Would like to Non-Rev for 1st time

Hola Everyone,

I have never flown non-rev, mostly because I am a very new airline employee and I don't know how. When I read about loads, etc., it is completely foreign to me.

I have a few questions and would appreciate any feedback given at all.

I live in PA and fly out of PHL. I have heard/read horror stories about PHL but for now I will say my cup is "half-full". I am dating someone who lives in Tampa and my ex and I share custody of our three children every other weekend. Any pointers or tips on the best way to secure a non-rev flight out of PHL to TPA every other weekend and back? Of course, I know this depends on my work schedule etc.

Secondly, I would love to be able to show my children parts of the country or world they might not be able to see otherwise. Any pointers or tips on how to best secure non-rev out of PHL for four?

Lastly, I am considering going to the non-rev "gods" and attempting to non-rev over the President's Day weekend from PHL to TPA to SJU and then back to TPA and on to PHL from there. Any thoughts on the likelihood of it being possible considering this particular weekend? Also, would I have any better or worse luck if it was just my very significant other and I, or if I brought the kids along?

I appreciate any insight you can give. Even if it is to say "are you out of your mind" http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...#>/biggrin.gif

Make it a great day!

LiS03

Loaded question!!
If you have access to keep an eye on loads, it helps. That means not just what seniority but flying on what priority for new non-revr. We're fortunate to have 20 yrs BUT with that said, the valuable high priority passes we get--6/yr are reallllly valuable!
Consider you may want to look at connections sometimes--pick a secondary airport (particularly FL, sicne rental cars are cheap and no drop charges) My husband commutes CVG/NYC and flies DCA/LGA when he has few options. I've seen oversold flights@ -7 and we've both gotten on--maybe a connection airport--does PIT still work for that?

Flexible is the rule of the day! Hard to believe, but international can be a lot easier to fly than domestic!!

Presidents wkend---I personally wouldn't even attempt to ANY sunny locations AFTER the recent weather on the east coast.
If you make it--you will find it's a fabulous perk!

Regarding the chilluns--how old are they? I think it makes a big diff for some destinations if you're relatively new at this.
BUT--that said--make sure you get them to as many places as you can--while you can. Have fun with things like treasure hunts @ museums or city walks--like looking up a major item to find in the place--read about it first--then find it--each can have their own treasure to locate. Get videos at the library--they have an idea what someplce is like and then when they recognize it from the video--give them a little prize--shotgun seat or choice of TV--like that.

PS--you are out of your mind!! But have fun and be prepared to change directions. Gte the kids a good atlas and/or globe--they have one@ drugstores--it has touch control with a light (my walgreens had them for $10-15--dunno about this yr) I gave them to everyone in sight--better than Chia heads!!
Good luck and stay in touch with your travels. We're all rooting for you.

Hola Mrs767er,

Thank you for all of the insight and wisdom you have shared with me. I really do appreciate it. My kids are ages 14, 13 and 10.

Can you tell me what a load is and why that needs to be taken into consideration during planning? Also, and I apologize if this sounds ridiculous but when folks on this board mention Plan B, C, D, etc., do they mean buying tickets for alternate routes? If so, what would be the point of flying non-rev? If that is not what they mean, can you tell me what they do mean?

Also, can people fly non-rev on carriers they do not work for? At some point in the kids lives I would love to have them fly first class. Is there an art form on how to ask for an upgrade?

Thank you so much for your help.

LiS03

Hello, Life!
"loads" are seat availability on flights
I don't know what privileges you have w/USAir.
For us it's all partners, different ways to travel.
We all get some sort of Industry Discount, varying rates--like ID90 or ID95 or 96 etc.
That means you can "buy" standby requests for seats on different carriers--like we can fly Delta to Atlanta (free) then Panama City, Panama for taxes and fees. We can switch to Copa Air to fly to other cities in South America (in our case, Manaus Brasil) by going to our tkt office and buying ID90 (90% discount off base fare) tickets plus fees/taxes. They're refundable, so it's better to buy what you need to take a trip overseas, because there aren't always Delta tkt offices that can do this!
We don't pay for Comair since we own them; commuter line ASA is free, but we have lower priority and same for them on Delta. We pay small fee for Air France but we all hate flying thru CDG airport--MON DIEU!!! It's good or BAD....

