to pay is int'l taxes. We've still got the program where you can buy a positive space (ie actual seat instead of stand by) at 30% off the lowest ticket price at the time of purchase. If you plan ahead by a few months, you can save a LOT of $$$. If you buy the ticket the week before, you might be able to get it cheaper on Orbitz or Travelocity.

Depending on where your parents want to go, it might be better to do that. I wouldn't dream of flying into FL during the summer on strandby. Sept? Yeah, I'd do the standby thing, hence the reason my vacation is in Sept not June.