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Standby Flight Tips and Rules

Rules for standing by
+ Tips for maximizing your chances

Quick overview

Here you'll learn:

• general rules for standby travel—plus the secrets of maximizing your chances of getting on a standby flight.
• not only last-minute standby, but also about another way to change your flight on the same day—by paying a fee for early confirmation.
• the standby rules of major airlines so that you can see which airlines offer last-minute standby, which offer early confirmation with a fee, and which offer both like United.
• basics about the very different standby policies of AirTran's young adult standby and Southwest AIrlines.

Two ways to change your flight the same day—

Fly standby with last-minute confirmation OR
Pay a fee for early confirmation

• Flying standby with last-minute confirmation- Three major U.S. airlines allow you to stand by with last-minute confirmation—that is, take another flight the same day on the same airline, provided they have a seat available in your fare class. Generally, you will already have a reservation for a confirmed flight (which you will hold in case you are unable to get on your standby flight). When you fly standby for free, you almost always find out whether or not you can get on at the last minute.
  
  AirTran and United Airlines offer this type of standby. In certain situations, US Airways does too. The latter part of this webpage provides details on the policies of these and other major airlines.
  
  
• Paying a fee for early confirmation - Some airlines offer you the additional or alternative option of changing your confirmation to another flight on the same day for a fee of usually $25–75.00. Again, there must be a seat available in your fare class. With this option, the airline tries to confirm you immediately, but does not charge you unless and until it confirms you.
  

Flying standby with last-minute confirmation

Here you'll find:

• Standby tips for maximizing your chances,
• Typical rules for free standby,
• How to register for standby, and
• Your chances of success.
  

Standby tips for maximizing your chances

If your airline allows you to stand by with last-minute confirmation, these tips are for you.

Here's what you should do before you get to the airport:

• Pack lightly and don’t check any luggage. This gives you a better chance of getting on the flight.
  
  The way this works is that the airline's decision about which standby passenger/s will get on the plane is usually made at the last minute. Very often, there is not time to transfer your checked bags to your standby flight. Thus, those without checked luggage are given priority.
  
  
• Plan to stand by for earlier flights only. This way, if you fail to get on, you can always use your confirmed reservation. (You won't lose your confirmed booking until you've been told you can board the standby flight.)
  
  
• Check online for empty seats, but do this only on your airline’s website. Don't check for this info on Expedia, Travelocity, and other third-party vendors, because they usually don’t have access to last-minute availability of flights within a few hours of departure.
  
  Online, input your origin, destination, and date, and then check if multiple seats are available on your desired flight. Do not complete the booking.
  
  Or, call the airline. Your airline will tell you if the flights you want are fully booked or overbooked (have more reservations than seats). If either, ask the airline to suggest alternatives.
  
  
• If you’re traveling via a connecting airport, be sure there are lots of alternatives for your connecting standby flight.
  
  Connecting hubs at Chicago, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Denver, Houston, Cleveland, New York/JFK, and Dallas are often great places to stand by because they usually offer a number of flights to each destination.
  
  
• Leave for the airport as early as you can before the flight you want to stand by for. The sooner you're on the standby list the better your chances.
  

What you should do after you reach the airport:

• Don’t leave the gate. If you are not there to hear your name called, someone else may get your seat.
  
  (If you have to leave the gate for any reason, ask the agent if you can be out of touch for a moment.)
  
  
• If you don’t hear your name as departure time approaches, reconfirm that you’re on the list. Departure time is a stressful period for gate agents, and they may accidentally overlook you. As always, practice patience with these pressured agents.
  
  At some airports, you'll see a screen in the gate area that displays the abbreviated names of those on the standby list who have now received confirmed seats and those who are still waiting.
  

Typical rules for last-minute standby

Standby flight rules vary by airline, but here are some typical ones if you want to stand by at the last-minute for a lower fee:

• You must stand by for flights on the same airline (or sometimes its partner).
  
  
• You must stand by on the same dates as your reserved flights.
  
  
• You must travel between the same origin and destination.
  
  
• You must travel either via the same connection point as on your ticket, or, in some cases nonstop between your origin and destination even if you were originally booked via a connecting airport.
  

How to register for last-minute confirmation standby

There are several ways to register for standby. The sooner you’re on the list, the better your chances.

• With United Airlines, you can go online to check in and print your boarding pass up to 24 hours prior to your current reservation. At that time, United shows you a selection of flights available for standby. Choose one.
  
