My first experience flying non-revenue

16JUN US 2570 TRI-CLT 544A 630A CRJ-200 Seat 8F Exit
16JUN US 3921 CLT-CHS 735A 827A CRJ-200 Seat 7D

17JUN US 1818 CHS-CLT 715A 819A ERJ-190 Row 26 all to myself
17JUN US 4141 CLT-TRI 924A 1021A Dash 8-300 Row 12 all to myself

When I first decided to try my hand at non-revenue flying, I thought it might turn out to be an adventure of sorts, flying space available only, perhaps being denied along the way due to full flights.  I had also heard that treatment of non-revenue passengers could be negative.

However, I am happy to report that this little adventure of mine turned out to be truly a non-adventure.  All of my flights departed early or on time and all arrived early.  Each time I approached the gate agent to let him/her politely know I was a non-revenue standby, I was greeted with a smile and immediately given a seat assignment.  On my first flight, I was given the exit row, on the second, my preference of aisle or window.  On my third flight I had the last row all to myself, and on the fourth flight, I was given a window seat beside someone, but there were empty rows in the back of the plane, so I just moved back and enjoyed the space of an empty row.

The service on all of my flights, which were all US Airways Express except for US 1818, was by request only due to the short duration.  If I had been a paying customer, I might have taken advantage of the request, but as a non-revenue passenger, I was just happy and relieved to have any seat.

What I learned from this experience was that as an elite frequent flier who often receives special treatment and perks, I usually set the bar very high for product and service.  In other words, I can be very picky.  However, this humbling experience reminded me to be truly grateful for the transportation itself, and that what is most important is the destination, not the ride.