Staff ticket prices: ZED, ID90 and MIBA explained

ZED fares

ZED (Zonal Employee Discount) is the interline staff travel agreement that lets airline staff travel on each other's flights for leisure at a discount. ZED travel is priced as a fixed amount per flight segment, so a trip with a connection counts as two segments. The amount depends on two things:

• The zone, set by the distance of the flight: there are 9 zones, from short hops to the longest routes.
• The level, ZED Low, Medium or High. The level changes the price, and two airlines choose it in their agreement; you don't pick it.

The same agreement also says whether you fly standby or confirmed, and in which cabin. Taxes and fees come on top: base fares follow the ZED/MIBA Interline Staff Travel Agreement, with taxes and fees added, as Pacific Coastal Airlines explains in its rules. Some airlines set their own rules for children: on Kuwait Airways, children under 12 pay 67 percent of the adult zone fare.

MIBA: duty travel

MIBA works with the same zones but is for duty travel, when you fly for your airline's business. MIBA tickets are often confirmed bookings: on Africa World Airlines, for example, a confirmed booking such as MIBA that you don't cancel before departure can't be refunded.

ID90, ID75 and ID50

ID stands for Industry Discount, and the number is the discount in percent off the full economy fare: ID90 means you pay 10 percent of it. Taxes are paid in full. Usually ID90 is a standby ticket and ID50 a confirmed one, but every airline has its own rules.

R1, R2, S1 and S2

Staff tickets carry a code for the kind of trip and your booking right. R is leisure travel and S is duty travel; 1 means a confirmed seat (booking right) and 2 means standby. The code tells the airline how to handle you when things go wrong:

• On Royal Jordanian, R1 tickets are rebooked on the next flight if there's space in your booking class; R2 tickets get no rebooking, rerouting or care.
• On Eurowings, confirmed R1 and S1 tickets can check in online and at kiosks, while standby R2 tickets check in only in the app or at the airport.

No-shows on confirmed bookings usually cost you: on Sunrise Airways, cancel confirmed space at least 72 hours before departure or you lose the right to a refund.

Refunds

Unused staff tickets can usually be refunded, but each airline sets its own deadlines:

• Helvetic Airways: bookable tickets are fully refundable until 4 days before departure.
• Air France: cancel confirmed leisure tickets at least 10 days before long-haul flights (zones 4 to 9) or 5 days before European and domestic flights (zones 1 to 3).
• Alaska Airlines: ask for a change or refund in the same tool your ticket was issued in, ID90 Travel or myIDTravel.

Business class on standby

Many airlines sell standby tickets in business class if your airline's agreement includes it, but there are far fewer business seats than economy seats, so they're harder to get. Check the rules first:

Before you book

• Royal Jordanian: issue a standby business ticket at least a day before departure.
• Brussels Airlines: book in the right booking class, I for business, R for premium economy and X for economy.
• Finnair: only one listing per flight, so you can't hold both economy and business on the same flight.

If you end up in economy

• Royal Jordanian: if business is full and you fly economy, you can ask for a downgrade refund.
• Air India: if you hold a standby or confirmed business ticket and aren't accepted in business, you may request a refund of the difference.

What's different

• Etihad: subload business bookings are ticketed in economy with a business upgrade code.
• Virgin Australia: a standby business ticket doesn't include lounge access.