BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight

Subject: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Genie
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:06 PM

I'm just wondering if major airlines ever let ticketed passengers onto an earlier flight than the one ticketed - without charging extra - if you show up at the airport way ahead of time and they have unfilled seats on the earlier flight.

The airline in question this time happens to be Southwest. They do not charge a fee for changing a ticket, but if I were to change the ticket now, less than 2 weeks before the ticketed time, the fare would jump almost $150.

I'm just wondering if it's worth showing up at the airport 3 hours early, going up to the ticket counter, and asking if there's room for me on an earler flight and if they'd let me onto that flight without penalty.

Seems to me it would be to their advantage - certainly not to their disadvantage - because by filling up the earlier flight last minute they'd make space for last-minute passengers on the later flights.

Anyone have and experience with this?

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 23 Feb 10 - 11:09 PM

They used to. Don't know about now with all the security junk going on, but it seems they would.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: mouldy
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 03:43 AM

My daughter and her boyfriend had that happen last July at Heathrow when on their way to Singapore, and there was an earlier flight going within time for them to board. The whole thing happened at check-in, so I suppose they and their bags were logged onto the right flight.

Can't say as I've ever been that lucky, and I am ALWAYS early!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: gnu
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 01:32 PM

I used to be a top category frequent flyer on the two major air carriers in Atlantic Canada. This was part of the service.

I used to enjoy the perks... booked into a hotel on Floor X, repleat with complimentary common bar and hors-devours from 4PM to 7PM, limo service, the works. And, the private lounges at the airports were soooo nice... drinks, snacks, papers, magazines... and NO wailing children or constant low roar of the masses or THAT guy that you didn't wand to be near because there was something DEFINITELY not right with him. And, CLEAN, fresh smelling washrooms. And, being called for pre-board or late-board, priceless.

I haven't been on a plane since 1995 and I hope I never get on one again.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 01:54 PM

Might be worth seeing if you can find out ahead of time -- online perhaps, or over the phone -- how full (or not) the earlier flight is. If it's already overbooked by the day before you travel, then going so early is prolly a waste of time. Otherwise, it's worth a try, as far as I can see. (I have had it happen before, myself, but it was 20-ish years ago, and so many things have changed since then...)

Good luck, though!

YY

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 02:01 PM

Once when the flight I was ticketed for was known to be delayed, and there was an earlier flight that I noticed at the airport, Southwest did fit me in... so it's worth a try, if you don't a longer stay at the airport if it doesn't work.

~ Becky in Long Beach (who flies often between LAX and Tucson)

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Maryrrf
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 02:13 PM

Yes they will sometimes do it, but there's no guarantee. It depends on if they have space available, and what kind of mood they are in.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Genie
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 06:18 PM

Maryrrf, that's what I'd expect. (I find that what's allowed and not allowed on a plane as carry-on similarly varies with which agent is at the gate and what mood they're in.)

Having a longer wait at the airport isn't all that bad at PDX (or San Diego) because of the free wireless internet.    I can sit in comfort and get lots of stuff done. (Even without the internet, if you have a laptop you can get a lot done.)      

Thing is, this time I need to decide by today whether to cancel/reschedule a flight. I can't wait till the day before because if I'm going to cancel a gig (which I probably can't make with the current flight schedule), I need to give them time to find a replacement. It's been very, very rare for my flights to be completely full in the last year or so, especially at this time of year, but I'd like to know if the airline is usually willing to allow this when they have room.

I guess I can call Southwest, but this may be something that they just do sometimes - even often - without it being official policy.   

Genie

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 07:13 PM

If you have to decide by today... can't hurt to call & ask. And if you get someone friendly, they might be persuaded to tell you (especially if you assure them you expect -- of course -- no guarantee) how full the flight is at the moment, and whether or not they think it's likely to be full by the flight date. That could at least help you decide what kind of risk factor is involved.

Of course, if a gig commitment is involved, that raises the stakes considerably.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure the flight I referred to above was on Southwest -- and the person behind the desk offered me the earlier flight, unprompted, when I checked in. But it was many years ago...

Again, good luck! Maybe you could let us know what ends up happening, either way?

YY

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Genie
Date: 24 Feb 10 - 08:10 PM

I did call. Southwest told me that if your ticket is a "Wanna Getaway" (cheap) fare, you're not eligible for standby (e.g., getting put on that earlier flight) even if the earlier flight is half empty and your ticketed flight is full.

Of course, that doesn't prove to me that the ticket counter agents wouldn't bend the rules -- as they often to for oversize carry-ons like guitars -- but it means I'd better not plan on that.

