Crazy Relatives

derg

derg

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So my brother and my sister, both 40+ are traveling back east for a short vacation on American.

My brother calls me from the jet, "Hey man, that's that big pink building by Dallas?"

Me: "I dunno XXXXXX!"

Brother: "Oh and another building said 'Grapevine Mills', what's that?"

Me: "It's a mall."

Brother: "Oh yeah, and the flight attendant wants to know what's going on at Delta?"

Me: "Dude, not on my off days. Ask her what's up at American and TWA! (sarcastic)"

Brother: "You know my friend XXXXXX works for American, do you think I'll see him here at the airport?"

Me: "I don't know, where does your friend work?"

Brother: "Oh, I don't know."

Brother: "Oh, YYYYYYYYY (our sister) wants to fly to Miami this June, send her a pass!"

Me: "I don't have any passes left (lie!) and besides, Miami is in season and she's far better off buying a ticket if she's really got to be there."

My sister grabs the cellphone.

Sister: "Hey Douglas, just get me one of those like you and Kristie use so I can get on the airplane."

Me: "Well, that's a spouse card, you can't use it."

Sister: "But mom doesn't even fly and she's got a card, can't I just use that?"

Me: "No. That's a parent card and it's not transferrable. Dang, if you're going on a cruise, buy a ticket so you don't miss a $1000 cruise trying to save a couple hundred bucks."

My brother grabs the cellphone back.

Brother: "We're pulling into the gate, man it's loud back here!"

Me: "Uh huh!"

Brother: "What's to do in c-terminal?"

Me: "Food...bookstores...restrooms...the standard airport fare"

Brother: "We got to walk to the B concourse for our next flight, where is that?"

Me: "Check the signs man! Hey, I'm going to finish breakfast and start on the lawn, have a good flight!"

Brother: "Oh, before you go it's like we were coming into the airport and the plane banked and he said "Hello?" over the loudspeaker, what was going on?"

Me: "Dude! Your cellphone is breaking up, XXXXXX, gotta go!"



Don't ever....ever ever ever think that your knowledge of flying, airlines, or even finding a gate at the airport automagically transfers over to your family.
 
hehehhehe wish i could have been there to see that phone call occuring!
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Kinda like when my family calls and asks how much a ticket is on SWA to DEN. I tell them to try Frontier, and they're like "Why? Is SWA into DEN that expensive." They don't know what a charter flight is, so I just say "Yes, it is......"
 
For a while my Mom assumed that I knew what any acronym stood for. Most of the time I don't have a clue. Sometimes even if I know what it is refering to, I may not know what the letters stand for or even it's real name.

Me: That's the IPV

Mom: Wow, that's neat. What's IPV stand for?

Me: I don't know.
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After my first corporate-type job dissolved, the guy who flew contract for the plane's new owner started up a charter operation with a King Air C-90.

People would call all of the time and ask how much it would be to fly from Madera, CA to like Los Angeles. He'd quote them like $800 and people would start cursing at him how it's a lot cheaper just to drive and how can he charge that much for such a small airplane.

People, even pilot's extended families, have no clue.
 
Oh, I loved it when a couple of weeks ago my mom tells my uncle who I REALLY don't like, that I will get him free tickets to anywhere he wants to go in about six months once I "settle in". I made it a huge point to not EVER offer anyone tickets. All it takes is one schmuck to mess up your privelages.
 
THAT IS VERY VERY TRUE and why you have to be sooo stringent on who gets the privilege of using those benefits! so far, we've been lucky...but there are a ton of times Doug and I will tell people flat out "no"...

like my dad wanting to fly to florida for christmas...he$$ no...he'd have no chance of getting down there and no chance of getting out! haha
 
Whenever I get the pass allotment for the year, I had it to Kristie and forget about them because I really don't want to deal with it.

