What is a Stand By Flight?? (United Airlines) Some Info on Related (Sister?) Airports

[Dave Diaz]

What is a Stand By Flight?? I was under the impression that a stand by flight was a flight where the flyer went to the airport without a ticket and purchased one at the airport at a reduced price if there was a seat available on the flight wanted.

I found out today from calling United and American Airlines that this is not what a stand by flight is. What a stand by flight is is when you purchase a ticket and on the date of your flight you choose to either leave on an earlier or later flight. They put you on Stand by, you leave your purchased seat open in order to fill another open available seat. So if my flight was at 5pm I could leave on any flight before 5pm or after as long as it is the same date and there is a seat available, no guarantees though (just what I think i'm not 100% sure how it works).

The conversation I had once I understood this shifted to something I discovered on my last trip.

Quick Summary:
Did you know on Jetblue if you purchase a ticket that is

Example:
JFK to STI and STI to JFK.

You could call Jet blue on the date of your flight, lets say your STI to JFK flight, and for $50 you could change your flight to POP to JFK. I just figured that out on my last flight, and when I asked why they explained to me that STI, SDQ and POP are what they call "Sister airport" and because of that I could choose any of the airports within DR to fly out of to JFK.

Rules
1. Sister Airport
2. Jetblue flight
3. Call the same day of your flight and change must be for the same date.

You don't have to pay a price difference, just $50 fee. Now that Jetblue services, Samana, la Romana, Punta Cana, etc I am assuming you could do the same thing with those flights too.

What I found out today in Speaking to the rep:
When I was on the phone today with the AA and United reps I managed to ask the United rep about this whole sister airport thing. She told me the accurate name of it (I forgot though but I remembered the important part) and she told me that it works the same way for NYC (LGA, JFK and EWR) you could go stand by on either one and im not sure if its the same to either one also. But she told me you can earn miles and there is no fee, I'm not sure if that is depending on your status but lets assume the fee is something like the jetblue one.

That would mean you could book:

JFK to POP and then POP to JFK.

But for just $50 your itinerary could change to
JFK to POP and then return STI to JFK. Not sure if you could change the return completely to STI to LGA or EWR.

Because the essence of the concept is that JFK, EWR and LGA are all NYC.
La Romana, STI, SDQ, POP, Punta Cana, Samana is all Dominican Republic.

I find it interesting that there is no price difference charge. With Jetblue the fee being $50 instead of the usual $100 was also a surprise. United said they don't charge a fee but I don't think that is correct. And American I didn't ask but I pretty much ended our conversation without letting him explain to me in full what a stand by flight was. He said the Stand By type of flight I was thinking about, no longer existed and is a thing of the past in big airlines like AA and United.

Not sure if this is common knowledge but just throwing it out there. I Just found out today and i'm wondering if AA and United both do this. What do you think??

[harlem hec]

great info

I had no clue about what a stand by was....i assumed it was what u thought it was aswell

[el toro]

Two kinds of people usually fly standby.

1. Airline employees or others that have been put on the list from Airline employees - They fly free or at significantly reduced rates or in some cases they have to pay the taxes only (just Int'l).

My sister works for Delta and I've seen her and other family members get stuck with no flight because there were no available seats on some trips. I'd rather pay and know that I'm not going to waste a day waiting in the airport and still not be able to get a flight.

2. When someone misses his flight or the flight is canceled for some reason, he is placed on standby and will fly on the next flight with an available seat. It really sucked when I missed a direct flight and then was placed on standby and got on a flight with multiple connections.

In some cases like in Boris's case, he got to SDQ and the flight was canceled on his return trip. The best the airline could do that worked for him was to put him on a return flight for two days later (if I recall correctly) from STI.

To me in most cases flying standby just plain sucks. Especially if there are limited flights to or from your desired destination per day.

By all means, if I'm wrong please correct me my dudes.

[deezl]

The problem with stand-by flights is - you have to be at the airport, and you have to get there early.

So you can (potentially) change your destination, but not your departure.

Let's say you're in DR and you want to change your return flight from STI-JFK to POP-JFK - you'd have to be at POP to find out if you made it past the stand-by list and onto the flight, but if you didn't make it - you probably already missed your original flight out of STI. They never tell you in advance (afaik) whether you're going to make it past stand-by.

