Buddy Passes

[usfliboi]

Now now 700, isnt that calling the spoon in the tea glass a stir stick?

 

[700UW]

Ok Mr I am not what I say I am.

Walk through the CLT hangar without a SIDA badge lately?

Now go back under your bridge.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Now now 700, isnt that calling the spoon in the tea glass a stir stick?

[post="246343"][/post]​

Heck yes even worse!!!

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Ok Mr I am not what I say I am.

Walk through the CLT hangar without a SIDA badge lately?

Now go back under your bridge.

[post="246344"][/post]​

Still off topic? Ok guess it is ok... Rumor is you will be taking that SIDA badge on its last walk through hangar real soon?

 

[700UW]

Off topic yourself there, and nope I dont work in the hangar, so try again.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Off topic yourself there, and nope I dont work in the hangar, so try again.

[post="246351"][/post]​

Yup you still off topic and I didn't say you worked hangar. But you will be taking a last walk through hangar and line with that SIDA badge right ?

 

[xoxo]

We get 8 buddy passes a year. Have not used them in over 3 years!!!! Just checked out a price a few weeks ago.. Round trip phl to sxm $198 (without tax) space positive $220. hmmmmmmm.....which would I want. NO BRAINER!! LOL.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

We get 8 buddy passes a year. Have not used them in over 3 years!!!! Just checked out a price a few ago.. Round trip phl to sxm $198 (without tax) space positive $220. hmmmmmmm.....which would I want. NO BRAINER!! LOL.

[post="246353"][/post]​

Wow a great benefit

 

[xoxo]

Wow a great benefit

[post="246354"][/post]​

I know...just wonderful.

 

[xoxo]

I have people that ask me for them all the time..but I always tell them..If you can find a price online that is round trip and it is less than $250 then get it..cause the buddy passes are gonna be the same if not more. :down:

 

[Light Years]

Ah, but our fields are likely very different. If US were only offering the miles, I would decline. A mile a dollar would amount to nothing even at my pay from 5 years ago (which was onlyabout $25K a year, compared to about $19 if I still worked there). I could top up on gas with a Dividend Miles card and recieve the same amount of miles a year's work would. Plus the added hassle of redeeming and keeping track of miles would likely override my desire to travel. My neurotic friend in Boston just broke up with her boyfriend, is it worth all the drama to go up there and console/tackle a bottle of wine with her? Not if I'm redeeming a limited amount of miles, space positive or not. If there's an open seat, passenger or jumpseat, I'll hop on up there without worrying that I'm wasting a benefit I might need for something like a funeral. Especially when I could get a part time ground job with any other airline, that takes up very little of my time and provides me with traditional benefits on a major airline.

I'm poor. My free travel and unnatural interest in commercial aviation is the only thing that keeps me even remotely involved with the airlines. Sadly, I would venture that the same is true for people who are active. They certainly aren't there for the positive reinforcement, pay, or other benefits.

 

[RowUnderDCA]

ok, I'll concur that s/a travel is consistent with and valuable in the context of a specific life-style. However, this lifestyle is apart from the rest of the labor market and it is being 'sold' to induce folks to choose a career in aviation, which when seen with clearer eyes is less attractive to many other terrestrial occupations.

The attachment of a flying career as a life-style rather than as a means to financial security brings all sorts of other determinants in the market for wages and benefits, it seems to me.

 

[WestCoastGuy]

Since the introduction of ZED fares for many interline trips, that would be a more attractive fare to offer our Buddy Pass riders. Low Zed fares are a good bargain offline, especially on international Asia routes. We receipricate with those carriers, so why not offer them online for us to use as Buddy Passes?

 

[DCAflyer]

LUV has a great buddy pass program. Passes are not automatic, they are earned. Every quarter that an employee doesn't call in sick, they get two free buddy passes... zero cost to the employees or buddies. It's a great incentive for people to show up to work. There are other ways to earn passes, for instance, working a day at the phone center so you can get a feel for what other work groups jobs are like.

The employees love the program, and I can't blame them. I wish US would change the program to be like this... even if the company charged a $50 RT administrative fee for domestic and $100 for transoceanic.

I dont think it will be happening any time soon, though.

 

[BoeingBoy]

However, I say s/a travel is of dubious real value and the employees would be better off working for an airline that sells more seats at reasonable prices more of the time, pays employees better AND shows appreciation with a decent employee discount on space positive travel.

[post="246336"][/post]​

Maybe we're talking about two things here, cause the employee s/a travel benefit does not prevent the company from doing any of the above.

With fares where they are, there may be a better employee incentive than the buddy passes. However, for employees and their spouses/children the current non-rev policy is pretty good.

Jim