Flight benefits

Hello,

My little brother just got a job as a part-time ticketing agent with AA.

Do part-time employees also receive flight benefits? Aka, parents and a registered companion?

Thanks!

Curious sibling

Not with AA, but generally speaking, yup! That said, are you sure that it's with American Airlines itself? A lot of stations (not all) have that kind of thing contracted out to other companies that do not receive flight benefits. As a rule of thumb, if the company doesn't own an airplane used for commercial service, the employee does not get benefits.

Oh, and siblings rarely get any kind of benefits. On UA, they get a slightly lower rate on the buddy passes, but that's about it.

Thanks so much for your reply!

I am certain the employer is American Airlines, so that is good news! Based on what I have read, AA employees get to have their parents (or children) and a registered companion added as flight beneficiaries. I am hoping he will add me as a registered companion since he is unmarried and has no children.

I know, I am shameless. I'm just excited and cautiously optimistic :)

Thanks again.

Haha, totally understood!

Bear in mind (again, this is on my airline. YMMV) that because you aren't married (I would sure hope! :) ) the IRS sees this as a taxable benefit. Therefore, every time an airplane takes off with you on it, your brother will be subject to "imputed income" - which is kind of a "ghost" income that you don't actually see on your paycheck, but you get taxed as if you had. That is, they add the imputed income to the wages made in that paycheck, calculate the taxes owed, and subtract that income again. Obviously, higher income = higher taxes. I think that makes sense. If not, let me know what you're confused by and I'll explain it better. Anyway, different routes would have different amounts of imputed income, but it's certainly still cheaper than a normal ticket! Just something that can add up. Also, being a sibling, I can pretty much guarantee that you will not be eligible for ZED fares (discounts on other carriers). Maaaaybe on a select few carriers if your brother flies with you, but I'm not sure if oneworld does that (United has that for about 5 other airlines)

You are awesome. Thank you so much for your info - and yes, I completely understand :) I will offer to pay my share of his taxes if this ends up working out like I'm hoping it will :)