Buddy passes = toilet paper?

A post on Chris Elliott’s blog notes that the buddypass the Jet Blue passenger was using to fly when wasn’t worth much more than toilet paper. Of course he is getting a chance to make a bundle from the buddy pass since he has now sued and will end up with some sort of settlement.

However buddy passes come in various shapes and sizes so to speak.
The lowest level puts those using them at the bottom of the ticketing world. Amazingly, some of the tickets with the lowest priorities end up costing about the same as an advanced-purchase ticket. The benefit (if you can get a seat on the plane) is the ability to travel at the last minute.
The perk tickets that airline folk get as employees or family members have far better priority for boarding and are free in many cases for coach travel. They are still a good perk, but not as easy to use as before.

Avoid the $25 excess baggage charge

I know a lot of folk who will be forking over $25 more dollars to fly since all the major airlines have now instituted that service fee for the second checked bag. Here is a secret that the major media seems to have missed — the fee isn’t for anyone.

I found an American Airlines list of people who do not have to pay the fee. Some are obvious such as those with First or Business Class tickets, but the fact that passengers with tickets purchased prior to May 12, 2008, don’t have to pay will be a complete surprise to most passengers.

Take note. IF TICKETS WERE PURCHASED PRIOR TO MAY 12, 2008, THE PASSENGER IS EXEMPT FROM THE CHARGE. Check out these exemptions.

This is from an American Airlines FAQ page–

Not all customers will be charged a service fee to check a second bag. Exemptions include:

*Customers who purchase First and Business Class tickets
*Customers who purchase tickets in Y, B, and H fare class inventories
*AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum, and Gold members
*ConciergeKey members
*oneworld Alliance Emerald, Sapphire, and Ruby members
*Customers flying in the same reservation record (not applicable to group bookings) as an AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum, or Gold member, oneworld Alliance Emerald, Sapphire, or Ruby member, or ConciergeKey member regardless of fare type
*Customers who buy a ticket before May 12, 2008 or who fly before May 12, 2008
*Customers originating on AA codeshare flights not operated by American Airlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection on a ticket purchased through American
*Customers connecting to an American flight from another airline, including AA codeshare flights operated by another airline
* Customers traveling on an international itinerary, e.g. points beyond U.S., Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada
*Customers traveling on Government fares
*Military personnel on active duty
*Anytime AAdvantage Award tickets, First and Business Class Award tickets, or First and Business Class upgrades confirmed prior to check-in

Hello world!

Cheap Charlie here to help travelers get the most for their travel dollar and let them know how to save money while traveling. Like today’s post noting how to save the new $25 charge for the second piece of luggage. Occasionally, I’ll chime in with where to spend luxury dollars to get the biggest bang for the big bucks. You can find more of my posts at tripso.com.