I didn't see this posted anywhere.

So what do you do when you are flying on buddy passes and can't get out for a few days due to full flights?

Apparently, you contact the media.

At least that's what a family of four trying to fly with buddy passes on JetBlue did.

 

"SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A family of four has been stranded in the Salt Lake City International Airport for the past five days.

Curtis Saxton, his wife, and his two children, ages 13 and 4, arrived at the airport on Wednesday night. They have been there ever since, waiting for a JetBlue flight that has enough room for them."

Full article:

http://www.abc4.com/content/news/slc...-ABC-4/rWWU1tyj8UO9kdCwZpW5Vg.cspx

Employees who give buddy passes are supposed to explain the procedures and the risks involved in travelling "space available" to people who are not familiar with the process. This is a sad story, but the employee should have checked the loads prior to the passenger travelling, and they should have had some back-up plan. Still, it must have been a very unpleasant ordeal. I suspect the employee's travel privileges will be suspended temporarily, especially since the media got involved.

This is being discussed elsewhere. Don't assume they weren't "clear" on this and we don't know for certain that the employee didn't check loads, etc. I think jetBlue is going to stand by (no pun intended) the employee in spite of the short term embarrassment experienced by all.

*gasp* ....is all I can say. I feel for the family -been there done that. However, I would be extremely pissed off if I was the employee that gave this moronic family these passes. Let me do the math: Summer+ BuddyPass+No money=disaster!!
I just went through this on DL from NRT- And I have a better priority than buddy passers. Had to fly DL to HNL, even though was trying to get to PDX, and bought a full fare ticket on HA from there home. Yeah it sucked but such is the life of a nonreving passenger! Maybe they'll just stick to full fare tickets from now on.Everyone traveling on a BuddyPass should be aware of the rules. Whining to the media is not appropriate behavior.

It used to be the same in Gatwick in August with Delta.. Queues of staff waiting to get on flights on the busiest travel periods of the year.

Staff travel is good for Post Thanksgiving through to December 10th, and then from Jan 11th through March 15.

Quoting toobz (Reply 3): I feel for the family -been there done that. However, I would be extremely pissed off if I was the employee that gave this moronic family these passes. Let me do the math: Summer+ BuddyPass+No money=disaster!!

I can be empathetic and assume some naivete on the parent's part concerning air travel in today's world and JetBlue's Buddy Pass rules, but traveling across country with your 2 children with no emergency funds or back up plan is just irresponsible.

It's also very unclear (based on the link) where this family was traveling to....seems like a long way from Virginia. Clearly, they did not know very well what they were getting themselves into. The month of August is literally the worst time of the year to use such benefits, especially with vacationers wrapping up journeys since the academic calendar year starts this week. The further you go, and the the more people you involve, the tougher it is.

While a sad story and a terrible ordeal, non-rev benefits are a privilege, not a right. Maybe I was just bad at it back in the day, but frankly, I found the concept to be more nightmarish than not and very stressful to navigate. I cannot imagine bestowing the same task upon friends or family via the buddy pass system, particularly a family of FOUR with two small children, who probably know very little about the industry (sorry, but I'm making that assumption based upon the fact that they got the media involved, which is a bit extreme IMO).

Still, glad to hear there are kind people out there that were generous enough to help them get home, so I guess asking for help worked out for them in the end.

Some top quality parenting right there.

According to a few comments, the family had never flown before. This begs the question: Why would ANY employee in their right mind give buddy passes to someone who's never flown before?

Entitlement mentality.

Tough sh*t.

Those people are mouthbreathers and the employee ought to have their pass privileges suspended for some time. I hate this stuff and have ZERO tolerance for buddy pass riders or general pass riders who don't know how it works, don't play by the rules. You know it's NRSA and standby, suck it up. It's a lousy situation most of the time yet we in the airline business still cling to this benefit even though it's more often than not more stressful than anything.

And buddy pass riders...don't get me started.

/rant

Quoting mauiman31 (Reply 5): but traveling across country with your 2 children with no emergency funds or back up plan is just irresponsible.

I couldn't agree more. If funds were that tight to begin with then a cross-country trek with kids-in-tow flying on standby certainly wasn't the wisest decision.

Quoting zbbylw (Reply 7):

I don't see what parenting has to do with any of this. Having kids does not make one an expert at everything, including industries that one is very obviously not employed at, nor do I think anyone anywhere had made that claim.

