Delta pass travel and non rev flying explained: the buddy passes, the boarding priority and how flight attendant families actually use it

Delta JFK, and the pass travel question is the one my family asks more than the pay question. Here is how non rev flying works at Delta, because it is one of the best benefits in the job and one of the most misunderstood.

What you get

Unlimited standby travel on Delta for yourself, your spouse or domestic partner, your children and your parents, at the taxes and fees only for most domestic travel and a small fare for international. Plus a set of buddy passes each year for friends at a reduced fare. Plus interline agreements with other airlines at discounted standby fares. This starts on day one of the line after training.

How standby works

You list for a flight, you show up, and if there is a seat after the paying passengers and the higher priority non revs board, you get on. Priority is by category (employees, then family, then buddies) and within category by seniority and by when you listed. On a Tuesday in February to Des Moines you will get on in first class. On the Friday before Christmas to Orlando you will not get on at all.

How families actually use it

My parents fly from Ohio to New York to see me for the taxes, and they have learned to fly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and to have a backup flight listed. My brother uses a buddy pass once a year and has been stranded once, in Atlanta, for a night, and still thinks it is the best thing ever. The crew who use it well have flexible dates, a plan B and no checked bags. The ones who use it badly book a hotel in Rome and then cannot get on the flight to Rome.

The etiquette

Dress appropriately (the rules have relaxed but not to pyjamas), be polite to the gate agents who control your fate, do not complain about the seat, and understand that a non rev is invisible to the airline's revenue and behaves accordingly. Gate agents remember the rude non revs and the list is small.

International

A small fare plus the taxes, and the taxes on some routes are most of the cost. Standby on international is harder because the flights are fuller and the gate closes earlier. The crew who do it well list for two or three flights on the same day and take the first that boards them.

The honest value

For a crew member with family across the country, it is thousands of dollars a year and it is the reason the reserve years are bearable. For a crew member who wants a fixed week in Europe with a hotel booked, it is a gamble. Use it like a crew member and it is the best benefit in aviation.