Back in the day, flying standby meant buying an inexpensive ticket on a flight that had seats leftover. Now, standby tickets can help you if you want to get a seat on an earlier flight or if your plane takes off without you and you need to book a later travel time.
Generally speaking, standby tickets will have a fee of anywhere between $25 to $75 in addition to the cost of the ticket. However, some airlines, like Alaskan Airlines, will offer you standby tickets at no additional charge. Sometimes, if you miss a flight or want to catch an earlier one, you could be charged hundreds of dollars to get a change of flight. When flying standby though, you’re limiting your costs and alleviating any potential transportation stress.
Important Facts to Know Before Flying Standby
Are you traveling somewhere in the near future? Have you booked your flight yet? If not, you might be worried about how much it’s going to cost you. But with standby flights, you likely won’t need to worry at all! If you’ve never flown standby before, here are are some things you need to know.
First, you cannot buy a ticket for a standby seat if you don’t already have an existing ticket. Any potential flyer must have already made a purchase with the intention of hopping on a different flight. Ticketing agents at the airport, or sites like CheapOair, can help you get on the list for a standby seat.
If you have flown many times in the past, you might already have a rewards membership with a specific airline. If you do belong to a rewards program, that can actually help you out when looking to get a standby ticket. Airlines will look to see if you are a part of their program and if you are, it’s likely they’ll favor your name.
Ultimately, the decision to give you a seat on a standby flight is up to the airline. Try and get to the gate of your potential flight at least 30 minutes before takeoff to see if you can get on the list. The airline will value your promptness, as well as your commitment to their company
