by Sunny

follow me on Twitter @Sunnylooksleaps

New to the airline industry?  Have an immediate relative that’s an airline employee?  Received a buddy pass for airline travel?  Congratulations!  The world awaits!  Where to go first?  The possibilities are endless and enough to make you giddy.  There’s one catch: your flight privileges are designated as “nonrevenue passenger.”  This means you will be flying stand-by, also known as nonrev.  You can fly any where, any time….as long as there are empty seats on the flight.  This can be tricky, but it is far from impossible.  The most important thing is to know what to expect when you’re nonreving.

Stay calm and travel on – You must understand that this process is rarely smooth.  You probably won’t get on your first choice of flight.  You might have to fly through three different cities or go in the opposite direction to get to your final destination. And here’s the worst…you’ve boarded, you’re comfortable, and then you hear the dreaded announcement of your name on the speaker.  The flight is full, and the nonrever is always the first to go.  In all of these situations, as hard as it may be, stay calm!  It’s not the flight attendant’s fault, it’s not the gate agent’s fault and it’s not the other passengers’ fault (they did purchase their tickets after all).  Calmly approach the counter and politely ask if the agent there can help you out.  Remember, airline employees fly nonrev, too.  They know the process and the frustrations, and they can be your best ally if you show them some kindness and let them offer you help and suggestions.  Now, their suggestion might take you to the other side of the country and back and have you landing at your destination after midnight, but they can get you there.   Your job is to  be patient and keep your cool.  Go grab a drink, let the kids pick out a book or game, and relax.  Remember that this is technically the start of your vacay.  I would argue that being stuck at the airport is better than being stuck at work or in traffic. When we were flying from Seattle to San Francisco we had to travel from Seattle to Sacramento to Orange County to San Francisco.  Was it ideal?  No.  Did we worry about it?  No, because these flights had plenty of open seats!  Could we have chanced a nonstop (yet oversold) flight hoping someone didn’t show?  Yes, but we preferred the sure thing of a half-full flight that offered us the real life version of Disney’s Soarin’.

Getting upset won’t help! Stay calm and travel on!

Breaking up is hard to do…but is sometimes the best option.  If you are nonreving with the family or even just one other person, talk about the possibility of splitting up on different flights.  There is nothing more disappointing than hearing that there is only one open seat left on your flight of choice.  If you talk this out beforehand and have a game plan, this could potentially get you to your destination faster than trying to fly together.  Decide who will take the first open seat if one becomes available and who will try to get on the next flight.  (It’s only fair though that the person who gets to go first has the luggage and hotel room ready or at least the straggler’s favorite candy bar ready when he/she finally arrives.)  If you have the family with you, have a strategy for which kids/pets/grandparents will go with whom.  Any nervous or first-time fliers should probably have an experienced buddy with them. Since my husband is an airline employee, he has the added bonus of being able to sit in the jump-seat.  Not that you would want to sit in the little fold down seat next to the bathroom, but it does open up more flight options for him.  Therefore, I always take MJ with me if we need to split up.

Enjoy the view and the journey! A layover in Vegas isn’t necessarily a bad thing…

Pack like a pro – Different nonrevers will give you different advice here, but this is mine.  If we are going on a longer trip, we will check the big luggage and send it on through to our final destination.  I hate having to keep track of luggage at the airport (especially if we are going to be there for awhile and I have my daughter with me).  If you don’t get on the flights you thought you would, your luggage will go without you and be waiting for you to pick it up when you get there.  This is usually faster than waiting for the baggage carousel anyway. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t travel without a carryon. Choose something small enough to tote around and take on the plane but big enough to hold your toiletries, a change of clothes (this includes a change for the kids, too), and all of your travel documents.  In other words, pack for an overnight in your carryon just in case.  Better safe than sorry here!

Be careful when you plan – It’s wise not to plan too much (or anything at all) on the first and last day of your trip. Reserve it strictly for travel.  We made this mistake when we were still nonrev rookies. We bought tickets for the Arizona Diamondbacks opening day game for our first day in Phoenix.  Needless to say, we didn’t make it to the game.  It was over before we even set foot in Arizona.  The other mistake we made was flying the Monday after Easter which was also the first day of Spring Break in our city.  The airport was a zoo with holiday travelers returning home and Spring Breakers heading out.  There are certain times of year when it is not really worth the headache of flying nonrev.  Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas/NewYear’s Week, and Spring Break are not ideal.  That doesn’t mean you can’t try, especially if  you have a small party or you don’t mind flying on an actual holiday.  We flew Spring Break this year, but we had to leave first thing Easter Sunday morning when most people are sleeping/attending religious services/scarfing Cadbury eggs, and we flew home midweek to avoid the weekend crowds.  We attempted a pre-Christmas trip to NYC one year so that MJ could go see Santa Claus at the famed 34th Street Macy’s.  Due to the popularity of flights during Christmas week, we ended up spending less than 24 hours in NYC before we had to turn around and fly home (but we did see Santa!).

You can always try rubbing the company logo for good luck!

Ready to experience a  nonrev trip?  Here’s the process of how it works:

1. Arrive at the airport early.  You want as many chances as possible to get to your destination on the first day of your vacation.

2. Go to the ticket counter.  Even if you don’t have bags to check, you will need the agent to print you a security document.  This is not your boarding pass.  It will get you through security so that you can then talk to the gate agent.

3. Once you are through security, head to the gate counter. The person behind this counter will be your new best friend.  Be polite, smile, and show them your security document.  If the plane has a lot of empty seats, you will be issued a boarding pass. Success!  If the flight looks pretty full or if there are a lot of stand-by passengers, you will be placed on the stand-by list and called up closer to boarding.  Stay close to the boarding area and listen carefully for announcements.  You don’t want to be in the forever Starbucks line or sitting at the bar when your name is called over and over again and your boarding pass given to someone else because you weren’t present.  This part can be a bit nerve-racking when you see all of the ticketed passengers filing on to the plane and you are anxiously waiting as close as possible without being creepy to the gate agent counter. Once the last call is made for ticketed passengers, any remaining seats will be issued to the stand-by list, usually in order of seniority as determined by each individual airline.

4. If your name is called…you will be given a boarding pass and allowed to board the plane.  Don’t do your happy dance just yet, though.  If a ticketed passenger shows up before the doors close, you may be asked to give up your seat.  Once the doors are shut, you’re good to go!  Happy Travels!

5. If your name isn’t called, or you were called off the plane…head back to the ticket counter to talk about other options with your gate agent BFF.  Remember, friendliness and politeness go a long way here! The agent will probably be able to find you a different route. Be flexible and open to their ideas.  Last summer, we were flying back from Naples, Florida out of Fort Myers.  We planned to fly to Chicago and then home.  When we got to Chicago, there were several nonrev “must flys” meaning they were on company business so they got to go ahead of us. Totally unexpected and disappointing, but the awesome gate agents found us a route.  We had to fly back to Florida (Tampa this time) and then home.  We joked that we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner in three different airports that day. Maintain your sense of humor, be flexible, and you will be a nonrev superstar before you know it!