March 16th, 2016
RUPA Members: This is Kirk Moore’s travel updates for March! I suggest you make a copy of this eblast and keep it with your travel papers – who could remember all these details!
RetireeAssociation of FlightAttendants
Pass Travel UPDATE March 15, 2016
In this issue:
1) Having trouble adding your 2016 Enrolled Friends?
2) Employee Buddies can fly Intl unaccompanied this summer
3) Hot tip: 20% off onboard Econ+ upgrade
4) Fly standby on Other Airlines with ZED tickets
5) Recent news from United
1) Trouble adding your 2016 Enrolled Friends?
(Many thanks to Kathy Torgison, RUAEA Pass Travel Expert, for this information!)
Go to FlyingTogether>Travel>click on the blue box that says “Update pass riders and buddies”. If you already enrolled your EFs for 2016 (by December 30, 2015 or recently) then they are yours until 1/1/2017**.
However, a problem is appearing now for those who “unchecked” friend(s) and wanted to wait until after Jan 1, 2016 to decide who they want to enroll.
The “old” friends show up on their current page showing “Inactive” status, rather than just blank slots. If you click “Add Dependent or Pass Rider” at the top of the page and begin to type in your new EF’s name, the “relationship” box will not contain the option “Enrolled Friend”; only son, daughter, spouse, etc. You first have to formally remove the inactive person’s name(s) to free up that slot.
Click the little purple “i” button, to the left of your inactive EF, look in the “Detail Summary” box below and click “Remove Dependent”, then click “Save” on the next screen. Once your inactive EF(s) are removed, then the “Relationship” box will show the “Enrolled Friend” option so you may add your 2016 EF(s).
** If you already enrolled your 2016 EFs, they cannot be replaced until Open Enrollment in December. However, you may revoke their flying privileges at any time by clicking on the purple “i” button and then choosing “Deactivate Pass Travel”. If you do that they can no longer use passes, but you still cannot replace them until Open Enrollment in December when you choose new EFs who will be able to fly beginning January 1, 2017.
2) Buddies will be able to fly unaccompanied this summer worldwide!
Note from RAFA: Retirees do not have buddies, we have two annual Enrolled Friends. Retirees’unaccompanied eligible pass riders (parents, children, Enrolled Friends) board at SA3V (when using vacation passes) or SA4P (on personal passes). Employees’unaccompanied buddies will board at SA6F (extended family buddies) or SA7U (regular buddies). In other words, retirees and their eligible pass riders will be boarded before any unaccompanied buddies are boarded.
Posted in United Daily March 3, 2106:
Beginning this summer, employees’ registered buddies will again be able to travel worldwide without being accompanied by you or your eligible pass riders. This is yet another example of ways we’re listening to our employees and making changes that are meaningful to them.
“We know that part of gaining the trust of our employees is to demonstrate trust in them,” said Total Rewards VP Anthony Scattone. “The privilege of pass travel is part of what makes working for an airline so special and unique, and we’re excited to bring back this privilege for our employees.”
Last year, we implemented a policy restricting this type of travel due to fraudulent activity and strain on our operation during IRROPs. However, our HR and Airport Operations teams have developed ways to manage those challenges so that we can restore an aspect of pass travel that our employees and their registered buddies appreciate.
When the new policy allowing unaccompanied buddy pass travel outside of the contiguous 48 United States is implemented, we will require the buddy’s driver’s license or passport to be submitted when registering them in your travel profile. As in the past, we will also embargo unaccompanied buddy pass travel to certain locations during certain time periods to help our operations continue to run smoothly.
“As a global airline, we provide opportunities for people across the world to travel,” said Operations Leadership and Engagement VP Jill Eshbaugh. “It’s important that our global and diverse workforce has that same opportunity and can share it with their family and friends.”
This change will take effect this summer, after our IT team completes adjustments in the employeeRES and buddy registration systems. In the meantime, our current policy requiring regular buddies to be accompanied outside the 48 contiguous United States remains in place. We will provide detailed instructions for buddy travel outside of the contiguous 48 United States as soon as the systems are ready. We appreciate your patience — stay tuned to Flying Together for further details.
3) myUAdiscount riders can get 20% off onboard upgrade to Econ+
If you buy confirmed seats in Y using myUAdiscount, you can get 20% off the price to upgrade into Economy Plus if you purchase the upgradeonboard from a flight attendant. However, if you upgrade at check-in or at the gate you will not get the 20% discount.
Note: if you are flying space available and there are EconomyPlus seats open when your name is called in seniority order at the gate, you should be given a seat in that cabin for free. Therefore, if you are flying on a myUAdiscount confirmed seat and want to upgrade to EconomyPlus, but there are lots of standbys that may take all the empty seats, you may want to forgo the 20% discount, and upgrade at check-in or at the gate.
Employees/retirees now receive 20% off all inflight purchases including EconomyPlus upgrades. Check the Dec 3, 2015 United Daily article for more info here. Read all about the myUAdiscount program on: FlyingTogether>Travel>myUAdiscountProgram. Also, read item #2 in theFebruary 2016 RAFA Pass Travel UPDATE.
4) Fly Standby on Other Airlines with ZED (Zonal Employee Discount) tickets!
Read RAFA’s “Four steps to worldwide interline travel”: www.rafa-cwa.org/page-1836104
But what happens if you get bumped? If you’re not accommodated on a flight with your ZED ticket, talk with the gate agents or go to airline ticket counter. Depending on that carrier’s operating policy, they may be able to roll you over to the next flight (same destination). Usually the roll-over is not automatic, you must request it.
If you’re bumped off the last flight of the day or you want to change origin/destination, you’ll have to buy a new ZED ticket.
Etickets purchased on UA016 stock are valid for 90 days.
If the original ZED ticket was purchased on ID90T, go back to ID90T to request a refund. If the original ZED ticket was purchased on MyIDTravel, go back to MyIDTravel to request a refund.
The ETC is pushing to have all ZED tickets on MyIDTravel by the end of March.
5) “Recent News” on Flying Together>News:
Click the “Recent News” link above and scroll to the date posted to read each story in detail.
02/11: The power of Pan Am routes, 30 years later
02/15: Service to Australia in 2016: all 787s
02/16: Dispatchers sign tentative agreement, Mechanics do not ratify theirs
02/16: Historic agreement with USA-CUBA to reinstitute air travel
02/17: Flight Attendants now have electronic manuals
02/18: US-Japan agree on 5 more slots at Haneda for US routes
02/23: All female flight helps launch uIMPACT chapter
02/24: BOS lobby refresh from employee feedback
03/01: First 727’s final flight (also see our Seattle council page)
03/02: Support United’s Cuba application!
03/03: Unaccompanied Buddies can soon fly outside 48 states (see #2 above)
03/04: Improved uniforms are coming!
03/08: UAL BOD proxy fight, Oscar says: “Let’s Stay Focused”
03/08: Fleet update: hello new 737s, bye-bye 747s, 787 order is modified
03/08: Huangzhou to be the fifth mainland China city we serve
03/09: Big Metal Bird visits SFMC
03/10: Joint venture between UA and NZ
03/11: Our first bio-fuel flight takes off from LAX
03/11: CBS This Morning features all-female crew on United flight
03/14: Oscar Munoz: “I’m back full time and ready to soar”
6) Have you seen our RAFA website?
Check out the Travel Benefits tab here: http://www.rafa-cwa.org
Compiled by Kirk Moore,
RAFA Travel Benefits Committee 3/15/2016
Thank you Kirk!
s customer service team is just a phone call or e-mail away — and the team consistently maintains a 90 percent or higher satisfaction rating, so we know you’ll be taken care of.