Good Luck Getting Back From Europe, American Airlines Tells Non-Rev Passengers

American Airlines told its own employees not to give out their so-called Buddy Passes to friends and family because of the high chance of them being stranded abroad.

Along with getting generous travel benefits that allow them to fly for a nominal sum, employees at American Airlines can also gift Buddy Passes to friends and family which allows them to fly for a fraction of the price of a normal ticket

If there is one going spare on the plane, employees and their friends and family will only get a seat on the plane if they have a buddy pass.

Buddy Passes are assigned a D3 priority which means that other passengers are prioritized first. Buddy Pass holders can be left behind when there are only a few spare seats.

European tourist hot spots include Barcelona, Dublin, Madrid, Paris and Rome. According to an internal memo sent to AA employees on Wednesday, no D3 guest was accommodated during the last few days.

Employees have been told to avoid giving out Buddy Passes for these cities due to overcrowding and delays.

Employees are reminded of the risks of flying at the D3 priority in the memo.

The warning doesn't include AA's own employees but an embargo on all non-rev travelers remains in force at London's Heathrow Airport because of ongoing staff shortages.

The embargo was first put in place on July 25.

Robert Isom said last week that the airline's recovery was being driven by the strong demand environment. An average load factor of 87% was reported by American Airlines.

As an international flight attendant, Maszczynski worked at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying for a well-known European airline. He is an expert in passenger experience and human-centered stories. Some of the biggest names in journalism rely on Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage often.