Quoting Goldenshield (Reply 8): Why would ANY employee in their right mind give buddy passes to someone who's never flown before?

I know on this website many people seem to be under the impression that flying on an aircraft is some magical ability, but lets not kid ourselves. You go to the airport, you follow the signs, you do what you're told, and that's about it. I don't see how giving flight passes to a first time flyer or a seasoned veteran makes any difference. If you can grasp the fact that you will be bumped if all the seats are taken by fare paying passengers then it's simple. Don't see what difference it makes.

Quoting DarkSnowyNight (Reply 12): I don't see what parenting has to do with any of this. Having kids does not make one an expert at everything, including industries that one is very obviously not employed at, nor do I think anyone anywhere had made that claim.

Uhhh....did you not read the part where it said the family was budgeting/allocating one meal a day for the entire family? I mean, I don't care how knowledgeable you are about the airline industry.....you NEVER leave home to go on a vacation without having emergency funds with you, especially on a cross-country journey. That is just basic common sense.

There are two sides to every story. Towards the end of the article, it was clear that the guy was offered options/vouchers to account for food and lodging, which he refused in hopes of getting on a flight first. His choice.

Sounds like to me that these guys equated buddy passes with an all-expense paid vacation. In they end, thanks to the generosity of others, they got whatever they felt entitled to, but hopefully they learned their lesson. If there's any silver lining in this frivolous tactic to get the media involved, it is hopefully to spread awareness about how NRSA privileges should be exercised with caution.

I don't see what parenting has to do with any of this. Having kids does not make one an expert at everything, including industries that one is very obviously not employed at, nor do I think anyone anywhere had made that claim.


At face value, this is true. But, hopefully the B6 employee explained that there were no promises that the family would get on that day or the day after. I've made a whole lecture to my wife's family about these passes. They really didn't understand until the day when my mother-in-law couldn't get on a flight. Then, it really hit home for them. They haven't asked for a pass since.

Most likely, this parent didn't know what he had gotten him and his family into. Now, they know. They'll make better decisions next time. As for B6 employee, I wouldn't suspend the privileges. The employee could have been new and is probably feeling terrible about all of this. They just need experience to be a better judge about when tendering these passes are really a good idea.

[Edited 2012-08-22 08:48:57]

Quoting B727FA (Reply 2): I think jetBlue is going to stand by (no pun intended) the employee in spite of the short term embarrassment experienced by all.

I agreed until I read this little update: "Saxton said he would take his family to a motel Monday night and return for their scheduled flight Tuesday morning. The motel stay was donated by United Airlines."
Now I'm thinking the employee will be lucky if the only consequence is a loss of buddy pass privileges for an extended period. It's called a budy pass, not a moron pass, up to the employee to know the difference, in my opinion.

Quoting DarkSnowyNight (Reply 12): I don't see what parenting has to do with any of this.

They're so badly unprepared they're down to one meal a day, which supposedly gets their son sick, but their reaction is to call the media and whine instead of, I don't know, a doctor perhaps?

[Edited 2012-08-22 09:13:15]

Quoting IrishAyes (Reply 14): Uhhh....did you not read the part where it said the family was budgeting/allocating one meal a day for the entire family? I mean, I don't care how knowledgeable you are about the airline industry.....you NEVER leave home to go on a vacation without having emergency funds with you, especially on a cross-country journey. That is just basic common sense.

I'm not sure that they budgeted the food for their entire trip that way. My understanding was that they were only living on 1 meal a day while waiting at the airport for a flight. But, to your point about emergency funds, I agree wholeheartedly. They should have had some extra cash for emergencies on trips (as a father of 2, something unexpected happens more often than not).  

They should have bought tickets, even bus tickets, or even rented a car back to their origin. Expensive? Yes. But probably not as bad waiting in an airport for 5 days wondering just when you will get to leave.

[Edited 2012-08-22 09:12:55]

Quoting slider (Reply 10):

Agreed!

Riding on a carrier that doesn't have an alternative routing/hub is always a real gamble.
Should have thought of that - and looked at loads before deciding it was a wise decision
to non-rev somewhere.

NO pity from me!

The perils of non-rev travel have already been well covered by other posters, as has the irresponsibility the parents have shown in not having money set aside for this possibility.

