ZED with myIDTravel

While AA hopes to take you everywhere you want to go, we realize there could be times when you need another carrier to get you there. Zonal Employee Discounts (ZEDs) are reduced fare standby flights on a variety of other airlines (OALs).

There are two basic steps to complete prior to traveling on most other airlines:

  1. Purchase your electronic ZED ticket through the myIDTravel site.
  2. List for your desired flights on the other airline.
    Note: Exact flight listing procedures and requirements vary by airline.

 

What is myIDTravel?

myIDTravel is an online tool that provides airline retirees with the ability to purchase ZED tickets for personal travel on other airlines 24/7 from anywhere in the world. On myIDTravel you can:

  • View flight options on other airlines
  • See detailed conditions and policies specific to AA retirees
  • Create flight listings
  • Purchase ZED tickets with a credit card
  • Request refunds

 

Finding a carrier who goes to your destination

Start by reviewing the list of airlines we have a ZED agreement with. These are sorted based on the "home" region of the other airline (e.g., U.S., Europe, Middle East).

You can view limited availability information in myIDTravel. The website will display availability of each flight for travel by another airline retiree with a (happy=good), (neutral=fair), (sad=poor) face. If your desired flight has a "sad face" that means the flight is projected to be full. You can still list for that flight, but your chances of getting on are probably slim. It's recommended you choose flights with higher probability. The smiley faces are not 100% reliable, but they provide a general idea of flight loads.

 

 

Travel conditions vary from airline to airline and are subject to change. These conditions include such things as dress code, flight listing, check-in requirements, embargo periods, travel warnings, and free baggage allowances. Additional information, published by each transporting airline, may be found at FlyZED.info.

All ZED airlines are required to grant a free checked baggage allowance of one piece or 23 kg; some allow you to check more at no cost. Airlines are not required to — and most won't — through check bags to your final destination. Bags will be checked only to the first connecting point in your itinerary. Therefore, it is important that you allow sufficient time between connecting flights to claim bags and, if you are making an international connection, proceed through customs/immigration formalities, then proceed to the check-in desk as a locally boarding passenger.

As a standby passenger, you are required to hold documentation for each country along your journey, even if you only intend to pass through.

 

How much will the trip cost?

Fares are determined by the nonstop mileage of each flight segment and the carrier’s fare level. There is also a small fee for using myIDTravel that is applied per coupon issued.

You can see the total cost for each traveler and itinerary including base fare, taxes and myIDTravel fees in the fare information screen of myIDTravel. Find out more about departure taxes in the Q&A - Travel on other airlines

 

Example pricing: A trip on British Airways (BA) from Sydney (SYD) to London Heathrow (LHR) via Singapore (SIN):


 

How to purchase a ZED and list for flights

The procedure for ZED listing varies by carrier, but you always start by purchasing a ZED on myIDTravel.com.

  1. Go to myIDTravel
    Note: In order to validate your eligibility to travel, myIDTravel can only be accessed from Jetnet for ZED ticketing.
  2. Search for your destinations and add them to an itinerary.
    Additional flight details can be displayed by clicking on the Show Details button of each flight on the Flight Schedule Display page.
  3. Purchase an electronic ticket.
    The ticket will show your city pair(s) and have an associated e-ticket number.
  4. Next steps
    Once ticketed, refer to the ID Agreements page of myIDTravel and/or the ZED Agreement Summary, and the flyZED page for the airline on which you intend to travel. There you will find valuable information regarding flight listing (if required), changes, refunds and more.

If your ticket number does not begin with 001, meaning it was issued by the other airline, you are automatically listed for the flight(s), so you’re done.

or

If your ticket begins with 001, meaning it was issued by American, which is generally the case, you may be required to create a flight listing before you check-in. How you make the listing varies by airline, but in most cases, you’ll list via the myIDTravel site. If in myIDTravel, click on the ticket number (either on the confirmation page or in your Travel History) then follow the prompts to create a listing.

or

  • Go to the carriers’ preferred site (such ID90Travel.com) to list on the flight.
    Note: if the airline requires you list via ID90Travel.com, you do not need to create an account to do so. You will find instructions for accessing the ID90Travel flight listing tool with a generic user ID and password in the ZED Agreement Summary and the ID Agreements page of myIDTravel.
    • or
  • List by phone/email.
    • or
  • No listing is accepted in advance of check-in. In such cases you will be required to present your electronic ticket number to the agent at the airport.

