How airline employees book discounted tickets
Have you ever heard that airline employees have flight discounts? It’s true. But there’s more to it than just a cheap ticket. I would like to give you a few insights into the topic of staff travel so that you can get an idea of it.
Disclaimer: Of course there are differences with every airline and I can't speak for all of them. I have already had some experience with staff travel and therefore speak about my experience, especially in Europe.
Introduction
Staff employed directly by an airline usually have access to “Staff Travel.” This is an internal company portal where they can book flight tickets within their own airline. Staff who actually fly (cabin and cockpit) also have access to another portal called myIDTravel. This portal also allows bookings with airlines other than their own. For this purpose, there are agreements between the airlines themselves that govern the terms and conditions under which staff can book tickets with other airlines. These contracts regulate, among other things, which booking classes are permitted, how much baggage can be taken, which relatives are allowed to fly, how many people are allowed on a booking, and even the cancellation deadlines. It’s really interesting to read the terms and conditions of each airline. It’s noticeable that some airlines are very strict or very generous, others are particularly cheap or expensive, and so on. Budget airlines are rarely found in these contracts and don’t offer staff travel.
Ever wondered about the booking numbers?
Have you ever seen how full your flight is? When you book a regular ticket, you can usually only estimate the number of seats purchased, but never see the exact number. As an employee, you can see the exact booking figures for your own airline and sometimes even for other airlines. There are actually communities that help each other out. It’s amazing how much solidarity exists in the aviation industry. I’ll come back to booking numbers later and explain why this information is sometimes worth its weight in gold.
The boring and safe way to use Staff Travel: Discount Codes
Why boring? Because it is boring compared to the next methods. Airlines provide discount codes. The number of codes per year is usually limited to a small amount, ranging from 10-30%. These codes allow you to book regular tickets on the airline’s website with a small discount. These codes can be redeemed by anyone and are not tied to the employee. A huge advantage! One special feature is that you generally can’t collect miles. That’s it, there’s nothing more to say. This is a way to fly more cheaply.
STANDBY
something that can make you go crazy
Now things get very interesting! Ever heard “I’m flying standby” or"I’m listed as standby," or “I’m flying as a PAD?”
| P | A | D |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger | Available for | Disembarkation |
| Passenger | Airline | Discount |
I’m still unsure which definition applies 
If you book a standby ticket through Staff Travel or myIDTravel, you won’t be included in the official booking figures. This is because you’ll only be allowed on the flight if there’s space available, or if a jump seat is available. It’s the most popular and cheapest way to travel. These tickets have a fixed price per airline and route. It doesn’t matter whether you book three months or one hour before departure. Since you’re not included in the official booking figures, you’re placed on a separate list. This list is called the PAD list or STBY list. Employees can usually view this list. Ultimately, the gate at the airport is responsible for managing this list. They assign seats, perform upgrades, deplane passengers, and, together with the flight crew, ensure the finalization of the PIL (Passenger Information List).
Let’s get a little more specific. Flying standby is very popular, and from my own experience, I would say that at least one PAD (standby pax) is booked on 90% of flights. Airlines are aware of this and have created a system to determine onload priority. There are lists of codes for this, usually between 001 and 100. The number begins with the airline’s IATA code. For Lufthansa, this would be LH1 to LH100. Depending on who books a standby ticket, the priority is also adjusted. Here is an example list:
| Priority Code | Meaning | Offload Permitted |
|---|---|---|
| LH1 | DeadHead Crew | no |
| LH2 | Management Travel | no |
| … | … | … |
| LH12 | Staff | yes |
| LH13 | Family of Staff | yes |
| LH14 | Star Alliance | yes |
| … | … | … |
| LH61 | Other Airlines | yes |
This information isn’t accurate, and of course I can’t write down every single one of the 100 codes. But this is basically how it works. The first two tickets are duty travel. This means they’re not standby, but they’re not full-price tickets either. A regular ticket if I work for Lufthansa (LH12) has higher priority than LH14 (if I work for Swiss and try to get on a LH flight, for example) if I’m booked on the same flight. If the flight has plenty of space, priority usually doesn’t matter, but things get tricky if the flight is full or overbooked. If two employees are booked on the same flight, the priority group is determined by the employee’s seniority. This would be the joining date.
