If I bought an airline ticket for 9 pm on Friday, can I try to fly earlier in the day?

Question

I bought an airline ticket with Airtran for 9 pm this Friday, but I want to know if I could fly earlier in the day (even on Thursday, if possible) without having to pay a hefty penalty fee. Is this possible?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Some tickets allow you to make these changes free, usually "business fare" etc. Cheaper tickets usually have restrictions and fees for doing this. The only people who can tell you for sure are your travel agent and/or the airline. Give them a call and see.

Answer 2

Your best bet is to call Airtran. Some airlines do allow you to stand by free the day of your original ticket. Other airlines, like Southwest, do not allow free standby on a nonrefundable ticket, but will charge you the difference between the nonrefundable ticket you have and a fully refundable fare. Airtran is a discount airline and is less likely to let you do the things full service airlines do. Its a good idea to ask about penalties and changes when you purchase a ticket.

Answer 3

Call Airtran and ask. It likely depends on what type of ticket you bought. Not all tickets are created equal.

Answer 4

I've done this many times. You show up to the airport early (about an hour before the flight you want) and you go to the gate where the flight is at and you ask if you can move your flight up to that flight. They will put you on standby and hopefully you will be able to get on the flight.

Answer 5

Yep, you can go standby for free. But it does have to be the same day. It's usually first come first serve, so if an earlier flight if close to booked you'll want to get there early.

Answer 6

Yes..If the plane has open seats they are happy to move you up..Gives them a chance to sell your seat

Answer 7

Only if it's domestic, you can do a stand by.