Curious about what problems plague your fellow non-rev travelers? I have compiled a list of the ten most common mistakes that I have either committed myself or witnessed other non-revs suffer from during my travels.
Read on below to see if you are making the same mistakes and how you can avoid them on future non-rev flights.
1. Booking Your Hotel & Rental Car In Advance
I have a rule that I don’t book my lodging or rental cars until I know I am getting on a flight. That flies in the face of everything that you have learned about travel planning, but I have been listed on too many “wide open” flights that fill up at the last minute and leave non-revs stranded. However, you don’t need to wait until you land to figure out where you are staying for the night. Planning ahead is still important.
I keep my finger hovering over the Book Now button waiting for my seat assignment to be confirmed by the gate agent. As soon as I have my boarding pass in hand, I follow through with confirming all of my accommodations on my favorite apps.
2. Not Researching Potential Connections
Trying to fly between two hubs on a Friday? You better know which connecting airports you can fly to in case the flights fill up. Most non-revs are content with sitting in the boarding area rolling over from flight to flight. This is often a recipe for disaster.
Take your destiny into your own hands by looking for creative connections to get you to your final destination. You may not be able to fly standby on busy days between IAH-ORD on United or MSP-ATL on Delta, but you can find dozens of potential connecting cities with a little bit of networking routing knowledge.
3. Leaving The Gate Area Before The Door Closes
Raise your hand if you have ever given up on an overbooked flight only to find that half the standby list gets cleared? I would wager that most non-revs have seen this exact situation play out many times over. You never know what could change before the boarding door is closed: a delayed flight with connecting passengers doesn’t make it to the gate in time, a family of six decides to drop their seats, or a commuter could get a flat tire on the way to the airport.
Whatever the case may be, do yourself a favor and stick around at the gate because you have a chance at getting a seat assignment as long as the door is still open.
4. Not Signing Up For Global Entry
Frequent flyers & non-rev experts can all agree that signing up for Global Entry (and the included TSA PreCheck benefits) is a must. TSA PreCheck gives me the confidence to avoid long security lines and arrive at the airport as late as possible to still catch my flight. Anyone who has flown into MIA or SFO and been subjected to a 30+ minute wait time to get through Customs & Immigration knows the pain of not having Global Entry.
Save yourself the headache and opt for the full Global Entry application. Trust me; it is worth it. Check out Standby With Me’s Best Credit Cards For Non-Rev Travelers guide to find a travel credit card that covers the $100 application fee for you.
5. Neglecting To Check The Weather Forecasts
That flight to MIA may be wide open, but did you check to make sure you aren’t flying into the middle of a tropical storm? It is easy to forget to check the weather for your destination if the weather at home has been perfect for days on end. It only takes 30 seconds to check the forecast for your destination city (and any connection cities you might be using).
There is nothing more frustrating than getting stuck at an airport with a closed ramp or being diverted to an alternate airport due to inclement weather. Route yourself far away from any weather-related challenges before you leave your home airport.
6. Traveling Without Your Airline Badge
Every traveler believes they should receive special treatment, but airline employees actually should be asking for more. Your airline employee badge qualifies you as a travel industry professional and opens up a world of perks. Check to see if your airline has an online resource dedicated to deals & discounts. Resources like ID90 Travel, Perx, and Staff Travel Voyage cater specifically to airline employees, but the discounts don’t stop there. Many airport restaurants & stores provide discounts to airline employees at their home airports, so flashing your badge is required. This is also true of many restaurants & other establishments outside of the airport that offer airline employee discounts.
Having your airline ID badge on you whenever you travel ensures you never miss out on any opportunities. It should be noted that traveling with your airline badge visible is generally a big no-no (unless your airline’s non-rev travel policy specifically requires it). Keeping your airline ID packed away has the added benefit of avoiding passengers who might think you are working the flight.
7. Forgetting The Dress Code
Gone are the days of having to dress up in your Sunday’s best to get a seat assignment as a standby passrider. However, you still need to make sure your attire is aligned with your airline’s non-rev travel guidelines. That is especially true if you want to be upgraded to a premium cabin. Every non-rev knows the story of #LeggingsGate, and the way that should have been handled has been debated endlessly.
Skip the trouble and err on the side of caution; there is no such thing as being overdressed!
8. Leaving Your Jacket At Home
I grew up on the coast, so my mom made it rule that we should never leave the house without a jacket. Being that I recently had to spend a night freezing my butt off without a jacket in the MIA airport en route to a summer holiday in the Caribbean, I wish I had my mom around to remind me about that rule. No matter what your destination is, you never know what you might expect on the way there.
Non-revs should always hope for the best and pack for the worst. Airplane cabin temperatures are notoriously finicky, and I have yet to spend the night in an airport that didn’t remind me of winter in Banff. If you ever find yourself somewhere with the A/C turned up to 11, you will be glad that you had a lightweight jacket stashed away in your carry-on just in case.
9. Not Behaving Like A Model Passenger
I want you to look around the cabin on your next flight and count how many passengers are actually paying attention to the safety briefing. Odds are the numbers are slim. Flight attendants are all too aware of this fact, and the least you can do is help make their job a little easier. It doesn’t stop with just the safety briefing: from baggage etiquette to inflight service interactions, flight attendants have to put up a lot when dealing with the flying public.
Do your part to model how you think all passengers should behave on an aircraft, and hopefully your fellow passengers follow suit. We are all airline employees, and being on our best behavior should be an expectation on our planes.
10. Listing On The Last Flight Of The Day
I don’t care how smart you think you are. Listing on the standby list of the last flight is almost always a terrible idea. So many things can go wrong throughout a normal day, and checking into the last flight of the day robs you of your options & flexibility. Not only are you at the mercy of the standby list changes from the previous flights, but you have exponentially less connection options when you depart your origin city late in the day.
I always recommend starting your return journey as early as (reasonably) possible at the conclusion of your trip. Unless you are a brand new employee, trying to explain to your manager that you got stranded while on vacation is the most embarrassing phone call you will ever make.
Final Thoughts
These ten mistakes seem to happen to everyone at one point or another, but I know this doesn’t cover everything.
Have something that you think should have been on the list? Engage with @StandbyWithMe on Twitter or let me know in the comments below!
