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Standby Flights

Standby Flights

Here's the truth, standby flights are NOT a cheap option anymore.

It used to be the case 10 years ago, but not now.

If you want to know how to get cheap flights, you've come to the right place. Our home page is full of the latest tricks and tips to help you get some insanely cheap flights.

The rest of this article is going to focus on the airlines which still offer standby flights and talk aboout how you can go about getting them.

Standby Flights Cheap

The old standby flight when you just used to turn up at the airport without a ticket and try to get the empty seats for a cheap deal are NO longer around.

Standby flights these days are for people who already have a ticket but want to transfer onto an earlier flight. Most airlines (with the exception of AirTran and US Airways) also charge a fee for standby flights which makes it not viable if you have airline tickets under 100 dollars.
 

Standby Flights Southwest

With Southwest if you already have a ticket you can ask for an earlier standby flight but you will be asked to pay the difference in price if the flight you want is more expensive.

Southwest are the only airline that does this for standby flights. This policy can really sting you if you've booked on the cheapest days to fly or at the best time to book flights, sometimes making it not worth your while at all.
 

Standby Flights Delta

With Delta you can book an earlier standby flight on the same day and also get confirmation for a fee of $50. However, if you are a Medallion member on Delta's Skymiles frequent flyer program you won't have to pay the extra fee.

Standby Flights American Airlines

American Airlines don't offer free standby flights. If you want to try for a different flight on the same day you'll have to pay the $50 fee, but at least you'll get confirmation. However, if you're an Elite AAdvantage member, in the military or hold a higher class ticket you don't have to pay the $50 fee.
 

Standby Flights AirTran

AirTran also have a confirmation fee of $49 per flight, meaning that if you're connecting you will pay $49 for each leg of the journey. However, AirTran also have the option of not confirming, thereby not paying any extra fee, but you have to wait until the last minute to see if there are any spare seats, so there's no guarantee you'll get on.
 

Standby Flights United

United also do NOT offer free standby flights. They have a $75 confirmation fee which is waivable for travelers with higher class tickets or Elite Mileage Plus members.

 

Standby Flights US Airways

US Airways are the one of only two airlines (the other one is AirTran) who will let you go on standby without paying a fee. However, you'll have to wait until the last minute to find out if there are any seats. They also offer confirmation standby seats for the standard $50 fee.
 

Standby Flights Tips

Here's a few tips for maximising your chances of getting on the free standby flights offered by AirTran and US Airways.

Go for flights on quiet times such as red eye flights, you can check the seat avilability through the airlines website. They are more likely to have spare seats at quiter times.

Also, passengers without checked baggage get priority so don't check any luggage until the last minute.

Get to the airport early to get your name on the standby list. It's always a first come first serve basis on standby.

If you're on the list make sure you're at the departure gate when they call out for the standby passengers or else they'll move onto the next person on the list.