Who should be denied cheap flight set up?

[Wayda]

My younger brother is a pilot. For 5+ years I have been lucky enough to get access to very discounted cheap flights. Appreciate that. Has helped my child and I experience many things we simply would not be able to otherwise (single mum). My brother recently mentioned that I along with our other brother need to figure out who will keep the cheap flights. Pilot brother has 5 spots which he can divvy out. He has recently become serious with a girlfriend who he wants to give the discount to.

My brother (not the pilot) is on a far higher salary than me and does not have kids. Yes, he travels more than me but that is due to him having the time to do so. This brother also loaned my younger brother some money to live off whilst training so I think feels entitled to the discounts. He probably earns £80k. Anyway, when we met at the weekend he told me “you had a good run”! The cheek! Assuming I should give up my spot.

Parents witnessed this and did not say anything about their spots. If I were them I would try and help out a single mother. I know it may seem entitled but I’m more hurt by the lack of consideration.

AIBU?

Do you think he means that you had a good run of having 2 of the spots (you and your child), and now you are down to 1 and he also has 1? If so that seems totally fair to me, you've just been lucky the last few years that you got 2. You seem to be annoyed that pilot brother has left it to the two of you to sort out, but it sounds like even if he'd made the decision himself, the only decision you'd have been happy with is that you retained both spots!

Also if other brother travels a lot more than you, presumably he's making more use more of the 'benefit' and getting better value from the discount. If I were pilot brother I'd want as much advantage to be taken as possible of the perk, so giving it to someone who rarely flies wouldn't seem to make much sense to me.

She won't save the money of the accomodation if she goes on the holiday?

I mean fair enough if that's what you think. But I'm just going on what the OP has actually said.

Surely the only fair thing is for your child to give up her spot then you and your brother both get cheap flights? You’ll just need to pay for your child

Just plan it so you’re on it at different times! 5 spots is generous so I can pretty much guess which airline he flies for and you can change nominees pretty easily so have a discussion about when each of you wants to go away and pilot brother if he’s generous can chop and change who’s on it when!

Be grateful your brother generously allowed you and your son this opportunity for so long. Sounds like it's established feelings of entitlement and jealousy amongst his siblings so probably best he gives the opportunity to completely impartial people from now; if you haven't worked for it yourself its not yours to expect a benefit.

@countcalculia I seriously love that expression

Usually with airlines you can swap staff discount around every 6-12 months so a rota based system would be ideal. Assuming either your parents or brother give up their spot completely for you is unreasonable.

This is what I was trying to work out. Does a 'spot' mean one flight a year? Or is it as many times as you want? If so, how many holidays is the OP going on a year? Surely she can find at least one time a year where she could use either one of the parents' spots or the brother's for a specific holiday when noone else is going anywhere.

They can't all be flying at the same time all year.

Which one sorry?

@countcalculia don't praise yourself to randoms

I'm loving the number of people commenting who aren't reading the multiple posts from airline staff explaining how it works. And it's been correctly pointed out that she cannot travel with her on a non confirmed staff ticket and her child on a full fare because the child's booking won't be allowed without an accompanying adult (assuming a young child).

For what it's worth, when I had to make this choice I gave it to the person who would make most use of it, which sounds like the brother by far.

Oh I see! 😁

Yes, she's saying she won't be able to afford the holidays they go on without the two discounts.

So she should go on holidays that she can afford with one discount. It's still better than the no discounts she wants her brother to have.

If she can’t afford the holidays without the discounts, then she needs to look at alternatives. Ie. Cheaper holidays.

Or Butlins/haven/parkdean/sun£9.50/camping/ferry to France.

As I said fair enough if you think that.

I was just basing it on OP saying without the discounts for both flights she wouldn't be able to have any holidays. So in that case having one discount is not better than none if (as she has said) she will not be able to use the discount at all.

She means abroad. The sun £9.50 would be a week for the same price or less than the hotel the flights won’t be covering.

Well yes, but unless she will be flying to those places she won't be getting any benefit from the discount spot.

Well indeed bur the point was she could afford holidays.Just not those abroad as only flights are free/cheap. The hotel will still cost her.

Yes, I know. I'm responding to posters saying she should have one spot as can just go on less/cheaper holidays. Unless she is flying to The Sun £9.50 holiday I'm not sure it makes much sense for her to have one spot.

What a shame.

A nice thing and it looks like you are all going to fall out over it.

I mean they do have places abroad 😅

That's a great option.. no drama

The point I was responding to was her having one spot. I don't think it makes any sense if she can make no use of it as she has stated.

Oh do they?! I had no idea! Well, maybe that's an option for the OP! 😂