EK Benefit Questions

[Alvord]

I have a few benefit questions regarding EK vacation and EK travel benefits for my family. If anyone can has some insight for me it would be greatly appreciated.

-With 42 days leave how many days in a row can be taken at one time?
-Does EK schedule your roster around vacation or are can bid to maximize your vacation time (if vacation touches a trip does the trip drop off)?
-Do parents and wife get unlimited travel on the EK system?
-What do inlaws/siblings get for travel benefits?
-Any passes for friends?

Thanks for any info.

[tbaylx]

You can usually get up to 21 days in a row of vacation and a few days off on either side as well, so approx 25 days off in a row.

They will usually assign 2 days off on either side of your vacation, and you can bid for more, but the problem is that by the time you find out if you got the days or not, you've already had to book your confirmed leave ticket so you either have to assume you'll get the days and book it or assume you won't get them and book it for 2 days before your vacation starts and deal with what you actually get when your sked comes out.

Wife and kids get unlimited travel, parents get 2 tickets a year on EK (one confirmed, the other standby) but unlimited z fares on other carriers that allow parents. Parents inlaw and immediate siblings are entitled to 2 tickets/year as well.

As for buddy passes they have something called wider eligibility tickets that they make available on some routes at certain times of the year that friends may be eligible for, but rarely on the routes you need at the time you want, so effectively no buddy passes.

That about covers it i think, the pass system isn't bad compared to some airlines, and alot worse compared to others. The major issue being here that all the damn flights are full making it really tough getting on standby unless you are pretty flexible with times/dates.

[kingpost]

"if vacation touches a trip does the trip drop off?"

Even just asking that question means that you're in for a very big surprise.

[330 Man]

Alvord,
As kingpost says, you will be in for a big surprise. You will never get a trip that touches your leave days. there is no such thing as "trips missed" or any other phrase for getting paid for not flying a trip.

Coming from the states you will find the Staff travel very different and expensive. Family can fly unlimited numbers of trips . But you only get your ALT (annual leave ticket) for free, every other ticket you use for staff travel you pay for. Mostly ID 90 prices, but some are less than that depending on where you are going. We also have positive space tickets that are more expensive, but it is a guaranteed seat. These are not available on all flights though. If a flight always fills up, you will not get positive space. At my last company I paid $125 a year for unlimited travel for the family. Here I pay more than that for one trip. It is different, but it is a small price to pay for job security. If you are thinking about commuting FORGET IT! Very few make it work.

330 Man

[Alvord]

Thanks for the info on travel benefits. I appreciate you taking the time.
Alvord

[atiuta]

TBAYLX referred to wider eligibility tickets and buddies in the same sentence. He also stated that effectively there are no buddy passes.

Wider eligibility is designed for the likes of your favorite aunts/uncles, sister-in-law etc. You can be very sure that unless your best buddy is related in some way, then wider eligibility will not apply to them.

Staff travel in EK is very different and probably more expensive than other airlines (read US). But at least the airline will still be around to carry you, flies (in my case) to where I need to go and my family and I get to travel in the sharp end.

In my situation, EK provide one of the best staff travel packages going.

[wingslow]

The main issue is seniority. Great staff travel if you have a low seniority number!:cool: