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Grab A Free Air Ticket
I have read many stories about free air tickets over the years. But these stories are becoming even more prominent due to the credit crunch. I have a hunch that some of these advertisements could be scams.
However, if you scoured through travel sites and travel forums, stories abound of people who have actually travelled free. There are some straightforward ways you can get a free air ticket. This is mainly through credit card free-ticket promotions and free tickets offered after you accumulate enough travel airmails.
Some newspaper travel supplements often cite courier flights that offer cut-price tickets in return for delivering a parcel as a way to snap up bargains. Yet finding them is virtually impossible. Indeed people have now made it a cash cow scheme. There are websites that charge you for information on how you can find websites and bucket shops offering these free tickets at a nominal fee of around 10 pounds.
The story goes that the courier company buys an economy (coach) class airfare. They then resell the ticket to you and, in exchange for your luggage space, give you a discount on the airfare. The courier company uses your luggage space for the material it is shipping. A representative from the courier company would usually meet you at the airport to give you shipping papers and instructions.
On arrival at your destination, another courier representative will meet you so that you can hand over the papers. You are not allowed to see or touch the shipment or luggage. I have done some online sleuthing on this and looks like there is unverified information confirming the existence of this scheme.
The other less intriguing route to a free ticket is by way of coupons. This is more common in the USA. It is reported that if a flight is overbooked and everyone shows up, airlines offer financial incentives for passengers who voluntarily opt to remain behind.
Some travellers have learnt how to take advantage of such situations by registering their interest at the check in desk. If there are no volunteers, just before boarding, the airline representatives will announce that the plane is oversold and ask if anyone wants to step off. People with the most flexible schedules can agree to fly later on an indirect flight leaving their seats to others. To thank you, apparently,the airline will typically reward you with airline ticket coupons worth hundreds of dollars to be used later but not on your current trip.
While you are pondering about whether to go hunting for free air tickets, I would like to enlighten you on how tickets and passengers are classified by the travel industry. You might have come across this social stratification when reading the small prints on the reverse of your air tickets or when calculating your air miles.
Revenue Passengers
Examples of revenue passengers:
(1) Passengers traveling on publicly available tickets
(2) Passengers traveling on frequent flyer awards
(3) Passengers traveling on barter tickets
(4) Infants traveling on confirmed-space tickets
(5) Passengers traveling on vouchers as compensation for denied boarding or passengers traveling free in response to consumer complaints or claims
(6) Passengers traveling on preferential fares (Government, seamen, military, youth, student and others)
No revenue Passengers
A Nonrev or Non-rev, in airline parlance, is short for a non-revenue passenger. Typically this refers to an airline employee, or family member of an airline employee, who is utilizing their travel benefits to fly on a standby basis at no cost, or at a substantially reduced cost.
Examples of nonrevenue passengers when traveling free or pursuant to token charges
(1) Directors, officers, employees, and others authorised by the air carrier operating the aircraft
(2) Directors, officers, employees, and others authorised by the air carrier or another air carrier traveling pursuant to a pass interchange agreement
(3) Travel agents being transported for the purpose of familiarising themselves with the carrier's services
(4) Witnesses and attorneys attending any legal investigation in which such carrier is involved
(5) Persons injured in aircraft accidents, and physicians, nurses, and others attending such persons
(6) Any persons transported with the object of providing relief in cases of general epidemic, natural disaster, or other catastrophe
(7) Any law enforcement official, including any person who has the duty of guarding government officials who are traveling on official business or traveling to or from such duty
(8) Guests of an air carrier on an inaugural flight or delivery flights of newly- acquired or renovated aircraft
(9) Security guards who have been assigned the duty to guard such aircraft against unlawful seizure, sabotage, or other unlawful interference
(10) Safety inspectors of the National Transportation Safety Board or the FAA in their official duties or traveling to or from such duty
(11) Postal employees on duty in charge of the mails or traveling to or from such duty
(12) Technical representatives of companies that have been engaged in the manufacture, development or testing of a particular type of aircraft or aircraft equipment, when the transportation is provided for the purpose of in-flight observation and subject to applicable FAA regulations
(13) Persons engaged in promoting air transportation
(14) Air marshals and other Transportation Security officials acting in their official capacities and while traveling to and from their official duties
(15) Other authorized persons, when such transportation is undertaken for promotional purpose. This list is not exhaustive and is provided for illustrative purposes only
I wish you happy ticket hunting.If you a re not the gullible type, book your holiday early through a travel agent.
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