Ten Years of StaffTraveler: From One Request to One Million Strong

Ten years ago, someone asked a simple question:

“Does anyone know the loads on this flight?”

That question sparked a quiet revolution in the world of non-rev travel. StaffTraveler was born from that moment, not as a polished product, but as a solution to a very real problem faced by airline employees and their families around the world.

Back then, standby travel meant navigating a mix of uncertainty, guesswork, and group chats that moved faster than your boarding group. It worked, but it was far from easy. We knew there had to be a better way.

And thanks to you, we found one.

StaffTraveler Built by the Community, for the Community

Over the last decade, what began as a simple tool has grown into something so much bigger. StaffTraveler is now a global platform with over one million members airline crew, airport staff, travel industry professionals, and standby travelers of all kinds, sharing load info, helping each other, and making standby smoother, safer, and more enjoyable.

It’s never just been about the data. It’s about the trust behind every request, and the real people on the other end taking a moment to help someone else get home, get away, or get going again.

The numbers are incredible, but the stories are what matter most:

A flight to make it home in time for a wedding.

A trip across the world that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

An act of kindness from one airline professional to another, half a world away.

This is what you’ve built. We just gave you the tools.

A Big Year in a Big Journey

The last 12 months alone have been huge. We released the new and redesigned StaffTraveler app, rebuilt from the ground up to be faster, simpler, and more intuitive for the way you travel now. We added priority requests, grouped connecting flights, and a comment feed to help make requests clearer and answers easier to manage.

We crossed a milestone we never imagined in those early days:

One million members.

A million people who’ve trusted StaffTraveler on their way to somewhere else. And now, this month, we turn ten.

A Decade of You

Ten years of late-night layovers, last-minute changes, airport floors, unexpected upgrades, and spontaneous adventures. Ten years of your stories, your trips, your community.

This anniversary isn’t just about how far we’ve come as a platform. It’s about how far you’ve gone with us. And to say thank you, we’re doing something we’ve never done before.

Our Biggest Giveaway Ever

To celebrate ten years of StaffTraveler, we’re giving away our biggest prize yet, and we’re taking the party to Instagram.

Here’s what’s on the table:

1 grand prize winner will receive a 1000$ hotel voucher
10 additional winners will each receive 50GB of eSIM data to power their next standby trip

The winner will be announced on 25 october

It’s our way of giving back to the people who have made this possible. Whether you’ve been with us from the early days or just joined last month, this celebration is for you.

How to Enter

It’s simple head over to this post and play along.

Make sure you’re following @stafftravelerapp on Instagram
Tell us what your best ever Non-Rev trip was in the comments and Tag 3 friends you want to Non-Rev with.
Share this post to your story and tag us

No forms. No complicated steps. Just a few taps, and you’re in.The giveaway will run from 11 october – 25 october, and winners will be announced right on our Instagram.

Thank You, From All of Us

We’ve come a long way in ten years, but we’ve never forgotten how it started, with a question and a community willing to help answer it.

Every time you check a load, respond to a request, or help someone make a connection, you’re keeping the spirit of StaffTraveler alive. You’re proving that this isn’t just an app. It’s a shared effort, a global support system, and a platform built on real people helping each other get where they need to go.

So, thank you. For every trip you’ve taken with us. For every request you’ve answered. For every time you made standby feel a little less uncertain for someone else.

Here’s to you. Here’s to ten years. And here’s to wherever we’re headed next, together.