What I'd like to point out is that the story never mentions that the family approached the media. Perhaps it was an airline or airport employee that called the media, or even just mentioned in passing that there was a family stuck and they felt bad for them. The media may have sought the family out, and the family figured that since the story was out anyway, might as well ask for a little help paying for food or tickets home.

Oh my god    The media has enough stuff to cover in this world.

Quoting SPREE34 (Reply 9): Entitlement mentality.

   Americans are too dang lazy anymore. I can't stand it.

Quoting Goldenshield (Reply 8): According to a few comments, the family had never flown before. This begs the question: Why would ANY employee in their right mind give buddy passes to someone who's never flown before?

THANK YOU! That employee should have some sort of review or something.

Here's a question: I have this mother of a girl I used to see, ex-drug addict and everything (thus USED-to see) who, while in Japan, attempted to call me about 6 times asking for a Buddy Pass. How the heck could've I helped her, given that I had any mind to?

motel donated by United Airlines.............huh? what?

I know a friend of mine used to fly on a friend's buddy pass on Delta, and there was basically a dress code - you couldn't show up in gym shorts and a t-shirt and fly on a buddy pass, you had to have like nice pants and at least a polo-style shirt I believe (for a guy) - would this have eventually been an issue for the stinky family on JetBlue?

Quoting CALMSP (Reply 21): motel donated by United Airlines.............huh? what?

I assume some PR move by UA to make themselves look nice...

Quoting CALMSP (Reply 21): motel donated by United Airlines.............huh? what?

I know, right?
Talk about jumping on the opportunity to come to the family's rescue! So the moral of this story is that if you are unfortunate enough to get stuck at an airport somewhere when flying on a buddy pass with an airline that has only a limited flight schedule, go to the media and UA will get you home. Cue the NK "Better than a Buddy Pass Sale!"

What a joke of a situation! B6 always seems to be on the wrong end of buddy pass 'news', even though they did squat all wrong here. I think their only misstep was not quietly taking care of this issue before it became a media event (and a PR move for a rival) and deal with the consequences behind closed doors. On the other hand, I completely agree that it is a difficult precedence to reward ignorance and stupidity; as others have said, these people clearly had no business flying on buddy passes as they lacked the resources to get home or to stay in proper accommodation, which I think would be the first rule of pass riding.

[Edited 2012-08-22 10:25:44]

I recently did a quick trip to SFO (from ORD). I get passes on SW and so far all my trips have been no problem. However on this trip I missed the morning non-stop so decided to re-route rather than wait. I went to an agent alone at a gate and asked for assistance as I didn't carry my lap top. I pretty much studied the departure screen and thought LAS might be a good try. When I asked, she was VERY helpful and said it was looking pretty good. Sure enough I made it LAS and tranferred without a problem. (Except...the wx delays at SFO or as I found out they need another runway). Same thing coming back, but I had called the hotline the night before and basically decided to leave from OAK. I didn't get on the nonstop so back to the departure screen. So looked like a trip via PDX might work. Checkin agent saw I was actually going to MDW, and took the time to check for me and said no way via PDX and straight away he put me on a delayed flight to DEN where I walked off and two gates over and right on to a flight to MDW. The SW employees have been great both on the ground, phone and inflight.
I wonder why this family didn't split up to have better chances?

Quoting xero9 (Reply 13): I know on this website many people seem to be under the impression that flying on an aircraft is some magical ability, but lets not kid ourselves.

There's already enough stress with traveling by air---and that's from a seasoned traveler. Now, imagine the stress of not having done something before. Now, add the stress of non-rev travel. Now, add the stress of having to take care of a wife and two kids with VERY little money.

If you are an employee that KNOWS that this person has never flown before, is not accustomed to non-rev travel, has a family coming with them, and has very little money to begin with, would you be so inclined as to offer them free or reduced travel during one of the worst times to travel, let alone non-rev, from an airport that already has very few options for escape on your own airline, and no other options?

The employee sponsoring those buddy passes should be banned from handing out such tickets to friends. For at least 5 years.

When you fly and have to rely on extra space on a flight you can't expect to get on the first flight. It's summer everywhere you go it's full if they wanted to get to their destination so bad they should have just bought a seat. I've flown standby many times and waited long hours obviously contacting the media was a way they thought would get them on a flight.....Idiots

Quoting SouthernDC9 (Reply 22): I assume some PR move by UA to make themselves look nice...