Now I would like to give you a realistic example of what a long-haul flight can look like. The numbers do not correspond to the truth. Data protection
Lufthansa LH480 Airbus A380-800
08.05.2025 / 11:15 - 13:45 to Denver
| Seats | First | Business | Premium Eco | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 8 | 78 | 52 | 371 |
| Booked | 3 | 64 | 57 | 355 |
| Open Seats | 5 | 14 | -5 | 16 |
However, there are now also employees who would like to fly standby on the flight. These are listed separately on the PAD list. There are also full-paying status guests who would like an upgrade. Upgrades are often only confirmed at the gate. These are also visible on the PAD list. Generally, full-paying passengers always have priority, followed by upgrades (abbreviated as REV), and then the standby passengers.
You won’t believe how quickly booking numbers can change. There are always passengers who are rebooked, sometimes due to cancellations. Some passengers don’t check in, and others check in but don’t show up on the plane. These passengers are called no-shows. For this flight, we assume everyone will arrive at the gate and have checked in.
Now I’ll show you a PAD waiting list as it might look on this flight.
PAD List
| Prio | Code | Name/ Booking | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LH12 | PAX Name | Business |
| 2 | LH12 | PAX Name | Business |
| 3 | LH12 | PAX Name | Business |
| 4 | LH12 | PAX Name | Business |
| 5 | LH13 | PAX Name | Business |
| 6 | LH13 | PAX Name | Business |
| 7 | LH14 | PAX Name | Business |
| 8 | LH14 | PAX Name | Business |
| 9 | LH61 | PAX Name | Business |
| 10 | LH62 | PAX Name | Business |
| 11 | LH62 | PAX Name | Business |
| 12 | LH80 | PAX Name | Business |
| 13 | LH80 | PAX Name | Business |
| 14 | LH99 | PAX Name | Business |
It would be a bit overwhelming to create an even larger list, but even on completely full flights, there are sometimes over 30 people waiting on a flight hoping to get a seat. Sometimes it works out, as connecting flights sometimes arrive late, creating plenty of space.
Not in this case, however. The five overbooked passengers in Premium Economy receive a free upgrade to Business. This leaves only nine seats available in Business. This means that the first nine PADs would have a seat in Business. The other five, however, would not. The airline will decide, but from experience, I can say that the airline will now upgrade five full-paying passengers from Business to First, allowing all PADs to move to Business Class. Generally, PADs cannot book First Class either. This, of course, becomes even more complicated when the flight is almost completely full. Sometimes PADs cannot be taken even though there is still space available. This is because the cargo is already too heavy to accommodate additional PAX. This is particularly frustrating. Sometimes, however, it works, and if all seats are taken, you can still request a jump seat. If you’re lucky, you’ll get one
About emotions
You don’t want to know what it feels like to stand at the gate on a crowded flight, hoping to get on. Some flights have plenty of space, and then within minutes, there’s none. It’s an emotional rollercoaster. Sure, you can try multiple flights, but at some point, you run out of options. You wait at the gate, hoping for missed connections, lost passengers, or simply for luck. Even in the most hopeless scenarios, things can work out!
The advantage and the prices
I suppose that’s the most exciting part. How much do such flights cost? Below is a small list of some STBY tickets from the past. The special thing, as mentioned, is that they are fixed prices. You can cancel the flights at any time free of charge, and if the flight is full and there’s no room, you get your money back. If there’s no room in the booked class and you accept a downgrade, the difference will be refunded.
| Airline | From | To | Class | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lufthansa | Tokyo | Munich | Business | less than 200 EUR |
| Latam | Sao Paolo | Rio | Economy | less than 25 EUR |
| Swiss | New York | Zurich | Business | less than 130 EUR |
| United | Cancun | Newark | Economy | less than 130 USD |
| Condor | Frankfurt | Cancun | Premium Eco | less than 210 EUR |
There are certain routes where load factors are always high, and you should immediately look for alternatives. Cape Town, for example, has one of the highest load factors and is a STBY nightmare. However, I can say from personal experience that I’ve always been able to fly on 95% of my bookings. Sometimes with an upgrade, sometimes with a downgrade, or even a cockpit jump seat
Family members can often receive similar conditions and it is usually possible to name another person who can book the same STBY tickets as the employee.
Waitlist & Confirmed Booking
For the sake of completeness, I should mention that there are also waitlists for confirmed tickets. This means you can book a waitlist ticket, which can be confirmed up until shortly before departure. As soon as it’s confirmed by the airline, you already have a firm ticket and are no longer on the PAD list. This is only slightly more expensive than standby and is less stressful. However, it’s also possible that these tickets won’t be confirmed, and then you’ll have to try your luck again with standby.
That’s it for now. Of course, I could tell you a lot more. However, this is just an overview and not a guide with airline-specific information. I’m also a bit restrictive due to data protection. I hope you found this post interesting!
If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message and I’ll be happy to help 
