Buddy Passes?

JustinS said:
I've had friends offer me buddy passes to get between Austin and the Bay Area. However, I find time and time again why screw myself with a buddy pass when I can pay $250-$300 round trip. For this summer, I bought a ticket to fly out to the bay area for $120 on Southwest Airlines. It doesn't get any cheaper than that... the AUS-SFO/SJC market hasn't budged from $250-$300 round trip in over 10 years... And people wonder why the airlines have a hard time making a profit... Sorry that was an off topic rant...

Basically... Buying a confirmed ticket is worth it. Surely you must have a friend or somebody who can help you out with a couple hundred dollars in a tough spot??
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SFO-AUS for United is a CRJ 700 sometimes. :O

And, well, airlines that charge what their product costs generally don't have too much trouble making money.

Derg said:
Yeah, I'm BMOSL (big man on standby list) as a late 90's hire on mainline, but when I saunter down to the Skywest terminal in SLC, I've got all the pull of a drunken quadriplegic leper.
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How's that SLC-PHX work out for ya? :D
 
mshunter said:
Thanks for all the help guys. But with the way it looks, I'm either going to have to take to much time off of work to make it affordable, or end up spending money I just don't have to get up there for the interview. Either way you slice that, it just doesn't compute. The job doesn't pay well enough for me to go through all the trouble of possibly getting it. The cost/benefit just doesn't work. I don't want to risk what sounds like impossible loads and commit to an interview that I probably won't make, and risk loosing what I already have down here in SoCal because I took so much time off.

Thanks JC. I see everyone trying and I am super appreciative.
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Best of luck to you. I have a friend who was in a similar spot. He was going to interview for an aerial photography company, but the QOL just wasn't worth the +$700 or so in travel costs to get into a worse situation. Instead, he got his CFI staying at home with his family and he has been working hard to pay off school and build some time.
 
Derg said:
If it's a good enough job, I might rob a school bus for the money. But man, buddy passes for a job interview is about like walking to a casino roulette table, taking your last $100 and putting $50 on the black and $50 on the red. AT BEST, you'll be ok. But there is always that "0" and "00" floating around.
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My experience so far in life with employers that expect one to travel on their own dime to an interview? They expect lots of people to travel on their own dime, and they often aren't places that you want to work anyway.

If the job really looked good, I'd take a 24 hour bus ride to get there. But if it is a long shot, and the company doesn't care enough to pay my way, they can work around my schedule.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
My experience so far in life with employers that expect one to travel on their own dime to an interview? They expect lots of people to travel on their own dime, and they often aren't places that you want to work anyway.
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My first flying job required travel on your own dime. They made it well worth your while. And it was well worth my while to pony up for a SWA ticket to show up for the interview—both for my career and for quite a few of the folks I met along the way (trafficinsight for starters).

But generally, you're right.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
My experience so far in life with employers that expect one to travel on their own dime to an interview? They expect lots of people to travel on their own dime, and they often aren't places that you want to work anyway.

If the job really looked good, I'd take a 24 hour bus ride to get there. But if it is a long shot, and the company doesn't care enough to pay my way, they can work around my schedule.
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I've interviewed at Skyway: They paid SFO-MKE
I've interviewed at American: They paid MKE-DFW
I've interviewed at Southernjets: They paid MKE-ATL

But those were different times as well. If it was a job I really wanted, I'm telling you, I would knock over the SuperPumper down the street. However, if it's a "Eeeeeeeeh, there's more than a 30% chance I don't actually want to work there", nah, not worth the $$$ and 86'ing a day off.
 
Plan on closer to 5 hours driving from PDX...

If the job is worth it, you have to do it. If the job is with a certain Air Ambo operator, then maybe think twice.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
Some of it is on a Connection carrier too (which puts Dergh Tylor's passes below my grandma's best friend's boarding priority), and you have to go to SLC first.
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Only on Skywest is that true. In fact, they are the only one's that board ahead of Delta in the back. The rest of us lowly lift providers are slotted behind mainline.

Coming down the pipe in 2015 and beyond, the same benefits on SKYW and all other DAL regionals as wholly owned 9E.
 
Try priceline name your own price. I paid 500 for a round trip ticket that was going for 900 and the airline that priceline put me on, united, was charging 1220 for that same ticket.


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NickH said:
Plan on closer to 5 hours driving from PDX...

If the job is worth it, you have to do it. If the job is with a certain Air Ambo operator, then maybe think twice.
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Let me quote this for truth. The only job I know of in OTH is with Ocean Air. It's an FBO that also has a location in LMT. They have a TBM700, JS31 and a AC90.
You don't want to spend a single dollar to interview there. This is not a place you want to work. Also, I'm pretty sure the salary is in the low 30's for PIC on those things, which is just insulting.
If you must go, fly SWA to PDX and drive, or see if a seaport connection PDX-OTH is affordable. If you need a place to crash in PDX let me know. Also I'm not sure who you work for, but seaport is pretty flexible on their "jumpseat"
 
Derg said:
Yeah, I'm BMOSL (big man on standby list) as a late 90's hire on mainline, but when I saunter down to the Skywest terminal in SLC, I've got all the pull of a drunken quadriplegic leper.
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Its funny, on the UAX side, I was almost always the only Skywest employee to/from any hub. Anytime I tried to take DL Skywest thru SLC or LAX...not so much. And SLC-SGU...lets just say I never thought a plane could be booked to 3/30 and leave you a nervous wreck at the gate.
 
ChasenSFO said:
Its funny, on the UAX side, I was almost always the only Skywest employee to/from any hub. Anytime I tried to take DL Skywest thru SLC or LAX...not so much. And SLC-SGU...lets just say I never thought a plane could be booked to 3/30 and leave you a nervous wreck at the gate.
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I wish they'd give me an MTOW/ZFW increase. :(

The only times I've been pulled off as a Nonrev have been off of the Brasilia, in 20-some years of Nonrev travel. (Simply not getting on is another subject, but you get the drift. I'll move heaven and earth to get more people on, but 26,433 or other limits aren't to be trifled with.)


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Autothrust Blue said:
I wish they'd give me an MTOW/ZFW increase. :(

The only times I've been pulled off as a Nonrev have been off of the Brasilia, in 20-some years of Nonrev travel. (Simply not getting on is another subject, but you get the drift. I'll move heaven and earth to get more people on, but 26,433 or other limits aren't to be trifled with.)


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I remember working my butt off with the captain to get a non-rev home on SFO-OTH. We just barely got 26 approved with no weight at all to spare. Door closes, operations switch to departing on the 19s..."Hey ramp...we need to pull 5 people". Weight restricted to 21, just like that.
 
ChasenSFO said:
I remember working my butt off with the captain to get a non-rev home on SFO-OTH. We just barely got 26 approved with no weight at all to spare. Door closes, operations switch to departing on the 19s..."Hey ramp...we need to pull 5 people". Weight restricted to 21, just like that.
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The amazing thing is that it probably still made money.


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Autothrust Blue said:
The amazing thing is that it probably still made money.

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Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeit! And I feel bad when we can only take 30/34 coming out of Key West.....
 

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Drive. 827 miles/12.5hrs

I got my foot in the door by calling the hiring secretary at FEDEX asking if I could talk to the hiring guy (Bill Rose) the next day. Drove 600+ miles overnight and sat outside their office for two hours. Finally got to talk to the guy for five minutes. Did I get the job? No, but at least I gave it my all.

"Friends don't let friends fly on Buddy Passes."
 
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