That's a bit harsh to UA, even though I'm not the happiest camper these days with all the stuff going on at United, but that's neither here nor there. UA did nothing but do a very noble thing in this situation, and that was completely gratuitous on their part. I highly doubt it was any sort of PR posturing tactic.....notice how they were barely mentioned at the end of this slimy article.

Quoting richierich (Reply 23): Cue the NK "Better than a Buddy Pass Sale!"

HAHA! That one is pretty good. Although even NK's marketing department probably will look at this whole thing with raised eyebrows and throw it to the scraps. This story doesn't even deserve anywhere near the level of media attention it is getting.

Quoting richierich (Reply 23): I think their only misstep was not quietly taking care of this issue before it became a media event (and a PR move for a rival) and deal with the consequences behind closed doors.

How did they have any way of preventing it? As someone mentioned earlier, it is unclear how the media became aware of the ordeal from the get-go. I don't think that B6 will suffer in any way from bad press in this situation, at least from a customer base that actually DOES impact their bottom line.

Quoting SouthernDC9 (Reply 22):

DL used to have a strict dress code. Not no more! Reasoning is to not have nonrevs stick out like a sore thumb.

Quoting IrishAyes (Reply 28): How did they have any way of preventing it? As someone mentioned earlier, it is unclear how the media became aware of the ordeal from the get-go. I don't think that B6 will suffer in any way from bad press in this situation, at least from a customer base that actually DOES impact their bottom line.

I merely meant if B6 could have 'resolved' the situation quietly without another airline jumping in like a knight riding a white horse to save the day... easier said than done, I know.

There's only one SLC-JFK flight per day, and with summer loads and the fact that buddy passes travel is at the bottom of standby and below actual jetblue employees results in this. There are two SLC-LGB flights per day but that would require more buddy passes which they likely don't have.

I see these parents as completely moronic for traveling to SLC yet not having enough money to buy food. If they are living off food banks and on the edge financially, then they shouldn't be traveling since it is a luxury they cannot afford. Having their kid get sick from not eating and needing paramedics does not reflect well on the parents.

I think UA donating the hotel was a mistake. Now some other moron will expect something similar. Do it once and you open the flood gates.

Quoting skycub (Thread starter): Apparently, you contact the media.

Doubtful the family called. A family basically living at the airport for 4 days isn't going to go unnoticed by airport staff and/or communications, which is why my friends at KTVX jumped on it.

Local news these days is quite social media driven - interaction of viewers on facebook, twitter, the station's website, etc. etc. -- click click click away at that ad revenue and branding. This is exactly the perfect type of story to do the job.

Well, I rarely give out any buddy passes at all and even less now when it's so hard to travel. IF I give any out, I'm very careful who gets them and I explain to them (under threat of death   ) how the system works and what could happen if they caused any problems. I'm really surprised, at least at DL, that we even still have a buddy pass program with all the problems that have happened over the years.


Back when there was still a dress code and not long after the buddy pass program started, I heard a story of an employee that had given out several passes to some friends. Now, I have no idea what he told them beforehand, but they chose to disregard, at least some of it, especially the dress code. They changed clothes, before their arrival in CDG and the F/A called them on it and they gave her a hard time. It escalated and the upshot was that the CDG station manager met them on their arrival, collected the passes and destroyed them, telling them that they were on their own as regards transportation back to the states. I do believe that the employee's pass privileges were either suspended or terminated.


I seriously doubt if the employee, in this case, will EVER give out a buddy pass to this same person again and they probably won't want to fly again, anyway......I kind of doubt if they employee will give out passes to ANYONE, any more.

Quoting slider (Reply 10): Tough sh*t. Those people are mouthbreathers and the employee ought to have their pass privileges suspended for some time. I hate this stuff and have ZERO tolerance for buddy pass riders or general pass riders who don't know how it works, don't play by the rules. You know it's NRSA and standby, suck it up. It's a lousy situation most of the time yet we in the airline business still cling to this benefit even though it's more often than not more stressful than anything. And buddy pass riders...don't get me started. /rant

100% AGREE!