Also (since you mentioned United) - you got no chance! United doesn't fly to STI so you'd have to book to Punta Cana or Santo Domingo, if you book there with the intention of going to POP you're probably just gonna get fucked because;

A.) You're not going to get a standby seat on a EWR-POP/POP-EWR flight because they're pretty much always sold out - and from now until high season they only run 1-2 flights a week.

B.) After you find out that you didn't make standby - you're stuck flying into an airport that's anywhere from 4.5 to 8hrs away from where you wanna be - and you'll have to get back to that airport to fly home.

You'd have to check the times on the JB flights out of JFK to see if it's workable to do the switcheroo and I suppose it's worth a shot if you can find a flight to the destination you want to fly standby that leaves before the flight you're booked on - but not so much before that you're left standing around the airport for hours and hours.

Here's another thing to consider. Most flights to POP are around $480 via JB in September while flights to STI are mostly $360. So it seems like you could save $120 (minus the $50 fee) to get a standby flight to POP, but...

You're not going to be able to return via POP, so you're really paying $410 for a split flight (arriving in POP but departing STI ) and the base fare difference between the two one-way flights is $60... And you paid a $50 fee... So you'd have waited around the airport for maybe a few extra hours to save $10. If you can get one of the $299 JFK-STI flights then you're much better off, but it's still not a monumental savings.

Good thinking outside the box, though.

[mrblackluv]

The rules are confusing, and change all the time.
First..I concur, standby sucks when u are forced into it, and buddy passes are the lowest level of standby.
EVERYBODY gets a seat before you. I sat in Vegas ALL day on a buddy pass that cost me $150.00.
Just a dumb ass move, as regular tickets go for ~$350.00.

Finally got on a redeye going to Philly. Worst ever experience...never again.
Met a girl in the airport who was stuck for two days.

United has confirmed, and unconfirmed standby for regular ticket holders. Confirmed obviously costs more.

I have always wondered what United would do if I "purposely" missed my flight home from the DR for a few days. Would I get stuck if the flights are full? Would I have to show up "late" at the airport everyday?
Would they finally wise up and make me pay a change fee, and fare difference?

I have checked in late in NJ (twice) on the way out, and they tried to put me on the next days flight no charge.
But I raised all kinds of hell, and was let on my flight once, and sent to Punta Cana the other time.

[Dave Diaz]

Two kinds of people usually fly standby.

1. Airline employees or others that have been put on the list from Airline employees - They fly free or at significantly reduced rates or in some cases they have to pay the taxes only (just Int'l).

My sister works for Delta and I've seen her and other family members get stuck with no flight because there were no available seats on some trips. I'd rather pay and know that I'm not going to waste a day waiting in the airport and still not be able to get a flight.

2. When someone misses his flight or the flight is canceled for some reason, he is placed on standby and will fly on the next flight with an available seat. It really sucked when I missed a direct flight and then was placed on standby and got on a flight with multiple connections.

In some cases like in Boris's case, he got to SDQ and the flight was canceled on his return trip. The best the airline could do that worked for him was to put him on a return flight for two days later (if I recall correctly) from STI.

To me in most cases flying standby just plain sucks. Especially if there are limited flights to or from your desired destination per day.

By all means, if I'm wrong please correct me my dudes.

1. Is buddy passes right? I'm familiar with this from the "Free flights" on jetblue where they just made you pay the taxes, I have been told by friends who know people who sell or give away buddy passes and hear the same thing. Only have to pay the taxes on international flights.

Indeed if the flight is sold out you are not getting on. If there is limited seating you aren't promised a seat. About waiting a day though, that would all depend on when you fly.

I personally don't fly when families fly. I don't go anywhere from like June 20th until Labor day in september because that is when families tend to fly and it is very busy around that time of year. Airfare is high and seated is limited. But if you were to use your passes in slower periods its much more likely you will get a seat.

2. This is the type I was thinking of which made me want to know more. But it seems you could be placed on stand by if you arrive early at the airport and want to leave on an earlier flight with no changes other than that.

However this whole sister airline thing has me thinking you could do this, I actually thought of you as an example because your posts in the UA thread made me inquire about stand by for UA.

Lets say you have your flights booked

EWR to POP and then your return is POP to JFK because it was cheaper to book. If you were at the airport and you saw a United flight to EWR from POP and its a UA flight you could ask to be placed on stand by. If that flights earlier than your flight you could leave on it if there was seating.

The price of the flight would be irrelevant if the flight isn't booked to capacity.

I get what you are saying though, no guarantees and its a gamble. Indeed it is, but I think calculated properly you could really work the system.

