My Nonrev New Year’s Resolutions

Where I want to travel this year.

With a new year comes new opportunities for standby adventures!

I had a great travel year in 2024, logging a total of 147 flights and a bit more than 200,000 miles in the air. That’s 8X around the globe!

My airline miles, flight benefits, and, occasionally, hard-earned cash took me to Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and plenty of spots in North America. It was a great year of travel to places both new and familiar, and I’m thankful for it.

I want to slow down a bit in 2025 to focus on other pursuits (including this newsletter 😉), but I still have a number of spots I want to hit this year. Here’s what’s currently on my passrider plan for 2025:

• London, UK (LON) 🇬🇧 

• Steamboat Springs, CO (HDN) 🇺🇸 

• India (DEL, COK, BOM) 🇮🇳 - still planning out this one, but will likely include stopovers in CDG and DXB as well.

• Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) 🇲🇽 

• Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL) 🇺🇸 

• Micronesia/Guam (GUM) 🇫🇲 - via the United Airlines island hopper!

• Seoul, South Korea (ICN) 🇰🇷 

• Shanghai, China (PVG) 🇨🇳 

• Tokyo, Japan (TYO) 🇯🇵 - Trying to figure out how to possibly combine these Asia destinations into one or two trips.

• Reykjavík, Iceland (KEF) 🇮🇸 - My mom is going to Iceland on a cruise, and I’m trying to meet her for a day or two.

• Québec City, Québec (YQB) 🇨🇦 - same story as above 👩‍👦 😆 

• Las Vegas, Nevada 🇺🇸 

• Medellín, Colombia (MDE) 🇨🇴 

• Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) 🇦🇷 - can’t believe I haven’t been!

• São Paulo, Brazil (GRU) 🇧🇷 - can’t believe I haven’t been! (x2)

• South Africa (JNB/CPT) 🇿🇦 - can’t believe I haven’t been! (x3)

• Taipei, Taiwan (TPE) 🇹🇼 - New Year’s 2026?

• …and maybe an interline cruise or two if I can swing it 🛳️ 

Some places are new, some I just want to revisit. Some I have already fully booked, and some I’m waiting for the right opportunity depending on flight loads.

You know how it is...oftentimes the best laid plans are foiled over a storm system affecting a hub somewhere in the network, which trickles over to your neck of the woods and suddenly everything is full and you can no longer go to Paris as planned, thank you very much. 😠 

Or sometimes, something randomly opens up for an upcoming weekend and you’re off to somewhere you didn’t have on your list at all. That’s the beauty of standby travel, right?

What’s on your 2025 nonrev list? Do we have any overlap?

Matt C
Captain, Standby Steals 💚 

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💬 Galley Gossip

Industry news, rumors, and scuttlebutt.

🧑‍✈️ Lufthansa's on a hiring spree. Lufthansa is planning to hire 10,000 new employees in 2025! The roles span the entire company, from cockpit to cabin crew, ground staff, and IT. Could this be your next career move? Read more.

💰 Profits galore at Delta! Early reports suggest Delta pilots are in for a windfall, with profit sharing expected to hit a staggering 10% of 2024 eligible pay, totaling approximately $1.4 billion. Talk about a happy new year! Read more.

✋ AA is keeping the peace at 35,000 feet. American Airlines is rolling out de-escalation training for flight attendants to help prevent and manage onboard conflicts—especially those between crew members. Read more.

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