Ugh...this is soooo dang pathetic!!! As the one said...it's great parenting!!! Much of the society today relies on everyone else to get them through life...grow up!!! Accept responsibility for your actions and don't tell the world via media about your gross negligence in taking care of your own family with complaining about free passes! So many people NEVER even get the chance for free passes etc (and never even get the chance to fly), so telling the world in a pathetic pity party mentality how that airline isn't accommodating you is just sad! It's YOUR fault that you took the trip without a back up plan and could not take care of your family! "Mouthbreathers" is very accurate! LOL

I get 24 buddy passes per year, I use maybe 4-8- per year because everybody wants to travewl in the summer and I don't even travel in the summer on passs and I have 29YEARS of seniority Besides! Were you do do some advance planning you could Equal the price of a companion ass with a ful fare ticket. And even as a UNITED employee I still buy employee discounted tickets for my Wife and I to get where we want to go.. I put my brother and Sister in law on Passes Washington IAD to Dubai earlier this year and sat on NAILS until they returned. It's too damn NERVE racking for ME !!
Also keeping in mind that anything your pass riders DO?? COULD Possibly cause you to LOSE your Job at worst or your pass priviledges as Best.. Depending on the severity. Many pass riders chafe at the Dress code and That could be a major infraction If they're Not flying With you?? Then the situation is Tenuous at Best unless they're you're Kids..

Quoting Goldenshield (Reply 25): There's already enough stress with traveling by air---and that's from a seasoned traveler. Now, imagine the stress of not having done something before. Now, add the stress of non-rev travel. Now, add the stress of having to take care of a wife and two kids with VERY little money.

Exactly. These folks got themselves in way over their heads. They've learned their lesson, I'm sure. I don't think that a bunch of seasoned flyers excoriating them on a web forum is very helpful. Better to just hope they get home soon.

Quoting BlueDanube (Reply 15): I've made a whole lecture to my wife's family about these passes. They really didn't understand until the day when my mother-in-law couldn't get on a flight. Then, it really hit home for them. They haven't asked for a pass since.

Like your mother-in-law, this family didn't understand (I mean really understand) that they might not get on the flight of their choosing. If you're giving out buddy passes to non-industry, non-traveler folks, how do you drill that home? Sounds like a tough concept to get across, especially to someone who's never flown before.

Quoting Lemmy (Reply 37): If you're giving out buddy passes to non-industry, non-traveler folks, how do you drill that home?

Anymore, I don't even try. I just don't give them out. We have a neighbor who has repeatedly asked for a pass, but being that she's a heavy drinker, that's just asking for trouble. We've just told her that they were all used up.

I believe the family is financially/economically distressed. My take is this is NOT a vacation, but they are leaving their 'home' in Salt Lake to live in Virginia, and this was the easiest way to get there... well somewhat easy.

....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   

Quoting mayor (Reply 38): Anymore, I don't even try. I just don't give them out.

Ditto. It's not worth it. And while I hate to couch things as a negative, you have to tell buddy pass riders that they're essentially worm slime--puppy dogs and dead bodies go before you and if you do get a seat, it's going to be in the middle and you should sit down, shut up, enjoy being trapped in a hollow metal tube. And I hammer the dress code bigtime.

My Mom used to non-rev on my first airline and she got accustomed to telling the FA that she was a non-rev in case they didn't have enough food....it became ingrained in her even after she didn't have to say it, haha...

Even though employees ALL know that brokering, selling buddy passes is against company policy, there are still occurrences of rings happening every so often where they get moved around and sold. Some people never learn.

I never gave a buddy pass that I wasn't traveling along for the favor of a cheap ticket....hence they only went to very special people!
I remember a fellow employee who sent their family to Europe on buddy passes and after being stranded in Rome for 5 days, paying for a daily hotel and taxi's to/from the airport.......the flight actually had open seats but must ride cargo due to time embargoes had priority.......the family purchased 5 one-way tickets to get home that cost $3K.....on said employees credit card! She never offered a buddy pass again to anyone.

Let me preface by saying that I really feel sorry for the kids in this ordeal, definitely an awful experience for young children to go through and I'm glad they made it back alright.

