If you fly standby do you have to pay?

Question

Is it free to fly standby or discounted? How does standby work?

Answer 1

Standby is free for airline employees. For instance, I can fly on any domestic carrier for free, but it's only standby.

But as the paying traveler, you have to pay. If you buy a standby ticket, that means that the airline is overselling the flight. In most cases, a standby fare is a little cheaper than a full-fare because the risk of you not making the filght is greater.

You can also go standby to leave earlier than your scheduled flight. If you are leaving at 4, and your family drops you off at the airport at 1, then you can list yourself standby for an earlier flight. If there are any seats available, then they will fill them up with people on the standby list.

How is it structured? Well, it's structured by priority. Paying customers are first on the standby list, then that airline's employees are next, followed by parents/spouses of that employee, and finally any other airline employee. Within each of those groups, the first customers to check in will get the higher priority.

In other words, if you can avoid going standby, please do because in the summer season, it's really hard to get a seat on a standby ticket.

Answer 2

You may go to the airport earlier than your original flight and be placed on standby as long as it is the same destination and airline. It is completely free, all you have to do is wait and the chances are good you'll catch an earlier flight. The more popular the destination the less chance you have. Early business flights. 6-8 in the morning weekdays are usually full especially on Monday. After noon and early evening flights on Friday are almost impossible, they are always overbooked. If the destination is Hawaii or Cancun, etc forget it, people don't miss those flights. To avoid being placed on standby when you do not want to be, check in AT THE GATE when the agent arrives, usually 45 minutes before a flight. Show up 20 minutes before and you may miss your flight by being placed on standby. The airlines won't admit it but they will put you on standby if a first-class passenger is booked and not there yet, or a full fare booking is a little late. Remember if you miss the last flight out you are stuck, the airline DOES NOT have to pay for a room, however be nice and you might get a dinner out of it. These are the basics of standby, hope it helps.

Answer 3

How To Fly Standby

Answer 4

Free!! Really.

Standby arrangements are used by airlines to make sure they get as many fare paying passengers on board their flights as possible.

I have used standby to:
- catch an earlier flight when I have finished business early and want to get home as soon as possible.
- missed my scheduled flight and the airline cannot guarantee a seat on a later flight until they know who has checked in.

Basically, standby is about offering fare paying passengers a seat made available by a no-show. It helps keep flights full, but certainly is not free.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
If you fly standby do you have to pay?
Is it free to fly standby or discounted? How does standby work?

Answer 6

yes dear standby in most cases is if the flights or full and your willing too take whatever flight thay have