DL buddy pass question

[Dont call me Shirley]

Hello all,
Trying to compare buddy pass benefits on carriers. How are DL buddy passes priced, zone or miles? What the fare be on, say a TATL trip? Or a short hop?

How many buddy passes per year?

 

[Dalmd88#2]

We get eight buddy passes to give to people we no longer wish to be friends with. With loads as high as we see right now they really suck to use. Cost is mileage, JFK-LHR RT is $670. Fare is $349, taxes and fees $321. Buddy pass riders are able to sit in First/Business if by some dumb luck there is an empty seat.

I really can't recall how many years it has been since I have given out a Buddy Pass.

 

[metopower]

I call them friends and enemies passes. Turn friends into enemies .Only good for students and retired people that have time to spare. I don't give them out either. They also work on date of hire. Seating priority in class. S4.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

I really can't recall how many years it has been since I have given out a Buddy Pass.

"Friends don't friends have buddy passes".

 

[Kev3188]

With changes to our company's Same Day Confirmed policy, they're even more worthless than before...

 

[gizmo_sc]

I would never give a friend a buddy pass to do Trans Atlantic. With the prices that one poster has quoted that is a REAL STUPID MOVE. I just did a quick price of JFK LHR Sept 4 -11 and got $895.00 to save 200.00 only to get stranded in LHR is insane. Most Legacy carriers are zone pricing. Even domestic is about $250.00 coast to coast. Not worth the hassel.

 

[WorldTraveler]

buddy pass or not, the airfare taxes in/to/from the UK are enormous and no passenger is exempt from them...

 

[RobbNYC]

I'm in need of a Non-Rev / Companion Pass and would like to connect with someone for a long-term relationship. I am a real estate professional that can help you with any housing needs you may encounter. I am familiar with the ins and outs of non-rev travel and I am a US Veteran approved with Global Entry and TSA Pre √.

 

[jimntx]

RobbNYC, if you don't already know someone at DL and they know you, it is highly unlikely one would be willing to give you a buddy pass. I imagine DL's non-rev rules are pretty much the same as American's (the airline I work for). If you were to misbehave in any way--arguing with a flight attendant, boarding drunk and/or getting drunk on the plane, etc--it would all fall on the employee who gave you the pass, with penalties up to and including termination for the employee. In order for me to issue a buddy pass to another person, I have to certify that I am totally responsible for their behavior and their mode of dress--certain "costumes" will also result in the buddy pass rider being denied boarding. For this reason, there is no one on my non-rev travel list that I have not known for a long time. And, I still warn them about the possibility of being stuck somewhere and having to purchase a last minute ticket (very expensive) in order to get home and back to work. I also warn them (on penalty of death by the most painful means I can think of ) to behave themselves.

And, as it has been pointed out by others at Dl (same as American's situation) giving someone a buddy pass is a good way to lose a friend. No one seems to understand that non-revenue passengers--i.e. employees and buddy pass users--have exactly zero priority when it comes time to assign remaining seats. All revenue adults, children, cats and dogs will get seats ahead of the non-revenue employee or friend. I am a full-time AA employee. I had to burn one of my very scarce high priority passes in March to travel to Costa Rica, and I occupied a flight attendant jumpseat for the 4+hour flight. Not too long ago, I would have been sitting in First Class for the flight.

 

[swamt]

Hey Jim our rules are the same at SWA. I will not pass them out to just anyone. For me it's family members only. I have seen people get fired for someone miss-using guest passes in the past, very strict on behavior, dress codes and rather they were following non-rev policies. A good example is the removal of the young ladies wearing non approved leggings (I think) while non-reving and they were not allowed to board and it was in the rules. Very strict rules while non-reving as it is a benefit that can get pulled from us and as you stated including termination. I have seen 3 people terminated that I knew over guest pass violations caused by the guest flying but punishable to the employee giving them out.

 

[jimntx]

I'm in need of a Non-Rev / Companion Pass and would like to connect with someone for a long-term relationship. I am a real estate professional that can help you with any housing needs you may encounter. I am familiar with the ins and outs of non-rev travel and I am a US Veteran approved with Global Entry and TSA Pre √.

Forgot to add that at AA use of buddy passes for commercial purposes is strictly forbidden. If you use a buddy pass in order to conduct business, it is a termination offense for the employee. If you are in business, buy a ticket and take it off your income tax. I'd be willing to bet all the other airlines have similar restrictions.

 

[swamt]

Forgot to add that at AA use of buddy passes for commercial purposes is strictly forbidden. If you use a buddy pass in order to conduct business, it is a termination offense for the employee. If you are in business, buy a ticket and take it off your income tax. I'd be willing to bet all the other airlines have similar restrictions.

Well that's where we are different in rules a little. We can use ours to barter with but in no way can we sell them for cash or profit. I am still going by what we have always been told. And I have not look up the rules as of lately. For years on in SWA would eat the entire cost of the taxes and other fees that come with these passes. It was just recently that they started charging us the taxes and the average fees each time we order them. If it is still true we were told we can sell the tickets for the same amount we are charged for them but no more. Just as a general rule I never ask for any money. I eat the taxes on my own. In other words we could trade services with them, just no cash profiting.

 

[jimntx]

I didn't make myself clear. I'm not talking about the employee making a profit on the passes, I'm talking about the use of the passes for other than leisure travel. If your buddy pass rider (or you, for that matter) uses the pass in order to go somewhere to conduct business unrelated to American Airlines, that is a strict no-no. We had a case at AA several years ago of a flight attendant who was using her travel privileges to travel in support of her own side business. If I remember correctly, she was terminated.

 

[swamt]

Oh wow. Never looked at it that way. I could see that indeed. Yea we were on 2 different roads there. Sorry. But it all boils down to the same as far as the rules go for general passengers riding on these type of passes, there are different rules for these passes as there are for a revenue passenger that paid for their tickets. BTW Jim, a little off topic, but, congrats on your companies 1st Q profits.

 

[jimntx]

Thanks and the same to you. I believe the little airline that could produced some not very shabby results yourselves.