You can tell a person a thousand times that it's space available travel and they'll still get all freaky when they don't get on the aircraft.
 
well sort of a similar story, don't you love talking to your family and friends about your training. The famous commercial pilot certificate according to my family and friends must mean i can go fly for a major right away.
 
We actually just shred those F&F certificates when we get them every year.

The cost is relative to buying a cheaply discounted 'real' ticket, and they're guaranteed an actual seat. We don't give out passes. I've heard too many stories about pass riders giving agents attitude when they don't get on, or get first class, or generally acting like an ass if they do get on.

No thanks. Really, you're better off buying a ticket than riding on a buddy pass.
 
No doubt. We gave a friend a F&F pass earlier this year. The loads were pretty tight, but if he got off his lazy ass and got to the airport early, he'd be able to get one for sure.

That morning, he decided it was too early and said "Well, there's another flight later on, I think I'll try that instead"

Meanwhile the flight was oversold, but he actually got on the airplane and thought we were overreacting.

Then we found him a flight back so instead of checking with us about the loads, he calls up reservations (which if you guys don't know, is MAJOR taboo at my employer and determines he's going to travel on a more convenient flight.

Luckily, it worked out for him.

It's not worth the stress of the possibility that your F&F pass rider whose not that familiar with the airlines is going to freak out at the gate if he gets bumped and result in you losing your employee pass privilidges.
 
Doug- Just curious, why is calling reservations for seat availibility a "Major Taboo?" My aunt gave me a Delta buddy pass a few years ago and I called reservations and the lady very kindly told me the best flights to get with the most open seats. Is this a recent change?
 
We were instructed never-ever-ever call reservations as a non-revenue passenger.

Why? I dunno.

Kind of like when someone says "Don't flip this switch!" -- well, don't flip it!

I think it might be on the F&F travel guidelines handout, but I'm not about to go dig around for one!
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what gets old is "oh, you're studying to be a pilot? You're gonna be able to get me free tickets then!"

uhh...who are you again?
 
[ QUOTE ]
We were instructed never-ever-ever call reservations as a non-revenue passenger.


[/ QUOTE ]

At AA we were not allowed to call Res between 7am and 7pm. They wanted to save the peak hours for revenue pax. That's cool. Before I got my computer I'd call like at midnight and talk to some bored res agent about loads. They were always really accomodating & very nice. Probably some of the nicest fellow employees I ever dealt with!
 
[ QUOTE ]
We were instructed never-ever-ever call reservations as a non-revenue passenger.

Why? I dunno.

Kind of like when someone says "Don't flip this switch!" -- well, don't flip it!

I think it might be on the F&F travel guidelines handout, but I'm not about to go dig around for one!
smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]no.. that's not true... now the buddy pass line is the reservation line.. so you can call, but it's best to call after hours, meaning after 5pm.

a few years ago, it was very taboo to call reservations because the pass rider line was a different phone number/situation entirely!

you can tell who doles out the passes in this family! haha
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[ QUOTE ]
So, uh, Kristie. About those buddy passes.

<runs and ducks for cover>

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[/ QUOTE ]OOOhhhhhh.. yer asking for it TW!
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kidding...i'm a kidder - hey where is that R2F? I bet he's having MAJOR withdrawals and he's not even ON the 12 step plan...
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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
We were instructed never-ever-ever call reservations as a non-revenue passenger.

Why? I dunno.

Kind of like when someone says "Don't flip this switch!" -- well, don't flip it!

I think it might be on the F&F travel guidelines handout, but I'm not about to go dig around for one!
smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]no.. that's not true... now the buddy pass line is the reservation line.. so you can call, but it's best to call after hours, meaning after 5pm.

a few years ago, it was very taboo to call reservations because the pass rider line was a different phone number/situation entirely!

you can tell who doles out the passes in this family! haha
grin.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Do you mean the 800-221-1212 is the line for pass travel listing now? That's news to me. I didn't know they got rid of the 800-325-xxxx number.

I haven't used it for a while since we got home access to TravelNet.
 
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