I will be “dropping” of a friend in a major us city latter this month. I will have to fly either home or to a family members house. (I do not know yet.) Both home and the family memebers are in a major U.S. City.
I don’t know if I should buy a ticket normally in a few weeks when I find out or wait and by a standby ticket that day. Time is not an issue but i am on a budget!
2006-07-05 13:32:21 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Very, very few airlines such reduced "fare" anymore! AirTran is the only US airline that offers it and their "stanby" fares are only for travelers ages 18 to 22- http://www.xfares.com/xfares_standby_program.aspx
The days of going to the airport and hoping to get a "standby" seat for a deep discount are long gone. You will need to have already purchased a ticket to go "standby" (meaning if space is available, they will accomodate you) on any airline.
Do yourself a favor and buy yourself the cheapest ticket you can find and don't go to the airport hoping to get any deals. You won't get one and will be left buying a full fare walk up ticket to get where you are going.
2006-07-07 08:15:10 · answer #1 · answered by Av8trxx 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
You can't buy a standby ticket. Standby basically means that you buy a ticket, and get on a list for an earlier flight to the same city. If there is space on that plane, you can go, depending on how many other people are also standing by.
The rules change, of course, if you are flying standby as an airline employee.
2006-07-06 14:07:55 · answer #2 · answered by None 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A stand-by ticket is one you can purchase for a discount price (up to 1/2 off the full-fare price) but you don't have a guaranteed seat on the flight you bought the ticket for... You have to "Stand By" until all the other passengers have boarded, and if there are any empty seats, you can get on and ride. If not, you'll have to "Stand By" for the next flight and wait again.
Flying standby is a good way to save a few bucks if you can afford to waste your time sitting around an airport all day long, with the hopes of finding an empty seat on an airplane that's going in the direction you want to go... Unfortunately, there are far fewer empty seats going to popular destinations than there used to be.
Since I really hate just sitting around in airport passenger terminals, I'd rather buy a regular ticket for a reserved seat, and get on with my trip.
2006-07-06 04:38:39 · answer #3 · answered by JetDoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't buy standby tickets. All you do is try to catch an earlier flight with a ticket that you already purchased for a later flight. All it does is get you there on an earlier plane, if there is a seat available. It doesn't save you any money.
2006-07-05 13:38:53 · answer #4 · answered by Jeannie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Standby means that you go to the airport, check in at the ticket counter and tell them where you want to go, and if that flight has room, they will sell you a standby ticket (discount ticket) to board the plane.
2006-07-05 13:38:30 · answer #5 · answered by WC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
offpeak is the best time to fly standby because you have a better chance of getting a seat in either buisness class or first class.
2006-07-06 22:45:40 · answer #6 · answered by Knackers 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