Meet an 'airline nepo baby' — he's flown for free since birth, gets upgraded to business class, and books last-minute trips to Tokyo and Sydney

13.03.2024 - 18:53 / insider.com / United Airlines / Airlines

Step aside, Hollywood, there's a new nepo baby in town.

Joshua Crawford, a 23-year-old who works at a grocery store in LA and recently graduated from college with a degree in marketing, calls himself an "airline nepo baby." The son of an employee who has worked for United Airlines for over 30 years, Crawford can fly for free, get upgraded to business class, and book last-minute vacations to destinations like Tokyo.

Crawford shared a glimpse of the travel perks he enjoys in a February 28 TikTok that has over 4.8 million views.

Rules for relatives of employees vary from airline to airline. At United Airlines, children of airline employees usually lose their privileges when they turn 26. But that won't apply to Crawford, as he's listed as his father's primary companion.

"I'm very grateful for that," he said.

In 2016, Crawford started to realize how lucky he was when planning a trip to Coachella, the music festival held in the California desert.

According to Google Flights, flights to Los Angeles or Palm Springs from New Jersey, where Crawford grew up, can run as much as $450 roundtrip — a price he and his sister didn't have to consider.

"We have an aunt that lives in California, so we just stayed at her house," he said. "We were like, 'Wow, all we have to do is pay for the wristband, and we're going to Coachella.'"

Crawford flies for free domestically because he travels on standby, meaning he doesn't have a seat assigned until close to the flight's departure time.

Crawford said he doesn't always get on the flights he wants. There are times he's had to wait at a gate for a later, emptier flight when previous ones were fully booked.

But Crawford maintains that those situations rarely arise because he's learned to avoid certain routes and major airports during high-peak travel seasons.

Instead of flying direct from LA to New York during the December holidays, Crawford usually does a layover in Denver to ensure he gets a seat.

"If you learn your route, essentially, you will realize you have a lot of other options," he said.

It also doesn't hurt that Crawford's dad is privy to handy behind-the-scenes information like how many seats are left open on flights months before departure.

"I'm usually not enlisting on a flight where I have a high chance of being booted off to the next one," he said. "It also really depends on your seniority with the company. My dad's been with United for quite some time now, so I'm definitely a higher priority — and very grateful for my father."

These days, Crawford takes longer-haul trips — often without much pre-planning.He can book anytime, though he said he isn't given an "official" reservation until around a month before travel.

Over the past year, Crawford said he's booked