How it works.

Lest people think I'm a cruel, heartless mommy who callously abandons her family in the dead of winter without a thought, I thought I'd explain how flight benefits work.

As a flight attendant, I enjoy two different kinds of flight benefits. The first is utilized by going through the company Pass Bureau. My airline has agreements with (at present) 79 other airlines which allow me and my family to fly STANDBY on other airlines for a set fee and taxes. To use this benefit you have to submit a request to the Pass Bureau in advance, and they issue the passes. All airline employees in every department enjoy this benefit.

The other kind of benefit, which is available ONLY to flight attendants and pilots, is jumpseating. Jumpseat privileges allow me to walk up to any airline we have an agreement with (at present about 40), and if they have an available cabin seat, I can get on the flight free of charge (at least domestic flights. International flights that I can jump on do require me to pay the taxes.)

Jumpseating doesn't require advance arrangements with the Pass Bureau. It's just a professional courtesy that enables pilots and flight attendants to jet around the world on a stand-by basis. And it's my absolute favorite benefit about my job.

When we went to Hawaii, Mare and I used our jumpseat privileges to get there, while her sister, who is in Reservations, obtained passes in advance from the Pass Bureau, which cost about $140 round trip.

Stand-by travel is, as I've writen about previously, a wonderful benefit, but it's not without it's drawbacks. As mentioned in my last post, Maren made our intended flight while I didn't. Which required me to change plans in the moment and get there via another route. I was able to do this because of my jumpseat benefit, but it wouldn't have been as easy to get there with passes...which are specific to an airline and on pre-determined cities. It's almost impossible to travel during peak season on passes, and you have to have a lot of flexibility no matter when you're attempting to fly. When you're going on another airline, you're at the bottom of the list as far as boarding priority (their employees, and their family members, and buddy passes are all getting on before you do). So at the last minute someone can walk up and "bump" you from the flight. You just have to roll with it.

So yes I'd LOVE to take my kiddos to Hawaii, but during school it's a little bit tricky. I'm happy to try sometime, but we've never gone to a hot destination using travel benefits. We've paid for tickets like everybody else when we've gone tropical. Or used True Blue points (I run everything I can through my JetBlue American Express to earn free flights) to fly confirmed.

So Bunch, the truth is I'd love to take you to visit your Hawaiian cousins. And we can try this summer when you're not in school and we have more flexibility. But just know it's tricky and we might not make it there.

'Cause that's how it works.