Buddy Passes and your airline?

[Tram]

Just curious if other airlines treat their employees like adults with concern to buddy passes?

We at 9E are allowed, maybe 8, buddy passes a year.. However, we must hold said buddies hand and accompany them on the pass..

I am just curious what airlines might be able to give a buddy pass to a friend and let them be their own adults?

How are the buddy passes administered at YOUR airline?


Thanks

J

[Bumblebee]

I can get a buddy pass and mail it to my friend and they can fly. We do not have to accompany them. We are required to advise them of the protocol.

[SpiraMirabilis]

I get 8 a year on our codeshare partner and I just click up them on the website, check the box 'pay at gate' and give them the control/tracking #. They pick up their pass at the ticket gate and pay the fee and are good to go.

I think there is some language that you are supposed to tell them not to be an a-hole. I should read that again.

[Tram]

Who are you guys with?


I ask, because I am trying to get my sister home to see my dying grandmother..

Perfect sob story, eh?

[Kristie]

Originally Posted by bumblebee

I can get a buddy pass and mail it to my friend and they can fly. We do not have to accompany them. We are required to advise them of the protocol.

same here..granted, i have to buy it for them but i typically just put it on their credit cards so that if they have to refund, i don't need to be involved.

other than that, i inform them of "our" rules since we can get all of our privileges taken away if someone doesn't behave property while using one of our privileges (passes). so we're very careful of who we will give a pass to because of that.

[Tram]

Originally Posted by Kristie

other than that, i inform them of "our" rules since we can get all of our privileges taken away if someone doesn't behave property while using one of our privileges (passes). so we're very careful of who we will give a pass to because of that.

Wish it worked like that here..

We had some fools abuse the system.. Now it sucks for everyone..

[Kristie]

it sucked for us for a long time too since we also had some fools abuse the system. before this past year, we had to physically go down to the airport in order to buy a buddy pass. now, we can, at least, do it online again.

[Gonzo]

I can't get any buddy passes for two years.

[Ramp Romeo]

I'm with Mesa Airlines (A regional), and we fly for U.S. Airways.

Mesa gives me 2 buddy passes every 6 months. These are only good on fligts operated by Mesa Airlines. These allow people to fly FREE on standby. No requirement to be accompanied. BUT, they do have the employees name on them. So if the recipient is a jerkwad, it's my bum on the line. Consequences range from suspended flight privialges to termination of flight benefits. If it's found you sold them to anyone, employment termination.
Aside from every six months, they also give them out is you have perfect attendance during a quarter, and somethimes as incentives for people to work certain shifts when understaffed. I know one guy who has 32 of them, he jokes he doesn't have that many friends.


The bulk of my flight benefits are with mainline US Airways. They issue us 8 Companion Passes each year. These are NOT FREE. fares are based on different zones. Even tho the name is "Companion pass", they do not have to be accompanied by the employee. BUT...... IF the "companion" is booked on the same flight with the employee, the boarding priority is now bumped to that of the employee. (Alone, they board SAP7. With the Express employee, they board as SAP5). If the companion is a jerkwad on this flight the mainline airline (US Air) can at it's discretion terminate flight benefits of the employee.
I think that pretty much covers most of it..... at least from my perspective.

Whereas I can fly Southwest and Jetblue and a few others for free, I am only issued guest passes from Mesa, or US.

Hope that helps.

[MQAAord]

Buddy passes aren't all that great.

They're bottom of the barrel stand-by, and can be kind of pricey depending on the airline's fee structure.

When Bill used to get physical paper buddy passes, we'd shred them not long after getting them in the mail. I can't remember the last time we shared a buddy pass with someone. If they misbehave and have a hissy fit on the plane or at the gate (which has happened SO MANY TIMES) it's the employee who is going to get in serious trouble.

It's just not worth it. I'm not going to risk our benefits and Bill's job to give someone a cheap ride somewhere.

[SmoothLanderJ]

Originally Posted by Tram

Wish it worked like that here..

We had some fools abuse the system.. Now it sucks for everyone..

....You've got that right, and it SUCKS!! (Im at Mesaba) I'd like to give some out, but I certainly dont have the time to fly with someone to their destination. I hope they change that rule soon.....

[SoCalAprch]

We get 14 a year but only on our American and US Air operated flights. During indoc I understood this as we could use them on all American and US Air flights. Finally found out how useless they really are and can only be used on our aircraft Considering all my "buddys" are on the west coast and we have a total of about 0 flights out here, they are worth about as much as a used piece of toilet paper to me...