Essential Strategies for Flying Standby Successfully
Everything You Need to Know About Standby Flights
Posted in Airline Tips, Uncategorized
Toussaint Louverture International Airport Port-au-Prince, Haiti
If you haven’t flown in the past few years or perhaps if you don’t fly that often, you may be surprised to learn that standby flights – that old tried and true tactic to save money on airfare – have changed drastically. No longer available as an option for passengers without tickets (except in certain cases), flying standby has in many cases become limited to:
Ticketed passengers who want to take an earlier or later flight than scheduled (“go-show”)
Passengers who have missed a flight, either voluntarily or involuntarily
Passengers (with or without frequent flyer program status) who desire an upgrade
Airline employees, and in many cases their friends and family
How Flying Standby Has Changed
It used to be that you could show up at the airport without a ticket 3-4 hours before the flight you wanted to take. After speaking to a gate agent or ticket agent, your name was placed on the standby list. If there were still seats available once the ticketed passengers were checked in, you were allowed to purchase one of them at a substantial discount. This was one of the primary money-saving techniques of budget air travel. If you were willing to suffer some discomfort and inconvenience, you could bag an amazing deal on airfare.
Recent changes in the airline industry have led to reduced seat availability, and many flights are much fuller than they used to be. The seats that used to be available for purchase as standby by the ticketless general public simply aren’t there any more. Flying standby is still possible, but the rules have become much more stringent and it’s probably not going to save you any money. Standby is now technically an unconfirmed same-day flight change, meaning that in nearly every case you must already have purchased a ticket before you are able to fly standby.
Airline policies for standby flights vary widely. Not all airlines offer standby, and when they do, many now charge a fee. Whether you want to take an earlier flight, upgrade the class of service, or in case you miss a scheduled flight, it’s important to know the standby policy of the airline with which you’re flying.
In most cases, the type of fare you purchased will determine your standby priority, or if standby is even available to you at all. For instance, passengers who paid full fare always have standby priority over passengers who purchased a discounted ticket like a 21-day advance purchase fare. Similarly, passengers who have elite status with the airline’s frequent flyer program are often given standby priority over other passengers Some airlines offer standby only to full-fare passengers or passengers with elite status with the airline’s frequent flyer program.
Essential Strategies for Flying Standby SuccessfullyEverything You Need to Know About Standby FlightsPosted in Airline Tips, UncategorizedToussaint Louverture International Airport Port-au-Prince, HaitiIf you haven’t flown in the past few years or perhaps if you don’t fly that often, you may be surprised to learn that standby flights – that old tried and true tactic to save money on airfare – have changed drastically. No longer available as an option for passengers without tickets (except in certain cases), flying standby has in many cases become limited to:Ticketed passengers who want to take an earlier or later flight than scheduled (“go-show”)Passengers who have missed a flight, either voluntarily or involuntarilyPassengers (with or without frequent flyer program status) who desire an upgradeAirline employees, and in many cases their friends and familyHow Flying Standby Has ChangedIt used to be that you could show up at the airport without a ticket 3-4 hours before the flight you wanted to take. After speaking to a gate agent or ticket agent, your name was placed on the standby list. If there were still seats available once the ticketed passengers were checked in, you were allowed to purchase one of them at a substantial discount. This was one of the primary money-saving techniques of budget air travel. If you were willing to suffer some discomfort and inconvenience, you could bag an amazing deal on airfare.Recent changes in the airline industry have led to reduced seat availability, and many flights are much fuller than they used to be. The seats that used to be available for purchase as standby by the ticketless general public simply aren’t there any more. Flying standby is still possible, but the rules have become much more stringent and it’s probably not going to save you any money. Standby is now technically an unconfirmed same-day flight change, meaning that in nearly every case you must already have purchased a ticket before you are able to fly standby.Airline policies for standby flights vary widely. Not all airlines offer standby, and when they do, many now charge a fee. Whether you want to take an earlier flight, upgrade the class of service, or in case you miss a scheduled flight, it’s important to know the standby policy of the airline with which you’re flying.In most cases, the type of fare you purchased will determine your standby priority, or if standby is even available to you at all. For instance, passengers who paid full fare always have standby priority over passengers who purchased a discounted ticket like a 21-day advance purchase fare. Similarly, passengers who have elite status with the airline’s frequent flyer program are often given standby priority over other passengers Some airlines offer standby only to full-fare passengers or passengers with elite status with the airline’s frequent flyer program.
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