Thread: Newbie here

Thanks for the response
We fly at S3C, so pretty much everybody else gets on before us[/I]
Wow, have that affected your travel much or once you study the flight system you get a good idea of when to fly to increase your odds of getting on?

Is there any particular method that works for you?

One last thing, have you used ZED fares?

If yes is it a lower ever than S3C?

Sorry for all the questions

ohrass...dont let the s3c boarding priority scare you...you have said you flew a lot on buddy passes, that is an s4 boarding priority, so you will be moving up the ladder so to speak in the priority system...
when you fly using a zed fare on another airline, you are at the bottom of the list behind their employee and passriders...

Originally Posted by DeltaFlyer

ohrass...dont let the s3c boarding priority scare you...you have said you flew a lot on buddy passes, that is an s4 boarding priority, so you will be moving up the ladder so to speak in the priority system...
when you fly using a zed fare on another airline, you are at the bottom of the list behind their employee and passriders...

.you have said you flew a lot on buddy passes, that is an s4 boarding priority, so you will be moving up the ladder so to speak in the priority system.

DeltaFlyer...........I should have figured that one out, thanks for pointing that out I have flown quite a bit on buddy passes and it did just hit me that they are S4 boarding priority...awesome!

Originally Posted by vulindlela

I have not had any problems with the S3C but I plan very well.

Gotcha! I usually plan but I normally flew by myself with buddy passes, now I have to plan much better as there will be anywhere from 2 to 4 of us

Just plan, plan, plan! Make sure you're ready with alternates for the "what if" times. We always travel with 4, and since my little guys are 3 and 6 we usually have to be quite close to them. We really haven't had many problems, but there have been a few rough times. As long as you keep a good attitude and are ready to roll with the changes you'll be fine. I can remember standing in one of the terminals in ATL and trying to decide the best course of action. We had planned on going to Maui, but the connection in LA had suddenly oversold significantly and we didn't get on. We had a great friend on the phone who was working (gate agent) and was trying to help us out. He pointed out that the flight to Costa Rica departing in less than 2 hours was wide open, so he started changing everything over as we started moving. (ALWAYS have your passport handy). As we were walking past a gate I noticed a direct flight to Honolulu departing in 25 minutes. Suddenly our plans were changing again. The stand-by list was long, but it looked like our priority would get us on. Our friend was back to switching our info as fast as he could - thank goodness he was working that day! They were in their final boarding, and were clearing stand bys. We were getting very nervous...Our son (2 yrs old at the time) was the first one to appear on the stand-by list. He was cleared immediately. Then there was a delay. I was started to get worried that the seats would be gone by the time my husband and I were actually on the list, but our friend's fingers kept working as fast as possible. Our names suddenly appeared on the board at the top of the list, and we got the last 2 seats! We were THRILLED to be headed to somewhere close to our original destination by that point. We spent the night in Honolulu and then took an inter-island flight to Maui the next morning. Flexibility, creativity, and a good attitude made non reving MUCH easier! You'll love your benefits! Good luck to your wife!

Just wow! Thanks for that scenario.
I must say I have gotten on flights at the last minute when I flew by myself - S4 - because groups did not want to spit up so I will finally be on the other side of the coin..Karma

but thanks again for painting the realistic picture for what may lie ahead. I have been mentally preparing the kids, they are teenagers with cell phones, facebook, text messaging, internet and mp3 players to keep them busy

As for my wife, thanks for the good luck wish, she is still in training. This is completely different from any other job she has held so it may be a little challenge for her but it's something she wants to do so she'll be fine