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I hope I am not being redundant, but am clueless about buddy pass travel, and have not seen these answers in the archives. First, it seems that an S4 buddy pass has slim chance of making it to CDG in peak season, but how about january? We are coming from Oregon, so would we be better off trying LGA (few flights) or Atlanta (more flights but more employees).
Second, are we on standby for each flight segment separately (ie, we make it to atlanta, but are stuck there for the week..)
thanks so much for all of the generous help you provide on this forum!
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You can run into a full flt in Jan, and a full one in the summer... less likley in Jan, but when you travel on standby, even as an active employee, be flexible and look at the loads. You're never "confirmed" when flying standby. Once you get your seat, you're pretty much on the flight, and when you change planes, you're back on the list again, waiting to see when you clear. DL does not fly to CDG from LGA. That would be JFK. I'd go PDX/ATL/CDG and dont set yourself up for being stuck in ATL for a week. Again, call the number to check on loads and be flexible. When flying S4, even though it is the lowest priority, what matters is the DOE on the ticket. If the employee who gave you the ticket had say, a hire date of 1969, you're pretty good. Hire date of 2002.... look for a wide open plane. Hope that helps.
PS - on your return... get to the airport early. CDG has a reputation of rudness and cutting off the boarding for non-rev's early
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Yes, I agree with halibut. CDG is NOTORIOUS for its grueling non-revving procedures. They close the flight 45 minutes before (the standard for most international flights) and you can not get on the list for anything if you show up after they close the flight, so don't even try it. No go. Most of us avoid CDG like the plague. Also, remember that as a buddy pass rider, you are no longer able to fly on other codeshare flights (other airlines) even if they have a Delta flight number on it. You can only fly on Delta metal.
Also, it may be easier to ask the employee who gave you the buddy pass to check on flights for you 1-3 days before for a better idea. If you need any help with that, feel free to contact me and I can help you with that off-line.
Good luck!
