Thread: How to fly Non-Rev

Originally Posted by vulindlela

Here is how I do it, and I have flown over a million miles non-rev without getting stuck.

1. I do not do Hawaii.
2. I never HAVE to be anywhere, therefore, I can go anywhere. I go where open planes go!
3. I fly off peak and off season only. Moscow In January? sure it is cold, but I get there.
4. I only do Business class on flights over 6 hours. Whatever flight is open up front is the one I am on.
5. I would rather fly IND-SLC-CDG and get up front, than go IND-DTW-CDG in coach. I would also use ZEDs in Europe. Example: I would rather fly DTW-FRA up front and then ZED to VCE on LH, than fly direct JFK-VCE in coach.
6. I am always ready to change my destination last minute and have. I was in the ATL sky club watching a few flights and chose one an hour before departure.
7. I also will drive to another airport if my own airport is full. I am in IND and have ORD, MDW, SDF, CVG, DAY, EVV, SBN, FWA, and BMI all within a few hours drive.
8. I will be creative on routes. We tried to go to MCO a few years ago and MCO and TPA were full through the hubs. All non revs went home, but this guy found that we could go IND-DTW-BDL-MCO and we made it.......up front too!
9. I tend to avoid overseas hubs if possible. I do not like to fight it out at places like NRT or AMS, when I can fly to ICN and then ZED inside Asia, with little competition.
10. So far in 2014.....I have 14 segments on two class aircraft. I have been up front on 11 of them.

And lastly, I leave DENVER alone like you leave HNL alone. Mostly not because of the brutal situation in getting there on standby, but more like.....there are other places I am more interested in visiting.
Non rev is the greatest perk in the world and can be done. Don't let a bad experience get you down. I have seen it often where a new non rev gets stuck and never takes another flight ever again. I have also see people do crazy stuff like fly to Rio during Carnival, then get stuck for a week, and they wonder how and why.

I've never had issues out of HNL. Been tight a time or two but never got stuck there per say. I know it can be a bad place for nonrev.
As far as picking flights for first class travel, it's been virtually impossible for me to predict those since our merger. Every time the flights seem doable for a ride up front, the upgrades take the seats. I've flown way less up front since the merger for a fact. So my planning isn't with first class in mind, just rather a seat and getting there.
No I won't drive to another airport in IAH since IAH is a major hub probably way more flights than IND so travelling to another city to make a connection....forget about it.
I try not to put myself in a spot where I have to check around for other connections since my original connection I've have planned so I don't have to deal with those type circumstance. Think about the NFL wideout that makes a fantastic reception. If he had been at the prescribed route at the correct time and place, there wouldn't have to be a fantastic reception in the first place. He was in place to catch the ball by being pro-active in getting to where he needed to be. So a fantastic catch now made looked easy as it should be.
Overseas hubs like NRT have been not an issue to me. I've gone in and out of there many a time. From my experience, though tight and intimidating at times, they move traffic better than anyone around.Though I may consider KIX next time around.
And flying single versus with another makes a huge difference in planning and flexibility. I can't tell you how many miles I've nonreved in total but my bumpings have been minimul mostly due to my planning before jumping on a sinking ship.
And lastly, I leave DENVER like you leave HNL for the others. Not so much because of the standby situation but more because I'm more interested going elsewhere especially when dealing with that hassle.

Originally Posted by browneyes142a

Two wonderful websites for nonreving (and rebooking at the airport if you work the counter or gate and you need creative options) are travelmath.com and wikipedia. On Wikipedia, you can pull up any airport and find out exactly which airlines fly to which airports. When I went to HNL the first time

You have no idea how many times I keep telling people about the wonders of wiki! You can also look up an airline and get a list of all their destinations! But watch out, most lists include seasonal and terminated destinations (color coded, but subtle enough that you may miss it). They may also not include destinations from regional carriers on that page, so it's good to look that up as well.

I'll second the passport on domestic trips. Trying to get out of BOS one day, ATC had a radar failure and numerous flights were delayed and cancelled. Only one that was not was a YYZ flight. It was wide open to boot. Ended up taking Amtrak home. Lesson learned.

Great reinforcement, ISP. I keep my passport in my handbag all the time. I use it for airport ID. I can never predict when a trip is gonna break out! How sweet is your dog now?