non-rev in first?

dash8roa

Senior
Oct 25, 2003
379
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Just wondering what the policy is if only 1st class seats are open and non-rev's are left to be boarded?Are they boarded without paying the upgrade or not? In the past I was upgraded with no fee by the gate agent. Thanks
 
Just wondering what the policy is if only 1st class seats are open and non-rev's are left to be boarded?Are they boarded without paying the upgrade or not? In the past I was upgraded with no fee by the gate agent. Thanks
You are SOL unless you have an upgrade in your pocket, unless the agent wants to show mercy.
 
I have paid the upgrade at the gate and I have seen passengers (no idea what DM level) bumped up front so I could get in the back. Then again, I've also had agents change me from SA3 to SA5 so their friends could get in line ahead of me.
 
I'm not discounting that happening but why does an agent have the power to change your boarding priority from SA3 to an SA5? What reason would an agent NEED this option for? Your boarding priority is your boarding priority. I believe this happened to me on a flight from Philly once but didn't have time to challenge it as I got the last seat and was told to run. They literally shut the door behind me. I KNOW this family of Grizwalds were waaaaaaaay down on the list. I remember seeing on wings SA5 and 5 people ALL with the same hire date.
 
I've wondered this too. Seen it go many ways. Coach full with non-revs listed, few seats open in first but nobody with upgrades so they don't get on and close flight. Also seen it with employees listed for first but get put in coach, coach will fill up and then they put guest pass people wearing whatever or other airline employees in first class?!
 
I'm not discounting that happening but why does an agent have the power to change your boarding priority from SA3 to an SA5? What reason would an agent NEED this option for? Your boarding priority is your boarding priority. I believe this happened to me on a flight from Philly once but didn't have time to challenge it as I got the last seat and was told to run. They literally shut the door behind me. I KNOW this family of Grizwalds were waaaaaaaay down on the list. I remember seeing on wings SA5 and 5 people ALL with the same hire date.
I believe we were also moved down on the list going to PHX from CLT. We were listed SA1 on a full flight, I overheard a Capt traveling with his kids on the phone asking someoneto help him out, he mentioned there were 2 non revs listed as SA1 and he needed to get on that flight. We were pulled from our seats and told to get off, the Capt walks by us with a grin on his face that was begging to be slapped...Of all the non revs on that flight, no one else listed as SA1 and no one was within 10 years of our seniority date, aint that a bunch of crap..I really believe there are two boarding policies, seniority, or who you know!
 
I really believe there are two boarding policies, seniority, or who you know!

I couldn't agree with you more. NOBODY will EVER convince me that this isn't true and that the travel boarding priority cannot be messed with. ;)
 
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Well for those who do it, sooner or later you'll mess with the wrong person. I know the system, and you can bet I'd check it if I thought something was amiss. We've had people disciplined for messing with the standby list, one was terminated because of that while on a level 3.
 
According to the employee travel manual, non-revs are not to be cleared for F if DM preferred are seated in Y, regardless of upgrades being purchased or not. However, that has no bearing on what actually happens at the gate in most circumstances.
 
When we recently non reved on Delta...they had the list on monitors in the gate area for you to watch your name....I think Continental prints our a non rev list at the gate showing names and boarding priority.

My wife is a f/a and has worked gates and let's just say i KNOW for a fact the gate agents can do whatever they want and often do.
 
Doesn't surprise me. US Airways has a long history of treating its non-revs poorly. While many gate agents are wonderful and helpful, far too many treat their fellow company employees as if they're mad because they even have to deal with us. Same thing happens far too often once on the A/C when FAs basically ignore or are outright rude to non-revs...whether in FC or Y! Again, not saying it happens all the time, but it's hardly rare.
 
Non-rev in first class ain't gonna happen. Don't travel much anymore, hate the "hole" experience, TSA, full cabins, etc. Got about $100 in upgrades coming up on four years old. Bought back in the day there was a slight chance of an upgrade, basicly as insurance, and they were refundable. Refundable no more, first class cabins are smaller, prefered PAX are always hanging at the gate looking for an upgrade, and most flights are serviced with RJ's which ain't got no stinking first class.
 
As an AA employee, I find this discussion interesting. Can you not print out a standby list yourself at US? Not only can I print a copy of the standby list as it looks at that point in time, the standby list is displayed on the screen at the podium at most major airports. When seats are assigned, a Cleared List is displayed.

I used a hardcopy of the Standby list to file a complaint once when I was #1 on the standby list, D1 status (highest non-rev), listed for First Class. Agent told me, "if you want to get on this flight you are going to have to take a jumpseat." (I knew there were at least 3 seats available in First Class, but I thought maybe there were last minute revenue passengers.) As it was a 757, I took the extra jumpseat at the back of First Class. The agent then seated 3 D3's (not even immediate family members, much less employees) in First Class--one of which was not dressed appropriately for non-rev in F/C. Agent got in mucho trouble.
 
As an AA employee, I find this discussion interesting. Can you not print out a standby list yourself at US? Not only can I print a copy of the standby list as it looks at that point in time, the standby list is displayed on the screen at the podium at most major airports. When seats are assigned, a Cleared List is displayed.

I used a hardcopy of the Standby list to file a complaint once when I was #1 on the standby list, D1 status (highest non-rev), listed for First Class. Agent told me, "if you want to get on this flight you are going to have to take a jumpseat." (I knew there were at least 3 seats available in First Class, but I thought maybe there were last minute revenue passengers.) As it was a 757, I took the extra jumpseat at the back of First Class. The agent then seated 3 D3's (not even immediate family members, much less employees) in First Class--one of which was not dressed appropriately for non-rev in F/C. Agent got in mucho trouble.

We can print out a list, as well as check it from an iphone, laptop, etc. since most airports have wi-fi, so the fears of agents messing with the boarding order are a little overblown IMHO. It does happen though.
An issue with US, is that what we see, does not include standby revenue passengers, so when the agents call someone before the most senior standby employee, it can appear that they aren't following procedure (when, in fact, they are). I non-reved on United recently and loved the monitors showing standby status. Putting in monitors would probably be overly expense, but it would be nice if they printed out a list (with revenue standbys included).