  If you don't have the information needed to check in online, call United reservations for your booking number ("record locator") and then go online.
  
  
• If you are not traveling with United or don’t have online access, register for standby at the check-in counter or faster through an easy, computerized check-in kiosk. Note that you will need a boarding pass for your original confirmed flight to go through security.
  
  
• If you've already passed through security and decide you want to try for an earlier flight, go immediately to the appropriate gate and ask to be put on the standby list. Or, if the flight's gate agents are not at the gate yet, ask any other gate agent of your airline who is not busy or go to any one of its customer service desks.

Your chances of success

Are usually good, if you check ahead with your airline as suggested above, in "Standby tips for maximizing your success."

I frequently get on standby flights, which is a major reason why I don’t mind using less expensive Priceline "Name your own price" tickets, which don’t allow me to pick the departure times.

However, your success in getting on standby is affected by various factors, such as weather, season, day of the week, and the number of people traveling with you.

Dramatic weather conditions anywhere can affect you; for example., a blizzard in Chicago may cause passengers who were to connect in Chicago to seek alternative routes, including possibly your intended standby flight departing sunny Houston.

Specific days matter, too. You are less likely to succeed on standby on the first and last days of major school holidays. And getting out of Orlando or Las Vegas on any Sunday can be tough.

And, sadly, as airlines reduce the number of flights due to economic factors, there may be fewer seats available for standby in the future.

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Paying a fee for early confirmation

The obvious advantage of paying a small fee for early confirmation is that, if a seat is available in your class, you won't have to wait until the last moment to be confirmed. This gives peace of mind.

However, note that if a seat does not open up in your fare class until the last moment, you will not be confirmed until then. In any case, you will not be charged until you are confirmed.

If your airline cannot or does not confirm you until you reach the airport, please refer to "Standby tips for maximizing your chances" above. Many of these tips will apply to you.

Orbitz Flight Deals!

Standby policies of the major airlines

This section tells you which airlines offer free standby, which offer early confirmation for a nominal fee, and which offer both. Knowing standby policies may help you select an airline when you plan your trip.

Please remember that all policies on this page are subject to change. Reconfirm prior to travel.

AirTran

With AirTran, you have a choice.

If a seat is available and you already have a confirmed ticket, you can reserve a seat on an earlier flight on the same day for a charge of $49 per flight. In other words, if you are connecting that day, you'll pay $98. This transaction must be done at the airport.

Or, you can stand by for a flight on the same day without paying a fee. You will find out at the last minute if you can get on.

Note: These are NOT the same rules as used in AirTran's young adult standby ("AirTran U") explained at the bottom of this page.

American Airlines

American Airlines eliminated free standby on its flights within North America and to and from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Now for a fee of $50, American will try to confirm you immediately on the same day as your original reservation.

Within 12 hours of your current reservation, you can either pay the fee to confirm a new flight by telephone with American reservations (1-800-433-7300) or at one of American's self-service check-in kiosks at the airport. This machine will then display the flights available for standby within the following 12 hours. Alternatively, you can check with any American agent at the airport.

If you telephone to pay the fee, this must be done at least one hour prior to the new flight.

There is no charge to confirm a new flight for "elite" AAdvantage frequent flyers, for those holding high fare coach, business-class or first-class tickets, or for military travelers and their families using military fares.

Interestingly, airlines like American keep raising and adding new fees, and still lose money. In this case, one wonders how deeply American thought of the consequences of its $50 standby fee.

When passengers move to earlier flights with empty seats, that opens up seats on later flights to sell to last-minute high fare paying passengers. If i was American, I would not discourage this process!

Continental Airlines

Please see United Airlines.

Delta Airlines

On Delta, you can confirm a new flight on the same day as your original reservation for a fee of $50. Passengers who have top-tier status in Delta's SkyMiles frequent flyer program don't have to pay.

You must make your request no earlier than 3 hours ahead of the scheduled departure time of the new flight.

You can change to nonstop flights or to any routing or flight allowed by your fare, as long as you travel to the original destination. (This city must be in Canada, the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.)

United Airlines

United no longer offers free standby. This is a shame because the ability to change plans for no charge, if for example a meeting ended early, was an attractive reason to use United.

OPTION 1—Confirmed same day changes:

United says, "If traveling within the United States, on the same day as your original reserved flight, you can pay $75 for an immediate confirmation of another departure on the SAME DAY, if a seat is available."

