About Standby

In the past, standby travel was a cheap way for people to travel at the last minute. With the increase in airport security and new regulations in the airline industry, even standby travel requires a considerable amount of planning. Knowing the standby travel basics will make your standby travel trip as easy as possible.

Types

There are two types of standby travelers. The first type is airline representative standby travelers. In this case, you are flying under special considerations for being a family member of an airline employee. In some cases, it is possible to fly on one airline as a representative of a different airline. The second type of standby traveler is the tourist standby traveler. This person purchased a ticket for a flight but needs to catch another flight without having to pay a transfer fee.

Benefits

Traveling standby enables you to get to your destination, even if you miss your flight. In some cases, you may even be able to catch an earlier flight if you arrive at the airport early and seats are available. It is important to remember that you must put your name on the standby list in person at the ticket counter.

Time Frame

As with any air travel, you must go through security before you can board a plane as a standby traveler. Because of this, you must get to the airport at least 90 minutes before the flight you want to catch. Ideally, you should get to the airport 3 hours ahead of time so you can get through security and get your name on the standby list. You must also remember that you can wait a long time before a seat opens up for you to fly. In some cases, the wait can be longer than 24 hours.

Considerations

In most cases, you have to be dressed in professional attire to fly standby. This is especially true if you are flying standby as an airline representative. Besides paying attention to your attire, you have to consider the amount of luggage you have. When you travel standby, it is best if you bring only carry-on luggage as it is difficult to coordinate checked baggage on the short notice required to travel standby.

Misconceptions

Many people believe that flying standby is cheaper than flying on a regular booked flight. This is untrue. Airlines now require people flying standby to purchase a regular ticket. Preference for standby seats are given to people who paid full price for their ticket. That basically means that the more you paid for your ticket, the higher your name will be on the standby list.