CO Employee w/ a question about United Airlines

[nycbasedfa]

With a looming merger, and many of my co-workers in a state of panic, I am trying to maintain a positive attitude in the event that our two companies become one.

That said, looking at the (small) bright side of a potential merger, I am at least looking forward to non-revving to more places on my "own" airline instead of buying id90 and ZED tickets as I do now to go to places CO doesn't fly, like Australia & certain places in Asia. I try to move my travel dates forward or back a day to get a seat in business class.

My question is how much UA charges its own employees to travel in business class overseas. (At CO, we get six free round-trip vacation pass tickets a year for use in business class, and after that for any other trip we pay a flat service fee). Thanks,

NYCBASEDFA

 

[phasersonstun2]

With a looming merger...
My question is how much UA charges its own employees to travel in business class overseas. (At CO, we get six free round-trip vacation pass tickets a year for use in business class, and after that for any other trip we pay a flat service fee). Thanks,

NYCBASEDFA

You have got to be kidding me.

 

[nycbasedfa]

You have got to be kidding me.

...Regarding what?...

 

[rjf1251]

With a looming merger, and many of my co-workers in a state of panic, I am trying to maintain a positive attitude in the event that our two companies become one.

That said, looking at the (small) bright side of a potential merger, I am at least looking forward to non-revving to more places on my "own" airline instead of buying id90 and ZED tickets as I do now to go to places CO doesn't fly, like Australia & certain places in Asia. I try to move my travel dates forward or back a day to get a seat in business class.

My question is how much UA charges its own employees to travel in business class overseas. (At CO, we get six free round-trip vacation pass tickets a year for use in business class, and after that for any other trip we pay a flat service fee). Thanks,

NYCBASEDFA

that's not the way it's done at UAL. We pay the non rev service charge for first/ business/ coach sfo syd for example,
$376.80 First Class/ $310.80 business/ $ 97.10 Coach. you HAVE to list for he flight and boarding is by seniority and level of ticket as NRPS trumps NRSA, Retiree BP6 trumps Employee BP 8A Companions fly BP10-No Deniority unless accompanied BY the employee and even then it's complicated !! we get 24 companion pases per year, NRSA passes are unlimited. all depends on how deep your wallet is.. Hope this Helps

 

[rjf1251]

that's not the way it's done at UAL. We pay the non rev service charge for first/ business/ coach sfo syd for example,
$376.80 First Class/ $310.80 business/ $ 97.10 Coach. you HAVE to list for he flight and boarding is by seniority and level of ticket as NRPS trumps NRSA, Retiree BP6 trumps Employee BP 8A Companions fly BP10-No Deniority unless accompanied BY the employee and even then it's complicated !! we get 24 companion pases per year, NRSA passes are unlimited. all depends on how deep your wallet is.. Hope this Helps

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I'm sorry,
I forgot to mention the SFO SYD charges were round trip with all taxes and fees included and the fees are MANY !!

 

[GroundedBoricua]

See please correct me if I'm wrong, but why the hell do we have to pay for non-rev travel??? :angry2: I worked at US east in the past and they don't charge a red cent for non-rev travel( unless you are listing for first class) and thats the way it should be for all airlines. When I started at CO i was in awe that we had to pay to ride (12.50- and up) I'm a commuter and beileive me that adds up. At least recently we can ride for free if we list as a jumpseater but that means you go to the bottom of the list, even buddy passes get on before you at JS listing. If the flight has more seats available than non-revs listed you ride for free. At CO after your 10th year you ride for free, any free rides at UA??? :unsure: casue that last post with all the fees and sh*t, I'm not feeling that :censored:

 

[rjf1251]

See please correct me if I'm wrong, but why the hell do we have to pay for non-rev travel??? :angry2: I worked at US east in the past and they don't charge a red cent for non-rev travel( unless you are listing for first class) and thats the way it should be for all airlines. When I started at CO i was in awe that we had to pay to ride (12.50- and up) I'm a commuter and beileive me that adds up. At least recently we can ride for free if we list as a jumpseater but that means you go to the bottom of the list, even buddy passes get on before you at JS listing. If the flight has more seats available than non-revs listed you ride for free. At CO after your 10th year you ride for free, any free rides at UA??? :unsure: casue that last post with all the fees and sh*t, I'm not feeling that :censored:

Oh REALLY??
Well It might not be what YOU wanted. But Believe me, That's the WAY it IS! Now so we get this STRAIGHT. the Fees I previously listed were what We at UAL pay and were round trip from SFO-SYD. Domesticly UAL doesn't charge for coach seats at all. Howsumever. when you LIST you can list First OR Coach. I list First ALWAYS, I ride coach out of "happenstance" Why we have to pay for Non-rev travel?? who in the HELL knows?? But UAL made $380M on non-rev travel alone a few years ago I strongly suspect the Non-Rev travel fee is the cost of carying the empty seat per revenue mile though Nobody will ever admit to that. How CAL handles buddy passes I can't speak to BUT a UAL companion Pass?? Equates to 10% of FULL fare. (and I mean FULL LISTED FARE!! NOT discounted and NO specials!!) I can do better on Hotwire! BUT!! It IS What it IS!!

 

[AuntieFifi]

You can fly BP10 for free on UA, everything is based on DOH withing the Boarding Priority. So, with my DOH sometime in the late 1970's I am going to get on before someone hired in the late 1980's even if they show up at the airport 3 hours before I do! Just how UA does it, and there are free tickets other than BP10's they are reward tickets for not calling in sick, getting an Orchid Letter and some other stuff!

 

[Borescope]

You can fly BP10 for free on UA, everything is based on DOH withing the Boarding Priority. So, with my DOH sometime in the late 1970's I am going to get on before someone hired in the late 1980's even if they show up at the airport 3 hours before I do! Just how UA does it, and there are free tickets other than BP10's they are reward tickets for not calling in sick, getting an Orchid Letter and some other stuff!

This could all change as they combine the airlines. I imagine that they will take the best of both worlds and put them together. I know at CO, there are a ton of commuters (lousy bases to live in). If you have less then 10 years you pay the security fees, 12.50 or something of that sort. They can add up quickly as a commuter. Of course you can ride the jumpseat which gets you on for free, if you are the most senior person in line for it. After 10 years you get free passes for yourself and family in coach and you pay $25 system wide in first each way. That's if you can get a first class seat. Usually internationally first is available. After 25 years first is free for you and family. Buddy passes are a joke, your better off buying a ticket on expedia, you got a seat for sure that way.

I would think that my friends at CO would have a lot of things to say about boarding priorities because of the number of commuters. At CO retires go after active employees. If it was straight DOH there would be a lot of flights without crews. I was told commuters are upwards of 35 to 50%.

 

[AuntieFifi]

Rewarding retirees for putting in so much time with a company is a good thing. I think they should go before someone who has worked for the airline for 6 months!

I am sure all the airlines have loads of commuters...Commuters get on for free as a jumpseat, based on DOH. No jumpseat they get a seat. But those seats for jumpseaters are after all the BP's get on and the NRSA's from other airlines get on.

For now I would guess that UA will keep their policy and CO will keep theirs...probably comes down to the unions adding this in their negotiations... and with UA being the larger carrier ......guessing again that the UA policy will prevail.

The new airline is going to need money so I could see the free pass deal going away.

At this point ALL is speculation....

 

[Borescope]

probably comes down to the unions adding this in their negotiations... and with UA being the larger carrier ......guessing again that the UA policy will prevail.

I doubt it has anything to do with being bigger or smaller. There will be "teams" set up from both airlines with equal number of people on them (i.e. 5 on 5, 3 on 3, etc). They will take the best of both worlds and put them together. Each side will end up giving something, so to say "UA is bigger, so their policy will prevail" is a little arrogant don't you think??

 

[rjf1251]

Rewarding retirees for putting in so much time with a company is a good thing. I think they should go before someone who has worked for the airline for 6 months!

I am sure all the airlines have loads of commuters...Commuters get on for free as a jumpseat, based on DOH. No jumpseat they get a seat. But those seats for jumpseaters are after all the BP's get on and the NRSA's from other airlines get on.

For now I would guess that UA will keep their policy and CO will keep theirs...probably comes down to the unions adding this in their negotiations... and with UA being the larger carrier ......guessing again that the UA policy will prevail.

The new airline is going to need money so I could see the free pass deal going away.

At this point ALL is speculation....

