standby?

[CMU]

DH and I have flown quite a lot however, neither of us has ever tried standby. The flight we booked pre cruise does not arrive in FLL until midnight (day before cruise) and we were thinking about trying to fly standby on an earlier flight that some others in our group are on. How does this work and do I risk losing my luggage more than normal? We have a connecting flight and I am concerned if we are able to go standby, will we be ticketed for both flights or just 1 leg and then have to try again at the next airport? Can we arrive at airport early and will they assign us tickets at ticket counter if seats are available or is it done shortly before boarding? We won't be heartbroken if we arrive at midnight (after all, that is what we booked), but if we were able to fly in sooner than all the better.

[jennilynn5050]

you will not know for sure if you have a seat on the plane until they start boarding (or just a few minutes before...)

[greatam]

you will not know for sure if you have a seat on the plane until they start boarding (or just a few minutes before...)

 

This is incorrect. You may have a seat right away if the plane is not full.

 

Some of the airlines are now offering "confirmed" standby. You pay a small fee, usuall $25.00, to confirm your standby seat. Must be on the same day, generally same routing, although some airlines will allow a standby re-route. You must call the airline or consult their website to find out the "rules" for confirmed standby. The airlines all have different rules for those that offer confirmed standby.

 

If your flight is within 30 days, please post EXACT flight numbers and times. I will consult ExpertFlyer and determine availability on earlier flights.

 

If it is not within 30 days, here is the general info on standby:

 

First, try to check using seatmaps how full the plane is. (You will have to "rebook" your flight to get to seatmaps.) This is NOT an entirely reliable method but will give you a general idea. If the seatmap shows a pretty full plane, your chances are then at the gate. Get to the airport early (1 1/2-2 hours pre flight you want to stand by for). If there is space available when you check in, you will generally be handed boarding passes. If the flight is full, put your name on the standby list. Generally goes first come, first served, although elite FF have priority on the standby lists. Make sure you RECHECK that your name is on the standby list when you get to the gate. It amazes me how many times standby or upgrade requests "get lost" between check-in and turnover to the gate.

 

If you have the time and have checked every available way to find out how full the flight is, then standby is an option. Otherwise, take your original planned flight. 4-5 or more extra hours at the airport is NOT worth it.

[CMU]

Thanks for the info. I have checked seat assignments for the earlier flights and looks like the chicago connection has a couple seats available (like 3 --plus exit row and 1st 2 rows so possibly 20 seats available but doubt that many are). I figure if we can at least get to chicago earlier (looks like plenty of space) perhaps we will be able to catch an earlier flight into FLL. I'm just concerned about losing luggage if we are not ticketed right away.

[Ernie G]

Flying standby is somewhat difficult, but not impossible. We fly standby on Delta out of DFW. Now with all of the schedule changes and the fact that Delta closed the DFW hub the challenge is even greater.....but it can be done. As far as your luggage goes..due to security reasons your luggage is not suppose to be loaded on the plane until you have cleared the flight. We have been flying standby for approximately 9 years (and failed to make many flights the first time) and only ONCE did our luggage go ahead of us. GOOD LUCK.

[CMU]

Thanks for the info. Think we'll still give it a whirl -- can't hurt to try and so long as DH and I are both on board with the plan we'll be good to go no matter how it turns out. worst case scenerio is we get there at midnight -- not like I plan on sleeping that night anyway.