Has anyone used a buddy pass through jetblue?

Question

Is it better to fly in the evening or day time when using a buddy pass? My husband and I, along with my brother are planning a trip to New York in October. Is this a safe time to use a buddy pass? We have never used a buddy pass before, and are a little nervous about being able to get on the plane together.

Answer 1

I agree with CrysV go early, check the times that if you were paying full price you would never book which is usually those between 12am-8am. I also call the airline and find out if the flight is a full flight or if there are a good amount of seats so I don't waste my time waiting at the airport.

Answer 2

October is generally a slow month for US domestic travel. Actually, from the 2nd week in Sept. thru the week before Thanksgiving is much slower than summer and just prior to the busy November-January holiday travel period. That being said, airlines are still operating at all-time high capacities. It is not uncommon, even in off-peak times, for the average aircraft to fly almost 90% full.

The best days of the week to travel non-revenue using a "buddy-pass" are Tuesday and Wednesday. Saturday afternoon isn't too bad either but most airlines operate fewer flights on Saturday. The absolute worst times are anytime Sunday, Monday morning, and Friday afternoon.

Although in an ideal situation you could travel together, sometimes it might be better to split up if there aren't three seats available on one flight and meet at your destination. Persons traveling on "buddy-passes" have the lowest boarding priority so if there is even one seat left it is better for one of you to take it and have the others travel on a later flight. You should call the JetBlue employee who gave you the passes the day before you plan to travel and ask them to check the flight loads for you. Airline employees usually have access to that information through their company intra-net.

Answer 3

Yes, I've used them for JetBlue, and so far I've never had a problem. The trick is to get to the airport and check in about 4 hours before departure time. I know that sounds super early, but standby tickets are on a first come, first serve basis, so you want to make sure you're the first ones there, especially since there are three of you. And it would help to travel at some time that no one else really wants to travel or are likely to miss--ie. ridiculously early in the morning. I think the morning is even better than late at night because if you aren't able to get on the first flight you try to board, you can just try for the next flight. Good luck!

Answer 4

JetBlue doesn't do international and you might have to pay full price for international flights. Partner airlines (like Lufthansa or Aer Lingus) probably aren't required to honor JetBlue buddy passes. You should ask your mom to check with the reservations people or customer service.