Ronda

I am trying to find flights (D1) for my daughter. Getting to CDG from SJC July 25 doesn't look like a problem but returning from CDG on Aug. 1 is. I have checked DFW, and ORD - pretty full, and JFK looks like the best bet. Any ideas? I have told her this is not a good idea for that time of year but she insists she wants to go with us (we have tickets). Thanks.

Robert2533

It's a bad time of the year for flying standby. Flights to Europe in July and August are overbooked. Your daughter may end up waiting for quite some time for an empty seat.

British Air, American and Continental are showing coach seats available on 1 August. British Air flies through Chicago, American through DFW and Continental's connection is through LAX. The least expensive coach R/T fare on those dates is $1135 on BA.

Gretchen

If she is going to do it then she'll have to be ready to leave when there is a seat available--early or later. Have some alternative hotel plans. Does she have the capability (financially and employee-wise) to purchase reduced rate tickets on other airlines? She would have to fly standby that way also, however.

Ronda

Thanks for your input. Yes, we have kicked around many different ideas. It looks like the flights from Heathrow are less crowded than those from CDG but we would have to figure out how to get her to Heathrow. I am wondering if it is possible to purchase a ticket between Paris and arrive in Heathrow. Otherwise, she would have to figure out how to get from one airport to the other.

I haven't looked at Brussels yet but she could take the fast train to Brussels and I know there is a train directly to the airport so that might be a possibility. Just thought maybe someone had a creative idea or had perhaps tried doing this.

111op

"I am wondering if it is possible to purchase a ticket between Paris and arrive in Heathrow."

Of course -- try flybmi.com .

In fact, I've noticed that Orbitz and Expedia will allow you to price LHR/CDG. You can get options from Air France and BA, etc. if you do it this way.

Needless to say, there's the train also.

I don't think that there's a train that goes directly from CDG to the airport in Brussels, but I could be mistaken. I suspect that you need to switch trains (in Paris, at Gare du Nord and at Midi in Brussels). But someone else will correct me if I'm mistaken.

111op

By the way, it's a pretty standard trick that getting to LHR is usually cheaper. But obviously you waste some time going between LHR and your final destination.

Still, it's always worth a try, especially if the tickets end up being much cheaper.

You can even try an alternative airport by checking whichbudget.com -- but of course, then there's more time wasted getting from one airport to another.

rkkwan

I don't quite understand what the question is. 7/25-8/1 SJC-CDG, you can find many airlines have seats. BA, DL, AF, AA, etc... all from around $1,250.

If you are willing to pay that fare, I don't see what the problem is. Breaking up the trip into several tickets may not save you much, or any, money at all.

Unless I'm missing something, like what's " (D1) " in the first sentence?

AAFrequentFlyer

<b>rkkwan</b>,

I was wondering the same thing, unless the OP or her daughter are AA employees.

dorkforcemom

D1 is a category for non-revenue passengers (employees of airlines or their family) for American Airlines. I'm a little puzzled about why this is posted on this travel forum - I imagine most readers of this forum are revenue passengers.

BeachBoi

Ronda...Does your daughter not have access to the Employee Only website?I am sure a fellow employee would be happy to help her.That is where she will find the answer to any question she has regarding pass travel.I hope this helps....Stephen

rkkwan

Now, that makes a lot more sense. Since AA has a lot more flights from LHR than CDG, it's definitely much easier for her to get on an employee pass from there... 111op already gave info about how to get there.

Gretchen

Is the daughter or parent an employee or is this a ticket she purchased with an employee?
Going to another airport could be the answer--or it could just be the same thing in another place. And I hate to bring it up, but it may even be a moot point by July 25. The outgoing flight may be full--you just NEVER know.
The train to the Brussels airport would be fine since they are IN Paris and can get it there.

Bill_I

We have flown a number of times to Europe &amp; back on employee passes, but it has always been in May or early June. It has been abit touchy for availability then. Not saying it can't be done at the times you are trying, but we never tried it. We monitor the load factors of all the various flights &amp; determine which flights we might be able to get on. We have never been stranded, but there have been a number of times we didn't get on the flights we planned on. Our experiences are such that we were never able to get directly to Paris. We have flown to Brussels &amp; with discounted tickets then flown from Brussels to Paris. We have flown to Frankfurt, when combined with a trip to Munich, &amp; we had rail passes to get us to Paris &amp; Munich. We have almost always been able to get into Heathrow, although 1 time we flue into Glasgow &amp; took the train to London. We have flown to London &amp; purchased discount tickets to Oslo &amp; from Copenhagen for a Scandinavian visit. But we have never been able, at those times, to go directly from Chicago to Europe, we usually went to Dulles &amp; went from there. Although, once in a great while, we were able to get directly back to Chicago. We always have other options in mind, if we can't get on the flights we want, sometimes it is on a later flight, sometimes it is on a flight with a different destination in the US, sometimes it is get to a different city in Europe for a flight to the US, sometimes it is what can we do for the night to get back to the airport tomorrow &amp; try again(haven't had to use that one yet). It can be nerve racking but we got back every time. &amp; It gets on your nerves until you fly out &amp; then the night before you fly back, but in between you are enjoying your trip you don't think about it.