As for Boris. I believe he's from Florida. Had he been from NYC I think he could have flown to either EWR, LGA or JFK and for that reason I think the airline could have made a better offer. Florida is big and I remember going from Orlando to Miami on a road trip with family once and thats a LONGGGGG distance. EWR, LGA and JFK are pretty much within an hour of Manhattan, so give or take a bit more time depending what boro you live in and where you land into.

But Again if there is no flights standby means you aren't getting on unless there is seating available.

[Dave Diaz]

The rules are confusing, and change all the time.
First..I concur, standby sucks when u are forced into it, and buddy passes are the lowest level of standby.
EVERYBODY gets a seat before you. I sat in Vegas ALL day on a buddy pass that cost me $150.00.
Just a dumb ass move, as regular tickets go for ~$350.00.

Finally got on a redeye going to Philly. Worst ever experience...never again.
Met a girl in the airport who was stuck for two days.

United has confirmed, and unconfirmed standby for regular ticket holders. Confirmed obviously costs more.

I have always wondered what United would do if I "purposely" missed my flight home from the DR for a few days. Would I get stuck if the flights are full? Would I have to show up "late" at the airport everyday?
Would they finally wise up and make me pay a change fee, and fare difference?

I have checked in late in NJ (twice) on the way out, and they tried to put me on the next days flight no charge.
But I raised all kinds of hell, and was let on my flight once, and sent to Punta Cana the other time.

Thanks for the reply MBL. The confirmed seems to be what Jetblue does with their $50 fee. As I had a confirmed seat. The united thing i don't understand since it didn't seem like you had a confirmed anything, just show up at the airport and cross your fingers.

Everything else you said is very good to know so thanks again for sharing.

[Dave Diaz]

The problem with stand-by flights is - you have to be at the airport, and you have to get there early.

So you can (potentially) change your destination, but not your departure.

Let's say you're in DR and you want to change your return flight from STI-JFK to POP-JFK - you'd have to be at POP to find out if you made it past the stand-by list and onto the flight, but if you didn't make it - you probably already missed your original flight out of STI. They never tell you in advance (afaik) whether you're going to make it past stand-by.

Also (since you mentioned United) - you got no chance! United doesn't fly to STI so you'd have to book to Punta Cana or Santo Domingo, if you book there with the intention of going to POP you're probably just gonna get fucked because;

A.) You're not going to get a standby seat on a EWR-POP/POP-EWR flight because they're pretty much always sold out - and from now until high season they only run 1-2 flights a week.

B.) After you find out that you didn't make standby - you're stuck flying into an airport that's anywhere from 4.5 to 8hrs away from where you wanna be - and you'll have to get back to that airport to fly home.

You'd have to check the times on the JB flights out of JFK to see if it's workable to do the switcheroo and I suppose it's worth a shot if you can find a flight to the destination you want to fly standby that leaves before the flight you're booked on - but not so much before that you're left standing around the airport for hours and hours.

Here's another thing to consider. Most flights to POP are around $480 via JB in September while flights to STI are mostly $360. So it seems like you could save $120 (minus the $50 fee) to get a standby flight to POP, but...

You're not going to be able to return via POP, so you're really paying $410 for a split flight (arriving in POP but departing STI ) and the base fare difference between the two one-way flights is $60... And you paid a $50 fee... So you'd have waited around the airport for maybe a few extra hours to save $10. If you can get one of the $299 JFK-STI flights then you're much better off, but it's still not a monumental savings.

Good thinking outside the box, though.

Thanks Deezl.

Doesn't work with United since like you said they don't fly out of all the DR cities and there is a big distance between POP and SDQ and Punta Cana. But Assuming the same rules apply for all airlines, would it work for AA?? Or could it?

Also with JB they have confirmed stand by (thanks MBL for a definition) when you call for the $50 fee. I'm wondering if confirmed stand by would make a difference (assuming other airlines have it too).

When I did my Switcharoo from POP to STI it was because I wanted to leave at a later time, not necessarily save $$$. That flight was the worst flight I ever flown but not because I made the switch, just because it was a bad flight.

Since you got into the economics of it though it really seems like more hassle than its worth since there are basically no savings. I guess this was all just some wishful thinking. Still good to know though.

[El-Rey]

Ive done Standby, Buddy passes as well as family employee passes which is just a step up from Buddy pass. For delta I know its seniority as far as how you get on the plane.
For AA its seniority and when you book. For jet blue it is Levels and I believe when you book. Levels meaning I flew on a ramp workers pass and got the last seat. Then I flew on a flight attendants pass and was given my choice of seats.

