What does standby mean for flights?
Flying standby used to mean showing up at the airport without a ticket and trying to land a discounted seat on an undersold flight. Now, you often need a ticket to be eligible to fly standby, but you may be able to catch an earlier flight, get an upgraded seat, or fly to a different airport in your destination city.
Do airlines still do stand by?
The short answer is no. Airlines no longer allow you to wait around at the counter in hopes of snagging a “standby flight” and filling the last seat of a departing flight. And buying a ticket on the day of a flight would do the opposite of save you money — last-minute tickets are staggeringly expensive.
Can you fly for free on standby?
If there are seats available on the flight immediately before the originally scheduled flight, passengers can fly standby free of charge, but this is not a confirmed changed and does not guarantee a seat.
Does standby cost money?
The cost of flying standby depends on two things: the flight itself, and who you are to the airline. Most likely, however, there will be a nominal charge of between $25 and $100 to fly standby. Standby flights are the leftover seats on a plane that haven’t been filled by travel demand.
Does Southwest do standby?
Those who have Anytime or Business Select Southwest tickets are allowed to fly standby, without paying an additional fare, between the same cities on the same day if there is an open seat on an earlier flight. In addition to flying standby, you can always cancel and rebook anytime with no fees.
Can you fly standby internationally?
Flying standby for international travel is like business — it’s all about who you know. Now, most airlines don’t even sell domestic standby tickets. If you have a long wait in the airport, you can try to snag an empty seat on an earlier flight, but it will still cost you the price of a regular ticket.