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This article was first published business insider.
Hollywood, step aside, we have something new. Nepobaby city.
Joshua Crawford, 23, who works at a grocery store in Los Angeles and just graduated from college with a degree in marketing, calls himself the “airline Nepobaby.”son of an employee who worked at united airlines For more than 30 years, Crawford has been able to fly for free, be upgraded to business class and book last-minute vacations to destinations like Tokyo.
Crawford gave a glimpse of that. travel benefits He enjoys February 28th tick tock It has been viewed over 4.8 million times.
Policies regarding relatives of employees vary by airline. At United Airlines, children of airline employees typically lose privileges when they turn 26. But that’s not the case with Crawford. That’s because Crawford is listed as the father’s primary companion.
“I’m very grateful,” he said.
Standby flying is not as dangerous as you think.
In 2016, Crawford was planning a trip to Coachella, a music festival held in the California desert, when she began to realize how lucky she was.
According to Google Flights, a flight from New Jersey, where Crawford grew up, to Los Angeles or Palm Springs can cost as much as $450 round-trip, a price he and his sister didn’t have to factor in.
“We have an aunt who lives in California, so we just stayed at her house,” he said. “We were like, ‘Wow, all we have to do is pay for the wristbands and we can go to Coachella.'”
Crawford will fly domestic flights free of charge as he travels on standby. This means that seats are not assigned until closer to the flight’s departure time.
Thanks to Crawford’s status as “airline Nepobaby,” he booked cheap last-minute holidays to Sydney and Paris.Provided by Joshua Crawford, via BI
Crawford said she doesn’t always get the flight she wants. Even though the previous flight was full, there were times when he had to wait at the gate for a later available flight.
But Crawford argues that such situations rarely occur because people have learned to avoid certain routes and major airports during peak travel seasons.
Instead of flying directly from Los Angeles to New York during the December break, Crawford typically makes a layover in Denver to secure a seat.
“Basically, once you learn your route, you realize there are a lot of other options,” he says.
It also doesn’t hurt that Crawford’s father knows useful behind-the-scenes information, such as how many seats are available on the plane, months before departure.
“I usually don’t go on flights where I’m likely to be offloaded on the next flight,” he said. “It also depends a lot on your seniority in the company. My father has been at United for quite some time now, so I’m definitely a higher priority and I’m very grateful to him. .”
Last-minute jet departures to destinations like Sydney, Tokyo and Paris
These days, Crawford often takes long trips without prior planning. Bookings can be made at any time, but “official” reservations are not given until about a month before the trip.
Crawford said she has booked last-minute trips to destinations such as Japan, Australia and Europe over the past year.
By learning the best flight routes, Crawford was able to avoid the risk of having to fly on hold.Provided by Joshua Crawford, via BI
“I went to Australia by myself a few months ago,” he said. “I like to go on little solo trips, and I planned it probably about two weeks before I went.”
Crawford said he recently celebrated his birthday by booking a quick trip to Paris a week before takeoff.
Mr. Crawford must pay taxes when he books a flight out of the country. However, it is usually a fraction of the ticket price.
“It’s up to the country,” he said. “For example, I was leaving Japan and it cost me about $70 to get home.”
Benefits also apply to upgrades to Business Class
Paying little to fly isn’t the only perk Crawford gets as an airline Nepobaby.
Given his father’s long career at United, Crawford said he had a high priority when he became free. Upgrade to business class Available.
known as PolarisPremium cabins feature spacious pods with seats that convert into flat beds and amenities such as eye serums, facial sprays, and hand creams.
Crawford once received a free upgrade to a business class cabin on United Airlines Polaris.Provided by Joshua Crawford, via BI
Crawford said the upgrade has helped alleviate jet lag.
“I flew from Los Angeles to Sydney and it was about a 16-hour flight. I was at North Star the whole way there and back,” he said. “There’s a big difference between sitting in the middle seat in economy and when the plane is upgraded.”
As a recent college graduate, he said he wouldn’t have been able to afford to fly business class otherwise.
“Round-trip business class tickets on long-haul flights can cost upwards of $15,000,” Crawford said. “Graduating from college is crazy for me with student loans and trying to find a job. You can do a lot with $15,000.”
Crawford also said on his TikTok that he easily passes through security and immigration when leaving and re-entering the United States.
He told BI that while benefits such as Global Entry and TSA pre-screening are not “completely free,” they do qualify for a discount on the application fee (usually $100). Because of my father’s job.