So, it's just alot of "work" to get it straight! You should have pass bureau/website to answer darn near any question. I'm sure fellow USAir emps will give you the skinny soon.
Domestic first class is nearly impossible w/out high seniority. All those miles members get upgrades--maybe on intl rtes?
You have my sympathy t have 3 kids at those ages!! Just kidding (no, I'm not!!) but they'll be fun to travel with once you smack their ipods out of their ears while going thru immigration and security! Trust me--just have them put them away until they're allowed on the aircraft--it's easier! Phones--ACK--tell them they can't get ANY coverage--not even texting--where you're going.
Plan A B C--well--don't try to go anywhere you don't at least have B in the works. Have you seen prices for flights these days?? Non-rev just means you really aren't buying a tkt--just a prayer for a seat!
How's that--did it help?

I see Ms767 has gotten you off to an excellent start. I would just add that you should familiarize yourself with your carrier's pass travel rules, and if you haven't already, read the "nonrev instructions, experience and miscellaneious" travel articles, here in the Forum. They'll give you a great overview.
Generally speaking, midweek, am (non peak) flights are your best bets. Now that doesn't mean you won't make the week-end flights, just that midweek flights offer the best odds; and when you factor in you're flying PHL-TPA-PHL (hub-sunny vacation spot-hub) and your low seniorty, you definitely need to maximize your odds. *you might want to invest in a good lucky charm*. http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...DIR#>/wink.gif

Back-up plan - you always want to travel with good back-ups, (alternate flights and alternate airports) because "it's better to be in the air than on the ground" and you never know when Mrs Newton's eighth grade will bump you to a later flight and you miss your connection. Trust me, knowing about that "red eye" that's goes into the regional airport located just outside of town, could mean the difference between calling in sick *cough-cough http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...DIR#>/wink.gif * and getting to work the next day.

Loads, ( as Mrs767 said) refers to flight loads, the percentage/number of seats occupied on a flight. Knowing there are 50 seats open on the 11am flight makes that ride to the airport with the kids, a lot less stressful *phwew!*.

Basic strategy
--Know your carrier's pass travel rules and non-rev boarding priority. I believe US Air's non-rev boarding is by pass classification and within that, seniority--meaning, you may need two lucky charms.
--Planning (flight loads, alternatives, weather)-- knowing what to do if that wide open flight changes to oversold, there's a snow storm in PHL or what you'll say if the gate agent asks "will you split your party".
--Be Flexible, sometimes you got to go back to go forward, so don't be afraid to take a roundabout route, remember --the goal is to get there.
--Don't check your bag--a checked bag means you can't make that last minute flight change.
--Smile, as Chris(nonrev1) would say, you get more flies with honey than vingear. Of course why you would want flies is beyond me, but it always pays to be nice .
--Don't leave the gate until wheels up, because you never know, that door could open up and on you go.
--On board don't relax until wheels up, because a late arriving pax could have you marching up the jetway in a New York minute.
One last thing, don't forget your airline ID, many hotels, car rental, attractions offer an airline discount.

Edited because of superfluous apostrophes. http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...>/rolleyes.gif http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...#>/biggrin.gif

Questions. And some advice. Question 1: For which airline do you work? Question 2: Does your airline not permit you to check passenger loads so you can determine the best days for flying?

Advice: Ask a colleague to check passenger loads on particular days for you if you are unable to do so.

Also, do not ever, I mean ever, fly non-rev on holiday weekends. And in general, do not fly on weekends as a non-rev. You DO realize, of course, that flying non-rev is dependent upon seat availability? Therefore, do not plan on flying when seats are unlikely to be available.

That said, welcome aboard. My wife and I fly non-rev all over the world. We plan it out carefully, we arrange to fly from home base mid-week and we always, always, have a day or so in hand in case anything untoward occurs.

