What are non-rev passengers?

Non-rev passengers (also referred to as standby passengers, non-rev pax or nonrevs) are passengers who fly on discounted tickets. These tickets are sometimes called ID90 (for 90% discount) or ZED (for Zonal Employee Discount) tickets. In other words: non-rev passengers are passengers who are not producing revenue for the airline.

See below for the benefits and downsides of non-rev tickets.

Non-rev, ID90, ISA, GP, ZED and IPB are some of the abbreviations used for non-revenue airline travel, also referred to as staff travel. Non-revenue tickets are used by (retired) airline employees, travel industry employees, their family members or close friends (often called "buddy passes"). These tickets can be purchased at a fraction of the costs of a standard ticket, but are only granted if there are unsold seats available. They are used extensively throughout the airline industry.

We have created the StaffTraveler app to enable you to check the non-rev loads for the flights you wish to travel on. With our advanced flight search engine, you can easily find the perfect flights to your destination. With one tap, you can request the loads of all the possible flights. People at the airlines you wish to travel with will answer your requests, enabling you to choose the perfect route and time to travel. Join our 925,000 members today.

People who work for an airline often have the benefit of being eligible for non-rev travel. Depending on their airline's policy, their family members and friends can join them on their flights for the same, low fee.

Freedom and flexibility! That is how most airline employees would praise non-rev travel. We can travel the world at severely reduced prices. Also, we can change our plans at any time as non-rev tickets are as flexible as it gets: they're valid for months and can be cancelled for free.

If the flight is full, we don't get on board. Often, this is decided at the very last moment. On busy routes, flights may be overbooked for days.

At StaffTraveler, we decided to make your non-rev trips easier and less stressful by getting you in touch with the people who can look up the number of available seats. For the first time, you can accurately estimate your chances of getting onboard, by having access to accurate, reliable flight loads.

It depends on your airline's agreements with other airlines. There may be many other airlines that you can purchase non-rev tickets for. Please check with your airline which agreements they have made.

This also depends on your airline. myIDTravel is a popular choice for airlines, but your airline might have a proprietary system. Please ask your airline if you are unsure about booking your non-rev tickets.

Please note that myIDTravel indicates the loads in a funny way, based on smileys. These indications are not exact and have proven to be unreliable. We've got your back: you can request exact and reliable flight loads with our StaffTraveler app.

We wrote a blog with the 10 golden rules of non-rev travel.