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There's nothing for the Unions to ADD. None of this is part of any CBA. It's a COMPANY sponsored benefit and Everybody gets and pays the same. Nothing is EVER Free from United That's the way it's always been and I really don't see any need in changing it. I understand what CAL does and God Bless them. But United do that?? I don't think so. 10% of the employees fly 90% of the passes at United that's 4700 of 47000 people..Just like most things? When you have the time you usually don't have the money. And when you Have the MONEY you usually don't have the TIME. If they gave you priority passes then the airplanes would be boarded out of seniority order for Non-rev Space Available flying. Years ago we used to get Free BP6 passes for perfect attendance.
Since I haven't been sick moe than 1 day in almost 23 years I was racking those "Bad Oscar's" UP!! BUT!!! Some senior pilots didn't get where they were going?? And pretty QUICK?? All of that came to a "screeching" HALT! In 1995-1996 or there abouts, there was a pilot contract proposal "SUPPOSEDLY" put forth by ALPA to give the pilots "Go ahead" boarding. (To this DAY I believe somebody in management Leaked it in my opinion to see if the other Unions would Let it Ride) The IAM under John Peterpaul told the company that if they Did??
There wouldn't BE any airplanes leaving ON TIME, ANYWHERE for the forseeable FUTURE!! And those are the ONLY attempts to "get out of line" that I've ever heard. I worked with a guy who when He started here at 19.In 1984, His DAD was MY Lead Mechanic, and His Grandfather was a manager in Aircraft Overhaul . His Grandather's Roll Around Tool Box was Still in the Hangar and had been there for 54 Years when I left the floor in 1999 !! The Crew had a Birthday Celebration for the damn thing!! So the system has been the same all that time, And that's why right up to NOW there are Generations working at United in all the up's, down's, and SIDEWAYS. That's the fairest way to do it By seniority and CAL's Seniority will be so Honored as well.. Maybe you guys Needed Free passes when Bethune came on board because you had been so Badly Mauled by Lorenzo and his "Clan of Jackals" !! I saw you guys regularly back then. NOBODY was pleased to be working there and you were getting a "LOT of heat" for crossing picket lines. I KNOW because in 1990 I had to threaten to FIRE two of my TOP Troubleshooters and THE BEST mechanics I've ever SEEN to get them to fix a CAL DC-10 with a misting Hydraulic Leak in the Right Wheel Well in San Francisco.. . It was Struck work. Period! that was their reasoning.
So I understand Why all the "funny stuff" with the passes,And why you "disrespect" the retireees, But!! That was THEN! This is NOW,!!!! You don't Need that kind of incentive anymore and it's unnecessary. There's nothing WRONG with your Pride In what you've accomplished at Continental . It has been, and Is Impressive. I admit that ! If UAL had been "bought" I guess it wouldn't matter what I'm talking about, but that isn't the case.. So I doubt it will happen in all Candor.
You'll find United is about ONE tight fisted company. They'll spend all kinds of 'duckets' on stuff that nobody can see, Unlike American who spends Tons of money where it's easily visible. United's management JUST NOW tumbled on to the fact that Leather seat covers are more eceonomical than Cloth and the Higher Acquisition costs are offset by the durability and ease of cleaning. They've been So CHEAP for SO LONG they're having "Pains" in even doing a "little something" to make this Operations control Center move a lttle more Special for us,,.And YOU when we move to Downtown Chicago Later this year. And you're talking about Free Stuff?? OK!! Well?! You can't say I didn't WARN you !! ..

 

[AuntieFifi]

United also has commuters and I doubt that they would be willing to give up seniority boarding....with first come boarding there are so many times that gate agents do "favors" for co-workers and list them on a first come and the person has not even shown at the airport. Easiest way to cheat on non rev is with first come.....seniority is the reward for all the time you put in at the company.

 

[Bear96]

Rewarding retirees for putting in so much time with a company is a good thing. I think they should go before someone who has worked for the airline for 6 months!

That is one scenario.

How about another. Why should a retiree who only worked at UA for 10 years (or whatever the minumum is to get full retiree travel benefits) be put ahead of a current employee who has been working at UA for 20 or 30 years?

Especially when the current employee has to get to work, while the retiree (presumaly) has more time to spare since, you know, s/he is retired?

 

[boxer]

That is one scenario.

How about another. Why should a retiree who only worked at UA for 10 years (or whatever the minumum is to get full retiree travel benefits) be put ahead of a current employee who has been working at UA for 20 or 30 years?

Especially when the current employee has to get to work, while the retiree (presumaly) has more time to spare since, you know, s/he is retired?

A retired United employee with ten years of service (and over 55 years of age) is slotted with active employees and does not accumulate further seniority. Retirees with over 25 years of service have priority over actives and continue to earn seniority.
There seems to be some confusion about priorities of retirement boarding.

10 years and over 55 years of age: BP-8A
25 years or more: BP-6A

BP = Boarding Priority in descending order.

HTH