Buddy Pass Nightmare

Who would’ve thought the 90 degree weather and gorgeous landscape of Los Angeles would be my worst nightmare? I surely didn’t, but I was stuck in LAX airport, sick as a dog, on my cycle, and oh, wearing the same panties for two days. That was not a good look. So let me tell you my little story of the buddy pass nightmare.

In the past, I have heard several people speak of using the privileges of family or close friends who work for various airlines. They are given deeply discounted tickets called a "Buddy Pass". Since I’m juggling a doctoral program and expensive East Coast living, this "opportunity" fit my budget.

When I took my trip, I soon found out that in the long run, you waste time, money, and possibly, your sanity.

The catch with the Buddy Pass system is that you are placed on standby with other people who have Buddy Passes. The people in standby fill up empty seats on the plane. However, it is not on a first come, first serve basis. You are placed in order of seniority, which is according to the hire date and status of the airline employee you went through. Within this system, all employees who want to fly on your flight are given top priority of all Buddy Pass users. With my "hook up" I was placed on the bottom of every flight. That is where I got stuck.

Going to Los Angeles, was okay. I was booked to leave at 8 am, and ended up being on a 4:50 pm flight. I was so anxious I shrugged off the wait and just said "bump it, let me go see my folks". While there, I caught a killer flu with night chills, an ugly cough and phlegm everywhere. That was so not sexy. I couldn’t wait to just go back to the east and rest.

Leaving Los Angeles was the killer. My destination only had about five to six flights a day, and in the middle of Easter holiday and Spring break, everybody was trying to leave. The first day, everything was booked solid and probably about 7 standbys got through. I was exhausted, so I left before the last two flights and re-booked for the next day. That day the standby list went up to 30 people, and some names were asking for three and four seats! The way everybody else and their mama were being called to board, it felt like everyone had the lottery ticket, but me.

To top it off, LAX is such a busy and grossly underdeveloped airport. It is ill-equipped to handle large crowds and many of the terminals have a limited and substandard selection of restaurants and stores. And of course, I was at one of the bootleg terminals. How many flimsy burritos and wraps can a sister eat?

Finally, my parents who were getting tired of dropping me off and picking me back up volunteered to buy me a ticket. I was embarrassed and humbled. By the third day, I was finally in New York and looking like holy hell. I missed three days of school, and two days of work. Not a good look, hey, but I’m here to tell you. I’s made it!

Let me note I’m not totally knocking the Buddy Pass system. I would do it again if I had to and I think it is a great incentive for employees. I have heard great stories about the Buddy Pass system, but I suggest for future users to do their homework on the destinations of their choice.

If it is a hot-spot city like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York, check the seat availability on the flights before you commit. Also, in high travel season, you might want to go somewhere less busy or consider paying full price.

A frequent Buddy Pass user suggested one should consider red-eye flights, but I’ve noticed that they have become quite popular for people paying full fare.

Whatever, your mode of travel, the best thing to do is plan for a rainy day. In my case, I forgot my umbrella.