The truth about flight attendant travel benefits

Many potential flight attendants wonder about various reduced-rate travel benefits at the ten major airlines.

It is very difficult to be specific about the various programs, because they do change quite frequently. However, we will try to give an overall description of the nature of benefits you could expect as a new-hire.

First of all, free or reduced rate travel is always based on space available. Whether you are the employee, employee's family, or friends traveling at a discount, you will only be issued a seat after all of the revenue passengers, including standby paying passengers.

What this means is that you must be very aware of the available seats on any given flight. This requires some legwork by using the company computerized reservation system to determine which flights are best for you. This may mean being flexible enough to change travel dates, avoiding vacation periods and holidays, and traveling during off-peak periods.

Most airlines offer the best travel benefits to employees and their immediate family members (spouse, children, parents) for travel on one's own airline (on-line travel). This is usually a flat payroll-deducted yearly fee for unlimited travel or may be charged via payroll deduction for each flight flown.

A typical cost per flight is generally in the range of $15-$30 each way, depending upon the airline, mileage, class of service, etc. At some airlines, there is a 3-6 month waiting period for new-hires before travel benefits commence. Certain airlines also offer pass privilege incentives, such as positive-space travel for those with perfect attendance.

The other travel benefits offered by airlines include what are known as `buddy passes' or `companion passes.' Unfortunately, with the availability of deep discounted fares and such websites as Priceline.com, Cheaptickets.com, etc., these passes are not really a bargain.

That is because most airlines will charge 10% of the highest walk-up fare for those tickets. A typical fare from Boston to Fort Lauderdale would be $190.00 (for a standby seat). A reserved seat ticket can be found for as low as $120 round trip!

In addition to the above mentioned benefits, employees are also given the opportunity to purchase tickets on airlines with reciprocal agreements (off-line travel), but, once again those are generally based on `ID 90%', meaning that they are the same as companion passes and are not really a deal at all. Travel benefits are one of the great perks of the airline industry, but you must use caution in your travel plans and, if you are traveling offline, shop around for the best fares. But for employees and their family members, traveling on their own airline, even with the space available hassle, the prices can't be beat.

Become a flight attendant and fly FREE!