Employee flight benefits?

Each Airline has their own plan.

Most offer a discount. You get the left over seats after the PAYING passengers.

The larger the Airline the better the plan. Do not expect cheap seats at Holiday time. Do not expect cheap seats to the popular destination.

Is it worth it?

Depends on how you can use the plan to travel to the places you want to go. It is a cheap way to scout out places you would not normally travel to.

Every Airline does not have the same plan or destinations.

Plan on travelling during the week on Tuesdays Wednesdays or Thursdays. You too can be affected by weather , flight cancellations or diversions. YOU DO NOT get priority boarding to get back to work. You plan ahead and do not book the last available flight.You are last to board.First to be removed if a paying passenger shows up. You could be left stranded waiting to get home.

It is a benefit that can save you a lot of money if you use it wisely.

The benefits vary by airline. There is no standard.

It used to be a lot easier to fly standby, as there were more open seats. The airlines now do a better job of scheduling, plus regional jets have come on the scene, so they don't have as many open seats as they used to.

For the most part, you get to travel for free on your own airline. Some airlines have agreements with other airlines that let employees get discounted passes on the other airline (however the discount is off the most expensive fare, so it may be a couple of hundred bucks just to hope for a seat and you are at the bottom of the list). Priority is usually given based on seniority, so as a new employee, you will be significantly farther down the list than long-time employees.

I'm not sure if it is really worth it now. Back when my parents started working for the airlines in the '60s, pay was pretty good. This was also before deregulation and airlines trying to undercut each other to sell tickets to every person with a few bucks wanting to go on vacation. Airports were more civilized and they were treated better (by the customers and the airline). Starting pay for the airlines is now pretty crappy and benefits aren't that great either.

Some airline employees may receive free or reduced rate air travel benefits -

With some restrictions, such as "standby - space available only" -

There might be room for you to travel on rainy Tuesday nights...! -

The rest of the time, the airplane is full -

Many airlines now use contractors to replace their own employees -

Employees of catering suppliers, or employees of baggage loading services -

Non-union etc.

So these contractors have no travel benefits since they are NOT airline employees -