Lesser-known Perks for Airline Pilots

(?Aircraft parked at JFK airport. Photography courtesy of Nicole Lund.)It is well known that working as an airline pilot comes with perks. The main perk everyone knows about is the free standby travel for yourself, family, and friends. However, there are several lesser-known perks offered to most airline pilots. Here are 6 additional benefits that come with being an airline pilot. 1. Discounted fares Many airlines allow their employees to purchase confirmed fares for a reduced price. Savings of 20-30% off the base fare are offered to the employee and their direct pass travelers, including spouse, dependents and parents. This is a great benefit, especially when you need to be somewhere and do not have the flexibility that standby travel requires. 2. Interline cruise discounts Airline pilots can get interline discounts on most cruise lines. The discount varies based on the cruise line, date, destination, and ship. The interline cruise rate is better than most other discounts available for a cruise. There are Facebook pages or the website ID90 that are available to discover the various interline-priced cruises. 3. Shipping discounts FedEx gives a generous discount to most airline employees. Make sure to bring your work ID next time you are on your way to the FedEx store to ship an item. 4. Zed Fares Most airlines give the employee and their pass riders access to purchase Zed fares at 6 months of employment. The Zed fare allows the purchase of standby travel on other airlines that have an agreement with the airline you currently work for. Essentially, you pay the taxes and fees associated with the fare and if there is a seat available at the end of boarding, the seat is yours. It is often significantly reduced in price, especially for international fares, compared to buying a confirmed ticket. Additionally, Zed fares typically come with free checked luggage. 5. Discounts at airport stores and restaurants Most airports give pilots and flight attendants a "crew discount" at airport businesses. The discount typically ranges from 10-30% off the original prices. Airline pilots spend a lot of time in airports and on the road; although this discount is small, it does make a difference. 6. Cargo jumpseating Most US airline pilots have an agreement to jumpseat on cargo flights. Some of these cargo carriers even allow offline pilots to jumpseat on international flights. Jumpseating on cargo planes is a huge benefit because most cargo aircraft have three or more jumpseats available to pilots. The benefit of cargo jumpseating is that only pilots can occupy the seats. You are not competing against nearly as many standbys as you would on a passenger airline flight. There are many benefits offered to airline pilots. Many of these are lesser-known perks available to most airline pilots in the United States. These benefits can help save money and are worth looking into once you earn the rank of an airline pilot.