How to Fly Standby. You're at the airport, you've got a huge layover and suddenly you realize there's an earlier flight to your same destination. An idea pops in your head, "I should just fly standby," but you're just not sure how. Truthfully, it's a snap. Here are a few tips on how to enhance your flying experience by learning how to fly standby.
Book your ticket. Double-check each airline's policy, but American, United, U.S. Airways, Delta, Jet Blue, Continental and others all allow passengers to fly standby on the day of their travel BEFORE their flight as long as they are going to the same final destination or traveling the same route. Huh? That's a mouthful, but here are some practical examples. If you are flying on July 1 from Los Angeles to New York on American at 9:30 p.m., you may take a flight from 12 midnight all the way until your flight at 9:30 p.m., provided there are available seats going to the same destination. If you have connecting flights, you usually have to travel the same route, and you run the risk of getting stuck in your intermediary airport.
Call ahead. Before you rush to the airport at midnight to catch the first possible flight to your destination, call the airline. Corporations book and release seats at the last possible moment, meaning that a plane's capacity is constantly changing right up until the last moment. So call the airline and see how many seats are available about 3 hours before departure. If there are a handful of seats, you are probably in good shape.
Go immediately to the airport. You cannot put your name on the standby list over the phone; you must do it in person at the airport, so the sooner you get there, the better. Remember, people who have missed connections or who have been stuck at the airport for a number of hours will likely be before you on the list. (The amount of people on the standby list for a flight is another thing you can verify over the phone.) So get to the airport lickety-split!
Check in at the ticket counter. Wait in line, go to the appropriate ticket counter attendant for the class of your ticket and explain to them that you'd like to fly standby. Give them as much information as you have. If over the phone the agent gave you a specific flight with openings, tell the ticket attendant that; it will make the process go more smoothly. Flying standby is not a common practice, and attendants can give the slightest amount of attitude since it is more work for them, especially when lines are long. But it is your right as a traveler!
Be waiting at the gate. After going through security, this is not the time to go to the bar, do a bunch of shopping or nod off. You do not have an actual ticket for the flight. Go to the gate and wait attentively. Airlines like American and United post their standby list for flights on a monitor at the gate. Therefore you will be able to verify that you are in fact on the list. If you are not, seek a ticket attendant immediately. Then hang out until the flight boards. Standbys are the last to board, so don't be impatient and don't pester the people at the gate. When your name is called, hop on the flight! Congratulations, you have just learned how to fly standby!
