Paris Connection/ Standby??

[GWCruiser]

Perhaps the stress of packing is getting to me, but I am beginning to worry about making my connecting flight Friday. Does anyone have any experience with trying to get on an earlier flight? In my case, I am leaving Washington Dulles at 6:45 to Paris (deGualle) connecting on to Rome (FCO). Over the past week, this flight has been consistantly hours late. There is another flight to Paris from Dulles that leaves at 5:05. Does anyone know if you can get to the airport early and try to do standby for the earlier flight? If so, have you had any luck doing this?? Do they charge you? Sigh. :eek:

[Globaliser]

Relax! There's something like 14 Air France flights a day from CDG to FCO. If you miss one, just get the next one!

[Jane110]

GW,

 

My advice is to show up earlier in plenty of time to get on the 5:05 flight. If there are seats available, they'll gladly give them to you at no charge. Reason being, that if there's a problem with the next flight (late, overbooked) you're two less people they have to deal with.

 

I'm one of those people that's nervous about missing my flight and always arrive at the airport too early. If it's a popular route that many planes fly and the one prior to mine has yet to board, I'm always asked if I'd like to get on the earlier flight.

 

However, if you call to change to the earlier flight, they'll charge you!

 

Jane

[Globaliser]

If there are seats available, they'll gladly give them to you at no charge. Reason being, that if there's a problem with the next flight (late, overbooked) you're two less people they have to deal with.

This is not universally true of all airlines.

 

One of the battles that some airlines are fighting is the business passenger who deliberately buys the wrong ticket. They should be buying an expensive flexible ticket precisely because they want the freedom to go on an earlier flight if their meeting finishes early. But many of these passengers have got into the habit of buying a cheap non-changeable ticket, and showing up early at the airport seeing if they can blag a free change to an earlier flight on these grounds. If they're successful in doing so, they've just cost the airline a lot of money - money that the airline can ill afford to lose these days.

 

So if you come across a "No", even though there is space on the earlier flight, this is likely to be the reason underlying the policy.

 

But I digress. For the OP, there are disadvantages in getting on the earlier flight. In particular, if you have pre-allocated seats (or have had good seats allocated when checking-in at the airport), if you standby to squeeze onto the earlier flight there is a risk that you will end up in the worst seats on the aircraft, perhaps separated from others you are travelling with. On a short flight, perhaps no problem. On an overnight trans-Atlantic - well, you'd have to decide whether you want to risk that.

 

There is also another reason why this may not work. If you're going cruising, presumably you will have checked baggage. That can make it impossible to stand-by for an earlier flight if they can't locate and re-tag your checked bags. Or you may find that your bags travel on your original flight anyway, thus rather negating the benefit of standing by for the earlier flight.

 

There are some situations in which it would be a good idea to try this. However, on the assumption that you are not arriving on the same day that your ship departs, it still seems to me that you'd be likely to be better off missing your original Paris-Rome connection and getting a later flight, when the airline will be obliged to re-accommodate you but will be able to do so without any real difficulty given the number of flights there are.

[cberge]

I agree with everything Globaliser said...you are best to stick with your original flight,and if it is late it is up to your airline to get you on the next flight to FCO.With all the #%&!* going on today with the airlines it really is best to stick to the plan...not like the good old days..:(

[Jane110]

Globaliser,

 

As a person who often buys Biz Class seats at a reduced rate, I'm well aware of the restrictions. I never said it was a guarantee or universally true, but it's happened enough times to me to know it's more than random.

It's worth an hour of someone's time to invest in the option....my opinion only of course.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. However, I've never had a reservationist tell me that there were seats available on an earlier flight but I couldn't have them because of the fare basis I paid.

 

Since this transaction is done at check-in, there's no problem with the luggage, because it's still in the flyer's possession. If one is trying for a change, they should never do a curbside check-in.

 

Also, I assumed (maybe incorrectly?) that before being put on an earlier flight, the flyer would ask what the available seats were before accepting any changes and would think seriously about taking a bad seat if they had a good one for the next flight. I guess I should have put that in my post, as I said, I figured someone would know to ask that beforehand.

 

Since I live in NY, I'm lucky to take mostly non-stop flights and so missing a connecting flight is not something I have to worry about too much. Often, I turn up at the airport for my flight....waaay early, as usual....and the reservationist will say that the flight before mine is still boarding and would I like to take an earlier flight. If the seats aren't to my liking, I thank them and then pass of the option.

 

There's no right or wrong here, it's just about opinion and I think we've given the OP a clear picture of how it can work, or not work.

 

Jane

[GWCruiser]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Like Jane, I usually do get to the airport quite early, however, I called Air France last night and they said it would not be possible to get on the early flight regardless of how early I get to the airport... this is the kicker though -- my flight is full and they early one isn't! Oh well, plently of flights to FCO so I should be fine. I am meeting the rest of my party in Rome for the cruise, so my main concern is to not have him wait too long for me (although he will have to since I have the cruise docs... hehehe).

 

Thanks again! :)

[Jane110]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Like Jane, I usually do get to the airport quite early, however, I called Air France last night and they said it would not be possible to get on the early flight regardless of how early I get to the airport... this is the kicker though -- my flight is full and they early one isn't! Oh well, plently of flights to FCO so I should be fine. I am meeting the rest of my party in Rome for the cruise, so my main concern is to not have him wait too long for me (although he will have to since I have the cruise docs... hehehe).

 

Thanks again! :)

 

Well, as Globaliser pointed out, some flights are different prices due to different times and the airlines don't want you booking a later, less expensive flight, and then trying to get on the earlier one.

 

Hence, a phone agent will always tell you that it's not possible without paying for a different flight. Additionally, they never want it thown back in their faces..... imagine if they said it could/would be done. You thank them and get their name. Then you get to the airport and for whatever reason, it doesn't happen. Now you complain to the airline that so-and-so told you it would happen and you get them in trouble. If I worked for the airline on phone resy's, I'd never tell a person to take a gamble, come early and the flight will probably be changed. I just know that'll come around to bite me in the butt and the old "no good deed goes unpunished" rule gets another notch.

Simply put, it's not in their best interest to give you "hope".

 

Again, if it were me and my flight was full and the one before mine one was empty, I'd show up early enough to get on the earlier flight and smile nicely at the reservationist. You could be the person saving him/her the problem of an overbooked flight and having to compensate people for volunteering to be bumped!

 

Again, this is opinion about a "gamble" that only costs you time. If you feel it's worth a few hours of your time give it a try. I would, Globaliser wouldn't and neither of us is right or wrong.

 

Jane

[Globaliser]

Again, this is opinion about a "gamble" that only costs you time. If you feel it's worth a few hours of your time give it a try. I would, Globaliser wouldn't and neither of us is right or wrong.

And with this, I absolutely agree! :)

[cberge]

I am jumping into this again as I did a little checking about getting on earlier flts etc.,and it may have to do with the fact I live right outside Washington,DC that the rules are more strict,but it also has to do with the ticket price as well.

It is very hard these days to get on an earlier flight no matter how much you smile or plead unless you are a first class,business class or super FF.If you are on a low cost ticket or restricted ticket you can almost forget it even if the earlier flight leaves empty.At a lot of the larger,busier airports it is hard as well as when one buys a ticket you go into the Homeland Security system and are checked out especially if you are flying abroad.It is almost impossible to get a same day ticket let alone one way...you must secure your first born for that.All airports differ as well as the airlines,but one can count on getting to the airport early to get on an earlier flight a thing of the past for most of us.You know like writing a letter with pen and ink...:D

[marko711]

I just had that happen to me. Our flight was late from Florence to CDG and Air France could not get us on any flight that day and they put us up overnight plus paid for lunch dinner and breakfast. I am sure that would have put us on a flight if they could. Most flights are very full. Our flight to Bacelona was oversold by 20 people.