Travelers who are elite members of the Mileage Plus or OnePass programs or who are traveling on fully refundable fares or standard frequent flyer award tickets do not have to pay.

United continues,

• "Confirmed same-day travel changes are available only for flights that are wholly within the United States.
• "Available only for identical routings (same origin, destination and connection city, if applicable). You may change your connection city only if requesting the change at the airport.
• "Alternate flights must be scheduled to depart within three hours of your request. For United flights departing more than three hours after your request, or if changing to a flight that departs later than your originally scheduled flight, the standard change fee policy will apply.
• "The confirmed same-day travel change fee is nonrefundable and will be collected at the time when the change request is made."

OPTION 2—Standing by without immediate confirmation:

"If a confirmed change is unavailable, you may choose to stand by for a seat on an alternate United flight on the same day of travel as your scheduled itinerary."

The $75 fee applies as per above.

United continues,

"If you request same-day standby, your name will be added to the standby list for the selected flight, and you will receive a departure management card for that flight when you complete check-in. Your name will be called at the departure gate if a seat is available on the selected flight, and your departure management card will then be replaced with a boarding pass. You will not be charged the fee until/unless you board a standby flight.

"You can request same-day standby during online check-in or at an EasyCheck-in® kiosk at the airport. You may also see a customer service representative at the airport check-in counter.

• "Same-day standby is available only for flights within or between the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
• "Available only for identical routings (same origin, destination and connection city, if applicable).
• "Standby flights must be scheduled to depart on the same day as your original ticketed flight and must depart earlier than your originally scheduled flight.
• "The same-day standby fee is nonrefundable. Payment information must be provided when requesting standby, but the fee will only be charged upon boarding of a standby flight."

NOTE: For option 2, be sure to read "Standby tips for maximizing your chances" above.

US Airways

US Airways allows you to stand by for earlier flights than your confirmed reservation on the same day, except for those to Europe and Hawaii.

If US Airways can confirm you on your desired flight at the time of your request, the charge is $50.

If it cannot confirm until the last minute, there is no fee for standby.

What about Southwest Airlines' standby?

Southwest Airlines (which is not used by Hotwire or Priceline) uses a different standby procedure.

On Southwest, if there is a fare difference between what you paid for your booked flight and your desired new flight, you’ll nearly always have to pay the difference.

If you booked a cheap ticket in advance, changing your flights at the last minute can cost significantly more than other airlines' "early confirmation" fees, discussed earlier.

On the other hand, unlike other airlines, Southwest never charges penalties for canceling a trip. The full value of your cancelled Southwest ticket applies toward a new ticket within one year of date of purchase, as long as you let Southwest know in advance that you are not traveling, and you save your original confirmation number.

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AirTran's "AirTran U" standby

If you're age 18 through 22, you qualify for AirTran U standby tickets.

With AirTran U, unlike the other standby choices above, you won't have a confirmed reservation to fall back on in case you can't get on your standby flight, but vouchers for each standby flight instead.

Be sure to read "Standby tips for maximizing your chances" above. Many of these apply to you.

Four cautions especially for "AirTran U" standby flights:

• A downside of traveling standby with AirTran U is that your trip may cost more than if you booked an advanced fare ticket. That's because for standby travel, AirTran U charges $69 for each take off. So, if your travel requires connecting flights or stops, you may come out ahead by booking an advanced purchase fare, rather than flying standby.
  
  Example: if you're travelling standby nonstop on AirTran from Boston to Orlando, you'll pay (as of this writing) $69 plus taxes and fees. But, if you're traveling standby from Boston to Orlando via Atlanta, you'll pay $138 ($69 for each take off) plus taxes and fees, even if you stay on the same plane all the way from Boston to Orlando.
  
  
• You can take carry-on luggage only. See the AirTran link above for maximum amount and size permitted.
  
  
• With no confirmed reservation to fall back on if you can't fly standby, you may not wish to try AirTran standby at peak travel times.
  
  This is especially applicable if you must travel via a connecting airport or on a route with few AirTran flights.
  
  
• In addition, you cannot stand by on certain dates. Because these change, check online for AirTran standby blackout dates.
  

Good luck! And, please remember that airline rules are changing rapidly in the current environment. Double check before you stand by.

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See also Priceline last-minute flight savings strategies.

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