How to fly standby › With family and kids

Flying standby with family and kids

The more of you there are, the more free seats you need on the same flight, so a family of four is much harder to get on than one person. Pick emptier flights and decide in advance: sit apart, travel together only, or split up.

Start with the flight: compare estimated open seats before you list.

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Choosing flights

Look for flights with clearly more open seats than you need, and travel on the quietest days. Compare loads first, as in Step 1 of How to fly standby.

Sitting apart or travelling together

Be ready to sit apart. On Alaska Airlines, a party may be split up on board: be ready for that, or choose another flight.
Or travel together only. On Cathay Pacific, you can link your bookings at online check-in so that you fly only if you all get on; the whole group then gets the lowest priority among you. At the Employee Travel counter at Hong Kong airport you can also say which family members should travel if not everyone gets on.

Splitting up with children

Splitting up can raise your chances, but only within the rules. Children under 16 can usually fly on a staff ticket only with an adult on the same type of ticket: on Aer Lingus, for example, and on Avianca the adult must be with them on every segment. Many airlines don't accept unaccompanied children on staff tickets. On some airlines, family members and buddies can fly only together with the employee, as on Pacific Coastal.

If you split up, agree in advance who goes first and where you meet, and keep each child with an adult.

Rules for children and infants differ between airlines and change, and our summary may be inaccurate or out of date. Before you travel with children, check with the staff travel department of every airline on your trip.

Babies and business class

Lap infants. On some airlines you can't add a baby on your lap to the listing in myIDTravel; you add them at the check-in desk and show proof of age, as on Flair Airlines.
Children in business class. Many airlines restrict it: on American, children under 6 aren't allowed in the business cabin; Royal Jordanian doesn't accept families with infants in business.

These are examples, and they may be inaccurate or out of date: check the airline's own rules before you book.

Guests and buddy passes

A buddy pass is a standby ticket your airline lets you give to a friend or relative who isn't on your family list. They're most common at US and Canadian airlines, and each sets its own number of passes and rules.

Your guest goes after you. Buddy pass travellers usually come low on the standby list: on Breeze Airways they list below retirees but above other airlines' staff on ZED tickets.
You answer for your guest. You're responsible for your guest's conduct, and passes can't be sold: in 2019 United fired more than 35 employees for reselling them.
Programs change. Delta stopped issuing new buddy passes from 1 January 2026 and offers a second travel companion instead. At United, employees choose each year between buddy passes and a second Enrolled Friend. At Alaska Airlines, since 2024 you can name up to two people of your choice instead of your parents.
Taxes. In the US, a guest's flight is often taxable income, and it's counted as the employee's income, not the guest's. Check with your staff travel department or a tax adviser.

Buddy pass rules differ between airlines and change, and our summary may be inaccurate or out of date. Check with your airline's staff travel department.

A guest on a buddy pass usually lists below you and your family, so pick a flight with plenty of open seats.

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Questions, answered

Is it easier to fly standby alone or as a family?

Alone: one free seat is easier to find than four. Families can split up to raise their chances, but children under 16 usually have to fly with an adult on the same type of staff ticket, and some airlines let family members fly only with the employee.

Can my children fly standby without me?

Usually not: children under 16 can typically fly on a staff ticket only with an adult on the same type of ticket, and many airlines don't accept unaccompanied children on staff tickets.

Can I give a buddy pass to a friend?

If your airline has buddy passes, yes: you choose the guest, and they fly standby with a lower priority than you. You answer for their conduct, passes can't be sold, and in the US the flight may be taxable income for you. Delta stopped issuing new buddy passes from 2026.

Rules change often and this guide may be out of date. Check with your airline's staff travel department before you travel. Staff Airlines isn't responsible for denied boarding, missed flights or other losses. Found a mistake? Let us know.

Pick the flight, then list

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