Case in point: London, one Sunday night recently. I checked the loads on our airline's on-line employee travel center for the next morning's flight from Gatwick to my intended gateway city of PHL. Wide-open. I arrive in the morning with a couple of hours to spare to check in. Whoops, I find the flight is oversold. How did THAT happen? Well, it happened because a couple of busloads of passengers scheduled for an earlier flight arrived late due to the British's capital's notorious traffic. They were bundled aboard the PHL flight and I was bundled off. I came home the next day instead. Of course, I had figured in an extra day just in case. It came in handy.

You'll get lots of good advice on this board. We luv ya.

Hey Life,

Be sure to check out this article:

http://nonrev.net/forums/index.php?autocom...ticle&id=29

Best of luck!

Wow! Thank you EVERYONE for all of the information! I should have said earlier that I am brand spankin' new with US Airways. Actually, orientation starts this week and if anyone has ANY pointers at all on the best way to memorize airport names and codes.....I will send you holiday cards forever http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...#>/biggrin.gif

So I don't know if I have access to check flight loads, at least not yet anyway. I do have one question which has really caught my attention. Does ID90 or ID80 (seen various forms) really mean 90% off the base fare, or does it mean 10% or 20% off.

Also, if I fly ID90 am I "guaranteed" a seat just like any other pax?

Depending on the answer, it might benefit me to fly this way with the kids and nonrev when I have more flexibility.

Again, thank you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LiS

You generally cannot fly other airlines for at least 6 months.

ZED tickets, which US has, are better than ID90s. I have not used an ID90 in over 10 years- too expensive!

Good luck to you! I have never been stuck anywhere in almost 900,000 miles of nonreving, so it can be done.
I have not made it on flights at my home airport though, but then you just go home.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LifeisShort03 @ Jan 6 2008, 07:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

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Also, if I fly ID90 am I "guaranteed" a seat just like any other pax?[/b]

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ID90, like ZED, is space-available. There is no guarantee for a seat like commercial passengers. In fact, when you travel ID90/ZED on other airlines your priority is quite low, generally after the transporting airline&#39;s own employees and other eligible travelers (e.g., buddies).

[quote]
Wow! Thank you EVERYONE for all of the information! I should have said earlier that I am brand spankin&#39; new with US Airways. Actually, orientation starts this week and if anyone has ANY pointers at all on the best way to memorize airport names and codes.....I will send you holiday cards forever http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...#>/biggrin.gif

So I don&#39;t know if I have access to check flight loads, at least not yet anyway. I do have one question which has really caught my attention. Does ID90 or ID80 (seen various forms) really mean 90% off the base fare, or does it mean 10% or 20% off."


A ZED fare is an agreed upon fare based on the mileage flown and may be accepted by any airline that you have a ZED agreement with. An example would be: you are flying from PHX to LHR and you purchase a ZED ticket with BA but they don&#39;t have any seats. You can take the same ticket (without reissuing it) over to AA and fly if they have seats. Generally less money and more flexible.

An ID90 is a ticket that is sold at 10% of the FULL FARE for particular airline. It is generally not transferrable to another airline so if BA didn&#39;t have seats, you would need to pull out your handy-dandy back up tickets (purchased separately) for AA in order to board. I have found that OAL domestic flights are generally less expensive with airlines that you have a service charge agreement with (a set amount plus tax regardless of distance such as AS where US has a $25 ow agreement) but ZED is the best for international travel.

As to those airport codes, well, you remember them the same way you get to Carnegie Hall - practice, practice, practice! http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...DIR#>/wink.gif I feel for you, I really do. I remember when we still flew to Russia and could barely pronounce the city names much less remember the codes and you have a lot more destinations than we do. You know it&#39;s sinking in when you start dreaming about them. I think I did that for months after I was hired!

Welcome to nonrevving. As far as traveling over a holiday weekend it can be very risky. Especially if you don&#39;t have very much seniority. I wouldn&#39;t throw out all of your plans just yet though. Usually if you travel on the holiday, ie. Christmas or new Years, you can get where ever you want to even though you might not make it a couple of days prior or following a holiday. Another thing to consider international. It won&#39;t be Presidents Day in Europe. You will probably have a better chance flying Business class to Rome then you will flying coach to Florida or a ski destination.

As it has been suggested plan for an extra day or two if you can. On top of this I always find coworkers who are willing to pick up for me if I get stuck and I in turn do the same for them. You never know when weather is going to strike and problems on the East Coast can create Problems on the West Coast.

As it has been suggested always research what other options you may have in case plan A fails. Zed fares on other carriers are great but in some instances an ID90 could save you quite a bit. You need to become very familiar with your carriers ticketing agreements with other airlines. Always do this before you leave.

There are a lot of people in this industry who will tell you that what you want to do cannot be done. I took 11 people to Hawaii in November. The return flights were full and everyone thought I was nuts. Our trip was to be 10 days long and then I planned an extra four days off just in case we didn&#39;t make it. I took 3 home early and then the day we planned to come home I put my wife and 2 of my kids on a nonstop flight home on another carrier. The rest of us flew with no problem on Continental on the flights we preferred.

Anyways have fun with it and don&#39;t let one bad experience put a damper on your travels.

Hey,

I just wanted to say thank you to each person whose taken the time to participate in this thread. Your taking the time to help someone new to the process illustrates what a welcoming community we are. I love that. I&#39;ve been in a few tech forums and if you&#39;re a newbie trying to learn something, you&#39;re ignored or completely snubbed. In my book the only stupid question is the one not asked.

Nice job! Thanks again! http://bestsmileys.com/clapping/2.gif

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (imon32red @ Jan 12 2008, 10:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Quote:

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I took 11 people to Hawaii in November. The return flights were full and everyone thought I was nuts. Our trip was to be 10 days long and then I planned an extra four days off just in case we didn&#39;t make it. I took 3 home early and then the day we planned to come home I put my wife and 2 of my kids on a nonstop flight home on another carrier. The rest of us flew with no problem on Continental on the flights we preferred.[/b]

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Wait wait wait, 11 nonrevs traveling from Hawaii and no one was bumped, nobody slept in the terminal; I want your lucky charm. http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...DIR#>/wink.gif

Hello Everyone,

I started my training as a pt CSA with US Airways today and I shared this url with all of my fellow classmates.

I told them how helpful everyone has been and continues to be!

Thank u again!

LiS03

Once more with feeling:

I note that you have just joined us at US Airways and are in training. Welcome aboard. I&#39;ve been treading the America West/US Airways grapes for four years. A great job. A great company. Great colleagues. And let&#39;s not even mention the benefits.

Anyway, you are in training so you will learn the following in the fullness of time. You will be given access to a computer website called the Employee Travel Center. You can access it from home or from computers at the airport in the break rooms. The ETC will allow you to check loads on all US Airways flights, list yourself and dependents and check yourself in for a flight up to 12 hours before departure. It is a wonderful thing. Let me know if you need any help of info on how to use it. But your trainers will give you the skinny.

When you fly ZED (zonal employee discount) on another airline, you are dependent upon that airline&#39;s reservations people or friends on this board for the passenger loads, known in airline shorthand as PBTs -- passenger boarding totals. But you can buy ZED fares at the airport by using the US Airways computer systems. You also can get refunds if you do not use the ZED tickets. Again, your trainer will tell you all about this.

Again, best of luck. And welcome aboard.

"There are a lot of people in this industry who will tell you that what you want to do cannot be done. I took 11 people to Hawaii in November. The return flights were full and everyone thought I was nuts. Our trip was to be 10 days long and then I planned an extra four days off just in case we didn&#39;t make it. I took 3 home early and then the day we planned to come home I put my wife and 2 of my kids on a nonstop flight home on another carrier. The rest of us flew with no problem on Continental on the flights we preferred."


That&#39;s quite an accomplishment, I wish I could make it out of Hawaii myself in November....... 11 is just wishful thinking

Hi Scoop,

Thank you for the useful information. The Trainer is right on point and I am learning alot. People are very friendly and helpful. The BENEFITS are simply out of this world.
Also, this board is like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

I hope to be around for quite a while http://www.nonrev.net/forums/style_e...DIR#>/ohmy.gif)

May I contact you if I have other question?

LiS03