Eligibility

  • Retirees of American, Envoy, PSA and Piedmont.
  • Spouse and domestic partner of the retiree.
    • Children must be at least 16 years old to travel without an accompanying adult on other airlines.
    • Some airlines either do not require you to have a ticket issued for your infant or will issue the ticket for you at check-in. If the tool does not allow you to proceed because an infant is selected, go back to the traveler page, uncheck the infant and continue.
  • D2R eligible dependent children under 23 years of age.
  • Parents are eligible for unlimited travel on most airlines, but limited on a handful of carriers. Parents-in-law are not eligible for travel on other airlines.
  • Registered companions are eligible for travel only on American's oneworld partners.

 

Note: All eligible travelers will be shown on the Travel Planner Traveler screen with a Yes indicator for Travel on Other Airlines, except that Registered Companions will be shown with an asterisk (*) indicating their eligibility is limited. In order for your registered travelers to be ticketed for travel on another airline, they should first be eligible for D2R/D2P travel. Therefore, if you have restricted travel on American for your enrolled family members or guests, they will not be eligible for travel on another airline.

 

Managing flights & refunds

Changing a flight in myIDTravel

  • To change the date or flight number (without changing the airline or routing) ticketed, rebook using the existing, unused coupon(s) to list for the new flight and/or date.
    • Note: If your ticket begins with the number “001” you will need to modify your listing with the other airline using basically the same process you followed to make the original flight listing.
  • If you need to change the airline or routing on which you’re listed, you will need to cancel the existing listing and create a new one.
    • Note: Rebooking uses your existing unused coupon(s) to list for a new flight.
  • Some airlines may require you to cancel, refund and then purchase a new ticket.

Get a refund

  • To request a refund go to myIDTravel, choose Travel History, choose your booking reference or ticket number and hit the Refund or Cancel & Refund button.
    • If ticketed by American (i.e., your ticket number begins with 001), the refund will be processed by American in the same time frame as tickets refunded for commercial passengers.
    • If ticketed by Other Airlines (OAL) (i.e., your ticket number does NOT begin with 001), the other airline's refund policy will apply and will vary from carrier to carrier. Refer to the ID Agreements page of that other airline for additional details regarding refunds. Airlines are, however, required to action your refund within 30 days of the request.
  • All refund requests should be processed through the myIDTravel tool. This includes partially used as well as wholly unused tickets.
  • Wholly unused tickets will be refunded in full, including the myIDTravel fee. However, the myIDTravel fee is not refundable for partially used tickets and may take slightly longer to process.

Note: We encourage you to purchase a single ticket for each leg of your itinerary to ensure you receive the full refund (i.e., the fare, taxes, and the myIDTravel fee) of any segments you do not actually fly.

  • You have 90 days from the date of issue to rebook your flight before your ticket is no longer valid. Tickets issued by American (ticket number beginning with 001) should be submitted for a refund within one (1) year of the date issued. The policies of the other airline will apply if your ticket was issued by another airline (ticket numbers not beginning with 001).

 

Additional points to consider:

Valid class
On most airlines, you are eligible for travel in Economy class only. myIDTravel will automatically default to ZED (R2 Standby), Economy class. If you change the default to something other than ZED (R2 Standby)/Economy class on most airlines you will not get eligible flights to select from.

  • ZED (R2 Standby)/Business class is valid for travel on Alaska Airlines only.

Be responsible for your eligible travelers
Every privilege comes with responsibility. Please remember, as set out in the Travel Guide, you are responsible for the actions of your eligible travelers. American's rules of conduct and the travel conditions of the ticketed airline apply to all eligible travelers. Keep your electronic ticket number handy as you and your eligible travelers will need to provide it to the transporting airline upon request to assist with flight listing or flight accommodation.

When to purchase tickets
While you can usually plan only a few hours in advance of the flight you intend to take, most airlines allow you to purchase your passes as early as 90 days in advance of your travel.

Connecting/Transiting
Standby travelers are considered locally boarding passengers when they are changing planes and/or airlines en route. This means you must have all the proper documents to enter each country along your journey, including countries in which you intend only to connect. Additionally, you must allow sufficient time between connecting flights to claim bags and, if you are making an international connection, to proceed through customs/immigration formalities, and check in for the next flight in your itinerary.

Codeshare flights
Our interline travel agreements are negotiated between American and the airline operating the flight. To avoid being denied boarding, you need to use a ticket under the conditions of our agreement with the airline that operates the flight, not the airline that markets the flight in the case of a codeshare arrangement.

  • To report a problem with the myIDTravel site, please send an email to myidtravel@aa.com