....and now you know why I do not give out Buddy Passes (which haven't been the paper ones that we used to hand out for a good number of years now....they are electronic) unless it is an absolute emergency:
> I am not a reservations agent or C.S.A., I have a job at this company and do not have time to be making/changing/researching reservations all freakin' day. The individual crewmember is now responsible for doing all that using a website (myidtravel). We have do do all the research on how many seats are available, and alternate routes, lalalalal, make the reservation, get the credit card information and contact information and all that stuff. It's REALLY annoying and I don't have time for it.
> The flights are full, it's summer. Your chances of getting on a flight already suck. Add to that the fact that a Buddy Pass is a lower priority than most other standby travelers, and that screws your chances even more. Then they want to fly to/from a place that has minimal flights in a day and minimal alternate routes? Good luck.
> You explain it to the person asking you for a buddy pass that they are standby, they are only getting on
IF there is a seat available (I don't even make the reservation for them if the flight is not looking good). You give them the rules of Pass Riding. You tell them what happens with the "bumping" process, and priorities and all that jazz. They "yes" you to death while not fully listening to what you are saying. Then they go apeshit on you when they don't get onto a flight.
> Since I'm the one that makes/changes their reservations and whatnot, now I need to see what I can do for them if they get bumped, which takes me away from doing my job which stresses ME out now too.
I hate giving out Buddy Passes and just don't do it unless the person absolutely needs it (sudden family emergency, stuff like that). I don't have the time or effort to deal with it otherwise and the vast majority of my Buddy Passes expire. Hell, I rarely travel on
MY OWN flight benefits. I have a
B6 AMEX card that gives me points, and if I want to go on vacation, I use the points to make sure I have a seat going to and coming from my vacation. I feel bad for the family, I feel bad for the Crewmember and whatnot, but this is a lesson learned by all. Unfortunately, I have a feeling based on the rules of Pass Riding, that this will lead to the suspension of the Crewmember's flight priveleges.
Welcome to a world where airlines are "cutting the fat", to ensure flights are fuller, which only gets worse during these VERY high travel periods. If this was in late September through early November, it would have been a different story, that's a trough period, less people travelling, easier to non-rev.
End rant