Bill_I

Another thing I forgot to mention, is how much senority does your daughter have? There may or may not be other people on the standby list that day competing for the same seats, if any, &amp; usually the seats are given to standbys by senority. We have gotten on flights even if they are shown over booked. But you are only looking for 1 open seat, &amp; if she is indeed an employee, she may not be limited to just coach seats, but also may be able to go on business class(777's are especially good for this). In fact most of the time we have gone, coach has been full but we have gotten on the flight with no problems because business class is available. If she is abit free wheeling &amp; not worried about getting on the same flight as you, or seeing you leave on flight that she can't get on but able to get on a later flight, I say give it a try. But make sure you think about options.

Ronda

Thank you, Bill, for the info. My daughter is the registered companion of our unmarried pilot son and is going to use a D1 pass. I just wish she had decided to go when I asked her last year when I got our tickets. The fares are really too high for us now. I will re-read this thread to see what I can gleen from it.

Checking the employee website - good idea - I'll have my soon do that.

Paris to Brussels Airport - take the TGV to the main station in Brussels, change to one going to the airport. Easy.

Thanks 111op, I'll check it out.

Ronda

Bill, thanks for the tip on business class. I had my son look at the flights from CDG again and while several of the flights are oversold in coach, business/1st class is not at all full.

She plans to arrive at CDG with all flight options printed out, and wait around as long as it takes to get back. We need to find a hotel close to the airport just in case she has to spend the night.

Sorry if some of you don't think this is a relevant question for this board, however, I did try to clue people in with the word &quot;Standby&quot;.

jlillberto

When I worked for United and travelled on my passes, I knew just were to look to see the true loads and I'll bet your son does too or can find out how. Also, it's way too soon to start checking loads. They change drastically the week or two before each flight. I hope she is mature and resourceful enough to deal with standby options. I wouldn't have ever tried, as an employee, to fly standby to Europe in July. This is really something her brother should help her with. He has many more resources, as an employee, to help her with this.

Judy

Gretchen

I'm not sure how it works for AA but we always list ourselves for first/business. She should do that I would think. Being on a pilot's list should give her a good chance at getting into first class (poor baby!!). Bill is correct--those seats are often not sold out and are often filled by standbys (in our experience). I would also think she would need his access to the employee site (employee number and password?) to be able to check the availability of seats--both going and returning--so she will have an idea of her possibilities. Our daughter checked our status while in Paris (at an internet cafe) and we stayed an extra day for a better chance of getting on a flight (this is with CO). With CO you can also check the standby list for where you will fit with the employee's seniority and hence your probability of getting on. Sorry if this is &quot;preaching to the choir&quot; with info you already know or is not applicable with AA.

rkkwan

AA has only two flights out of BRU each day. One 763 to ORD, another 763 to JFK.

LHR has 2 dailys to BOS, 5 to ORD, 2 to LAX, 1 to MIA, &amp; 6 to JFK. All on 777s. If I need to standby on a flight back from Europe to the US on AA, that's where I'd go.

Bill_I

IMHO rkkwan is right on. That is why we have flown standby out of Dulles. The airline we fly, has 4 or 5 flights into Dulles from Chicago, if those are full there are many flights into DCA, or BWI, &amp; then get ground transport to Dulles from those. Flying in &amp; out of Dulles always gave us more options for destinations &amp; in the number of flights to Europe, spread out over enough period of time so that you can get another flight if not your first. Direct from Chicago did not have as many flights to Europe &amp; most of the flights to the various destinations were all bunched around the same departure time, so if you didn't get one 1, you did not have time to make it to another. While returning to Chicago, we had the choice of trying for the non-stop, or if didn't make those, still had the option of going to Dulles. London usually has many more flights spread out over time, to give you options. Maybe check into cheap flights from Paris to LHR. I don't know if this still takes place, but years back, employees from 1 airline, could purchase discounted travel industry tickets on other, non-related airlines, to fly on those airlines on standby. You still were flying standby, but since you paid some money for those tickets, you would be boarded ahead of most, if not all, non-revenue people. But I think that now you can get cheap enough tickets, with positive space, from Paris to London, that I wouldn't chance the standby. Or maybe just monitor the flights as the time gets closer &amp; take a chance out of Paris, if things look right to you.