I can make the gig without flying early as long as the scheduled flight's not delayed. It'll be a bit tight but doable. There's a risk of missing it, but then I take that kind of risk every time I have a drive-to gig on a Friday afternoon in Seattle (where freeway tie-ups can easily delay you by 45 min, to an hour). Southwest's not usually late on this particular route.

I'll still probably try it. In the past a couple times when I missed my plane on a Wanna Getaway SWA flight, they put me onto a later flight the same day with no extra fee. I'd call that "stand-by" too, but they let me do it. Alaska did the same once when I had one of their cheap tickets.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Tangledwood
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 02:52 AM

Several years ago I turned up a couple of hours ahead of time at Christchurch NZ airport because I needed to be out of the hotel. This wasn't a standby fare though, it was economy booked a couple of months previously.
It suited Air New Zealand to put me on to an early flight and not only that, upgraded me to business class.
You may be lucky, you may be not. But you definitely won't be lucky if you're not there early.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: fretless
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 10:59 AM

Yes, you can do it, but you can't do it if you've already checked bags. And remember, "earlier" is a relative term. Factor in the time it will take to clear security and get to the departure gate when you arrive at the airport early for your booked flight and switch over to a preceding one.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 12:56 PM

I flew standby once about 10 years ago and it worked beautifully. I took an earlier flight in the same day as the one I had bought the ticket for. I wouldn't assume it would work as well today. Airlines are trying to find ways to squeeze more money out of passengers. My wife asked about it recently and was told there would be a $50 fee for changing. I still think there might be a way to make it work without the fee, though.

There might be times when it would be worth it, even with the fee. Say you needed to go somewhere in a hurry. Buying a ticket today for a flight today would cost a fortune. But if you bought it for 2 weeks in the future and then flew standby today, I think you'd save a lot, even with the $50 fee.

I've never tried this, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Genie
Date: 25 Feb 10 - 07:20 PM

As it turns out, I probably don't need to take an earlier flight this time (except to insure against the possibility of my booked flight being delayed), but the information here is good to have.

My ticket isn't a "stand-by ticket," it's for a specific flight, but it's one of the economy fares (SWA calls it a "Wanna Getaway" fare) and their policy is that those are not eligible for going stand-by on another flight. However, at least once they've put me on a LATER flight - which I'd think qualifies as stand-by - when I missed my ticketed flight, and I didn't have to "upgrade" my ticket.   So I do think it's possible they'd do the same if I got there early and asked to be put on an earlier, emptier flight.

There are two ways to go about this:
1. Inquire at the ticketing/check-in counter before going thru security.   Ask the agent if they can change the ticket to an earlier flight (and what, if anything, that would cost).
2. Check in - online or at the airport counter - for the ticketed flight, go through security and go to the gate where the next flight for that airline is leaving from. Ask the agent there if you can get on that flight if there's room.   This would involve the same clerical work that's involved when you miss a flight or volunteer to be bumped and they re-route you to your destination.

I think the second option is more likely to work.    (If you've checked bags, they'll just arrive with the flight you were originally ticketed for.)
Of course, if you try option #1 first, you have two shots (two different ticketing agents) at the goal.   And if an agent changes your ticket before you check your bags, they'll be ont he same flight as you.

In this case I'm not concerned with checked baggage.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Feb 10 - 01:52 PM

When I did it (10 years ago), I went to the main ticketing/check-in counter. Once the agent checked her computer and saw that my request was doable, she took my ticket and issued me a new ticket for the earlier flight. At this point I was like any other passenger on that flight—my reservation was secure and I was no more likely to be bumped than any other passenger. And, if I recall correctly, this was about 4 hours before my new flight time. (I still had some time to kill.) The moral is: you don't necessarily have to wait till the last minute to find out if you can fly.

These days I think they won't allow you to be separated from your baggage. It's a security measure—they don't want you checking a bag containing a bomb and then skipping the flight yourself. I've heard that if they discover at the last minute that they're carrying a checked bag for a passenger that isn't on the plane, they'll unload the whole baggage compartment, if necessary, to find that one bag and remove it. It really pisses off the baggage handlers.

Subject: RE: BS: Flying standby, getting earlier flight
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 09:44 AM

I flew by American Airlines yesterday and I asked the agent about standby. (I was considering using it on my return trip.) He said the policy is that, to fly standby on the same day as your original ticketed flight costs $50, and to fly on any earlier day costs $150. He also said the $50 fee is a recent policy change (it used to be free), but the $150 fee has been in effect for many years.

At that rate, I don't think I will be using it.