Yes! As long as they are sharing a cabin/room with the eligible employee. In some cases, friends can book their own cabin/room at an interline rate when traveling with the interliner.

Yes, most flight attendants at major airlines can provide friends with discounted travel, typically through a system known as "Buddy Passes." These are not free tickets; rather, they are "non-revenue" (non-rev) standby tickets that allow a friend to fly for the cost of taxes and a small percentage of the base fare. Airline employees are usually allotted a limited number of these passes each year—for example, 16 one-way passes at American Airlines. However, using a buddy pass comes with significant "strings attached." Most importantly, the traveler is on standby, meaning they only get a seat if there is space left after all paying passengers and higher-priority employees have boarded. This makes traveling on buddy passes risky during holidays or peak summer months. Furthermore, "buddies" are considered extensions of the employee and are expected to follow a strict dress code and maintain professional behavior; if a friend causes a scene or violates rules, the flight attendant could lose their travel privileges or even their job. While it is a generous perk, many flight attendants are cautious about who they give passes to, preferring to save them for close friends who understand the uncertainty and etiquette of standby travel.