United Airlines is limiting the number of employee standbys it will board in order to encourage “social distancing” onboard.
Airline employees are generally allowed to travel on a non-revenue, space-available (NRSA) basis on any flight their airline operates. Sometimes this extends to other airlines as well. It is one of the draws of working in the airline business.
One reason seat maps can be deceiving is because employees, sometimes by the dozens, may be on the standby list, especially on the hub-to-hub routes. These seats are not cleared until boarding time, when sparse seat maps suddenly fill up.
The reality of standby travel complicates United’s new policy of allowing customers to rebook flights if loads are at 70% or more. What good is the guarantee if flights that would otherwise have had plenty of space onboard fill up at the very last-minute.
Consequently, in a memo to employees shared with Live and Let’s Fly, United has informed employees:
Flights boarded to more than 70% of the aircraft’s capacity with revenue customers will be capped and NRSA passengers will not be cleared for the flight.
This will be on a temporary basis starting May 19th and lasting through “at least” June 30th.
This Will Impact Only A Small Number Of Flights
United stresses the vast majority of flights remain less than half full. In fact, only 7% of flights have gone out with a load factor of more than 70% (8% when you include standbys).
United encourages employees to list at least 48 hours in advance for flights, noting that is upgauging 35-40 flights per day to help create space in busier markets. Furthermore, pilots and flight attendants who are commuting from their home base for a work assignment will be booked as “positive space” travelers (confirmed seating in advanced).
> Read More: An Open Letter To Flight Attendants Concerning Standby Travel
The memo does not indicate that employees will be restricted from first class seating. There have been many flights lately where the overall load is less than 50% while the first class cabin is booked full or nearly full due to a combination of upgrades and NRSA travel.
CONCLUSION
While this marks another blow for employees, this move just makes sense. Hopefully it won’t last long, but in the meantime employees should check loads and plan accordingly.
If you are considering signing up for a new credit card please click here and help support LiveAndLetsFly.com.
Talk about bad timing. Imagine you’re an airline employee with hours cut to the bone or worse and then they tell you that you can’t take those free flights either. I guess some would say they should be in lockdown anyway.
Imagine the airline going out of business and you have no income or flights at all. Imagine that.
Good…dump the freeloaders and focus on those paying for essential travel. Every airline should do the same.
The comedy clip you posted the other day could well have had an additional boarding category: overly-entitled airline staff.
How is it freeloading when it’s part of the benefits extended to airlines employees??? Employees received far less in pay per hour and salary pay to receive this in exchange. Mind you it’s not being abused by the majority because leisure travel makes no sense right now when places are not open and operating as usual because everyone is sick and dying… so freeloading, no, especially when employees still have the option to fly with you in that same plane if they buy a discounted ticket. Then “social distancing” goes out the window
Yes, probably you’re correct.
My soon to be ex flys around in the middle of pandemic into hotspots every weekend when we have a stay at home order an the airline let’s her fly for free and when she comes back didn’t have the maturity to self isolate for the 14 days required and puts good people that try to limit there contact with people and we have a child with underline health issues in common. I feel the airport and airline and my ex should be all held responsible for allowing her to act so irresponsible and the airline is negligent in allowing this to continue and should be held responsible .
Love it when jealous passengers such as yourself get so annoyed at airline employees getting “free” travel. If you don’t like it, go get a job with an airline (LOL, probably impossible for the next 2-3 years). Though the charges are very minimal, it’s still not “freeloading” or over-entitled. Secondly, what are you getting all up in a twist for?…. airline employees with hours cut, job insecurity and just about everything closed and quarantined at places to travel to is not exactly a recipe for enjoyable non-rev or revenue travel. As well, we’re not visiting friends and relatives at the risk of COVID-19 transmission or exposure.
if your company gave you free flights I’m sure you would take advantage of it too.
How are we freeloading when we are just flying to start our trip so we can take you to your “magical” destination?
Some employees( freeloaders) as you call them, need to get to work, on those flights so they can get to work !! What an arrogant person you are…
Than get a real job or give up free travel for more money per hour I don’t care your hours for cut I lost my job altogether and its not a money issue because of the cuts were so bad than you wouldn’t be traveling you would be at home taking care of your family during a pandemic not flying into new Jersey than back to AZ to put us all at risk is criminal and if the airline assisted her during her crimes should be held responsible or do I have to wait for a family member to die to get my point across and in closing guess the airline isn’t doing a heat job in educating employees of self quarantining .
The moron’s on here talking about airline employees being freeloaders and putting everyone at risk… HA! Keep drinking the Kool-Aid you idiots. A lot of us work in a different city while our home and family live in another. Example: I work in Boston while my wife and kids live in Chicago, you better bet that I fly back and forth every week. And you could take your 14 day quarantine and shove it, I’m not going to change my life style and live in fear because of a virus that has a 99.8% survival rate. My rights don’t end where your fear begins. More people have died as a result of the flu this past flu season than from the Wuhan virus, suicide’s are on a year to year rise thanks to the lock downs but no body wants to talk about that right. More people are losing their jobs/lively hoods and offing themselves than this virus but let’s live in fear of this weak ass virus right?! More domestic violence is being reported compared to year to year stats thanks to the lock down but let’s keep the lock down going to save the .2% of people that may die from this virus. Can you imagine if that was the response we had as a society for everything else that may possibly kill us? Let’s live in fear of the flu and other sicknesses as well as cancer and while we’re at it let’s stop traveling by car since those have a pretty high death rate as well. Now beat it, MORON’S!