It changes all the time and different airlines have different rules.. AA makes you dress up for standby/Employee passes. Your not getting a ticket to go through TSA if your not dressed sharp

[BorisDaBulletDodger]

As for Boris. I believe he's from Florida. Had he been from NYC I think he could have flown to either EWR, LGA or JFK and for that reason I think the airline could have made a better offer. Florida is big and I remember going from Orlando to Miami on a road trip with family once and thats a LONGGGGG distance. EWR, LGA and JFK are pretty much within an hour of Manhattan, so give or take a bit more time depending what boro you live in and where you land into.

But Again if there is no flights standby means you aren't getting on unless there is seating available.

I don't think I ever was on Stand by in my case. From SDQ they only had 2 flights to FLL either jetblue or Spirit once a day at the time. If I was to fly Jetblue that was out of pocket and my ticket was refunded from spirit which was worthless because I used miles and basically only paid taxes.

I almost had to wait 4 days but remembered that STI had several flights and was surprised when they paid for my cab to STI.

Several people in my crew are either Spirit or former Spirit employees so feel free to punch them in the face if you ever meet them, i will ask tomorrow about Standby.

[jacknback]

Being here in Ft.Lauderdale and retired with nothing to do but sit in airports all day,,I'll be interested to hear about Spirits stand by terms.

[BorisDaBulletDodger]

Being here in Ft.Lauderdale and retired with nothing to do but sit in airports all day,,I'll be interested to hear about Spirits stand by terms.

Didn't see him today at the gym, maybe tomorrow. As much as I fly spirit, I need to know as well, especially with all these miles I can't seem to use

[planeman2010]

El Toro, you are correct in what you stated about standby travelers. As far as employee travel I also work for Delta, have been an airline employee for over 20 years and can count on one hand the times I've been unable to travel and i travel frequently. Its all in the planning of your trips I would never get on a flight with or without a connection if there weren't seats available. For the past few years I have been going to Thailand and the Philippines 2-4 times a year out of Seattle and have always gotten on the flights always business class.

[JD426]

Arent there always Seats held Open ?, as you guys who work in the industry can verify, for Employees, etc.. and then the Captain makes a final decision based on the total weight of the CARGO, luggage etc , as to how many of those Empty seats will be filled.. Its ultimately his decision as to who on standby gets to fly. But Just because seats are empty , doesnt mean standby passengers are guarenteed to get them, although it would be rare to deny that last person a spot if there are open seats.. Does this sound right ? cause thats the way it was explained to me when I missed a flight by literally minutes and had to wait my turn on the next flight.

[planeman2010]

Arent there always Seats held Open ?, as you guys who work in the industry can verify, for Employees, etc.. and then the Captain makes a final decision based on the total weight of the CARGO, luggage etc , as to how many of those Empty seats will be filled.. Its ultimately his decision as to who on standby gets to fly. But Just because seats are empty , doesnt mean standby passengers are guarenteed to get them, although it would be rare to deny that last person a spot if there are open seats.. Does this sound right ? cause thats the way it was explained to me when I missed a flight by literally minutes and had to wait my turn on the next flight.

No there are not seats held open for employees, and no the Captain does not make a decision as to how many seats are filled. pilots have nothing to do with employees on standby getting on a flight. standby for a revenue passenger is totally different than for a nonrev. nonrev travel is based on senority and seat availability for any given flight. weight and cargo is a different issue and is applied mainly to intl flights. if you miss a flight or can't get on because of availability, you are usually rolled over to the next flight.

[jacknback]

Didn't see him today at the gym, maybe tomorrow. As much as I fly spirit, I need to know as well, especially with all these miles I can't seem to use

So far I've booked 2 trips with miles.....1 in Sept. and one in Jan.
As soon as they post my miles for last months purchases it will bring me back over 10,000 and I'll book another.

[BorisDaBulletDodger]

So far I've booked 2 trips with miles.....1 in Sept. and one in Jan.
As soon as they post my miles for last months purchases it will bring me back over 10,000 and I'll book another.

From what he told me SPIRIT standby has to be the same day and an earlier flight. You have to be at the airport as well and cannot be done by phone.

Often the agents will try to get a charge of $35 but they have the ability to wave this charge if persuaded nicely.

Living in South Florida, and taking these international flights unless there is 2 flights going to lets say MDE, there is not too many instances in where you can fly standby he said.