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Dear all,
Thanks for being such a great community!
I am fairly new to the non-rev lifestyle and as such, have never non-rev'd before.
Is there a detailed guide with tips/tricks one could use to get familiar with it? Specifically, things like where to check-in, things to do/no do at the airport, people who are the most helpful, things to ask for to help your chances, pre-airport information, and other tid-bits that as a rev pax I would never think of.
Thanks!
Know all the routes, check the weather, always keep a positive attitude...
Just check the flights before hand and roll the dice. Make the best educated guess you can.
"Roll the dice", so true...Quote:
Originally Posted by 29palms
Have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C ..etc ...... and when you run out of letters ... start on the numbers :D
Keep a Credit Card, Know your countries holidays or festivals (October Fest , World Cup etc..) Have hotel sites ready (Agoda, Onetravel, Bookit..)
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.
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vulindlela
#9. I do not avoid without question. AMS ? All my US and African options...PTY? All my Central and South American options...
I think you read me wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by ddagencylv
PTY is not a DL hub, so no issues there. I just do not like fighting it out with tons of nonrevs at a place like AMS or NRT, where things can change fast.
You are set for an NRT-SEA flight but then LAX falls apart and all the nonrevs flood SEA. Now sitting up front is no longer an option.
At a place like ICN, you have two flights....easier to manage.
Same for AMS. So many flights, that it can fall apart quickly, but BRU or ZRH? A much smaller chance of things going sideways.
I also do not like that you cannot view the active stand by list for AMS either.
For my South American options, I love GRU.
Cheap and easy ZEDs on Gol, and not much competition since one needs a Brazil visa.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vulindlela
I did not read the post was referencing DL..
FlyAwayHow to fly Non-Rev
Dear all,
Thanks for being such a great community!
I am fairly new to the non-rev lifestyle and as such, have never non-rev'd before.
Is there a detailed guide with tips/tricks one could use to get familiar with it? Specifically, things like where to check-in, things to do/no do at the airport, people who are the most helpful, things to ask for to help your chances, pre-airport information, and other tid-bits that as a rev pax I would never think of.
Thanks!
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, I looked up to see which airports flew into HNL because I was going to be stuck in the back from ATL-HNL. I ended up flying through NRT. I confused the customs agents I think but I got where I wanted to go and was in the front too.
On that note, always travel with a passport, whether you intend to fly internationally or not. A) You never know what opportunity might present itself that you would miss out on without a passport. B) When you get stuck, it may help to leave the country. On my first HNL trip, 2 flights cancelled and nonrevs were buying $1400 tickets to get home. Only a handful of us had passports. I ended up needing to get back because the day I was leaving for HNL, they scheduled me for a training class on Monday morning (I had scheduled in 2 days of cushion just in case but was supposed to be back Sunday). I ended up flying HNL-KIK-SEA-MEM-ATL-CLT and then getting a friend to pick me up and drive me to CAE. I made it back 2 1/2 hours before I had to fly out for training.
Travelmath has many great features but what I use it for is finding the closest airport to any town. That way, I can look at alternate airports if I am not familiar with the area.
Nonrev is lots of fun but you have to be prepared and be flexible. Usually when I am coming home, I have car rentals arranged at GSP, CLT, AGS and ATL, just in case I can't fly into CAE, my home airport.
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?
Quote:
Originally Posted by vulindlela
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.
I never travel with a passport traveling CONUS. If I go to DETROIT next time I will. Because right across the DETROIT RIVER there is WINSDOR, Canada and many casinos. But traveling to Alaska, no I didn't take a passport.Quote:
Originally Posted by isppilot
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddagencylv
OP didn't, I did.
OP wanted "tips/tricks", so I shared some of mine.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by browneyes142a