Having said that, has it been established that it actually was the family that alerted the media? In any case, extremely poor planning on the parents' part and I feel bad for the employee whose buddy pass they were flying on. I mean if 4 days of purchasing airport food are going to break the bank for you....why are you going on a cross-country vacation? What if something else catastrophic or unexpected had happened like a car breaking down or some other such event that would have required unforeseen expenses? Again, just very poor decision-making on the part of the parents taking the whole family on a trip like this knowing the budget was stretched that tight. I suppose too that the employee who let the family travel on their passes isn't completely blameless, letting a family of four try and non-rev it to and from a station with only a handful of flights a day during the peak travel season is questionable.

Ultimately though I'm happy that, for the kids' sake, the family made it back home safe and sound.

Quoting mayor (Reply 38): Anymore, I don't even try. I just don't give them out. We have a neighbor who has repeatedly asked for a pass, but being that she's a heavy drinker, that's just asking for trouble. We've just told her that they were all used up.

Exactly! As a long-time airline employee who has traveled space-available extensively, it is my duty to use my good judgment when sharing my travel privileges with non-industry people. I have refused buddy passes to my own brother because I don't want to send him into an impossible situation. Flying stand-by can be a nightmare with my boarding priority. A buddy's priority is much lower.

Quoting SouthernDC9 (Reply 22): Quoting CALMSP (Reply 21): motel donated by United Airlines.............huh? what? I assume some PR move by UA to make themselves look nice...

Maybe, however UA has done other charitable things like this before and they USUALLY keep very quiet about it... The Aurora Batman shooting, they quietly offered free next day tickets (from what I read on the news web) to family members of the victims to get to DIA. Someone probably insisted they know who the charity was from and that's how they knew it was UA.

Quoting RKSofACinUSA (Reply 44): As a long-time airline employee who has traveled space-available extensively, it is my duty to use my good judgment when sharing my travel privileges with non-industry people. I have refused buddy passes to my own brother because I don't want to send him into an impossible situation.

  

That said, there are flights on which seats are all but guaranteed, so it seems to me that a responsible employee who takes the time to check loads can pretty easily set folks up for success with passes.

A flight that goes out with 30 empty seats on Tuesday week after week after week is probably a good bet for a pass rider. A flight that goes out overbooked day after day isn't.

Quoting richierich (Reply 30): I merely meant if B6 could have 'resolved' the situation quietly without another airline jumping in like a knight riding a white horse to save the day... easier said than done, I know

I am not sure how you are suggesting B6 should have resolved the situation 'quietly' but I am hoping you aren't suggesting their resolving the situation would have been giving these people confirmed tickets on B6 or another carrier. That just encourages stupid behavior.

I am not saying that is what you were suggesting, you just never stated what you were suggesting.

----

That being said, we really don't know what B6 did, if anything (as far as shutting these people up). We also don't know if, as the family was stuck there the first couple days, they were causing a scene or what. However, once this made the news, if I was anyone special at B6, I'd be on the phone with the pass holder. I'd tell them they were losing the pass privileges if they didn't call their 'buddies' in SLC and let them know the rules of the buddy passes and to tell them, the next time the media comes calling to let them know B6 didn't strand them just to be cruel, the whole buddy game did.

It's a shame these people were ignorant to the whole buddy process, and I feel for them. In the comment section of that news article, there is one poster on there annoying the hell out of me who is really making it seem like it's B6's fault these people had to use buddy passes because airlines "jack up airfares during the summer". WTF? I forgot, the industry is suppose to operate as a charitable organization. People annoy me. Maybe grandma should have went east instead of the whole damn fam going west??????

Can the entire buddy pass program. It is abused--tickets are sold in direct violation of company rules and on the airplane the crews have to deal with a lot of surly, demanding, uneducated passengers. One write up from an employee will cause the employee that provided the buddy passes to either lose thier pass privliges or outright termination. Enough is enough.

I have had buddy pass riders on MNL-NRT flights that reamed me out because they did not get their choice of meals.Or called me "stupid" because I did not understand that they were traveling as "guests" of the airline! They had no idea they were traveling on a non-rev ticket because they went through one of the many secret pass selling agencies in MNL ( and other places).

The employees that did that should be terminated.

Quoting EASTERN747 (Reply 24): I wonder why this family didn't split up to have better chances?

This was my first thought as well...

Quoting B6JFKH81 (Reply 40): Hell, I rarely travel on MY OWN flight benefits.

Glad I'm not the only one on here!  

Quoting DTWPurserBoy (Reply 48): Can the entire buddy pass program.

+1