Gadling

I've traveled on a buddy pass three times now, always between Denver and Berlin. The first time things couldn't have gone better for me. I got on all the flights I was supposed to get on and flew business class from JFK to TXL. While there we decided to ad another couple days to our trip, no problem. Flew back the day we wanted on the one flight a day from TXL to JFK then on to ATL and finally home to DEN. Don't ask me how but I was in business the first leg and first the last leg. I declared my love for the buddy pass then, less than half the price of a coach seat and flew mostly in first/business.

The next time didn't go quite so well. Got there no problem, business class again from JFK to TXL. Getting home was another story. The weather was bad in NY which meant lots of delays and cancelations. I ended up stuck in ATL for an extra day, luckily I had friends I could call to stay with in the middle of the night.

The third time is when it got really bad. I couldn't make it out of Berlin and after trying for two days I decided to get on a train and head to Dusseldorf. I was the LAST person on the plane to ATL the next day. I was just happy to be there! ATL, I've always disliked that airport but this trip really made me hate it. I get to the gate for our Denver flight and I'm number 60 or so on standby with about 10 open seats... not going to happen but I wait anyways. After waving goodbye to several Denver flights I call it a day and book a hotel for the night. Next day... watched three Denver flights pull away from the gate before giving up and booking another hotel.

All told I probably spent more that time than if I would have just booked a seat in coach. The good thing about it though is I got to take the ICE train all the way across Germany, had a GREAT meal at an italian restaurant in Dusseldorf and got to see friends in ATL. As long as you're flexible, buddy passes are great.

Reply