Flying Standby in September

[Disneylvr]

My husband and I have 2 "Friends and Family" vouchers (good for standby flying only but first clss upgrade is an option if seats are available) for Delta airlines and we chose Orlando as our destination. We hope to use them for a short 3 or 4 night trip in September. What days are best days for flying standby? Or maybe my question should be; on what days are there more open seats on flights? We will be flying from STL with a connecting flight in either ATL or Cinncinatti and are pretty much free to fly any day of the week. Thanks!

 

[Jo-Anne]

I would avoid Monday Mornings. I fly frequently into Cinci and the Mon am flights are always packed with business travellers. Have Fun

 

[Beverly Lynn]

actually the best thing you can do is check all the flights. try to fly the off peak times like very early in the morning and late at night. tues/wed/thur might be the better days. call and ask what it looks like for non-rev travel. they can check the flights for you and tell you what is open. when I say open I am referring to how many seats available on what flight. if the flight has 20 or more then its open and you should get on. but buddy passes get boarded after employees unless you are traveling with the employee.

 

[robinb]

You might also check availability into TPA (Tampa). It's only an hour from WDW and isn't as busy. I've had okay luck into MCO/TPA by arriving at the airport for the very first flight out. If you don't get on that one, you can have them move you to be standby on the next one out and also check flights to TPA too. BTW, leaving MCO on Sunday is terribly busy! I wouldn't risk it.

Good luck!

 

[olena]

From long experience, I have some advice. September is usually a great month for standby's, as is October. Fly after Labor Day....at least a couple of days. Monday mornings are bad, as are most Sunday and Friday flights. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday flights are usually pretty good. Also, flights that leave VERY early are usually wide open. I used to fly Northwset standby out of ATL all the time. I would usually hit the 6:30am flight out of here and take my chances in my connecting city. Another reason for very early departure is that you'll get to your connecting city and be available for most or all of the connecting flights on that day.

The Delta employee who got you this pass may be able to look in the computer and see how flights look.....open or oversold. My Dad did that for me. I usually had a printout of the standby list, which included seating priority, so I knew when I'd be called and what to expect. The bad thing about that is that you can only get a good idea about a week or so before the flight. Of course, you can see way ahead of time if the flight is packed, but you get the best perspective a week before. The bad thing about that is getting time off from work or having an employer who can be flexible with vacation days.

Other tips.....
If you have to dress up and you may be looking at a long layover in your connecting city, bring a pair of comfy shoes to put on til it's time to try the next flight. Beware of the gate agents though. They do check your attire. Another good tip is to pack extra clothes and undies and basic toiletries in your carry-on. It's happened to me many times before that my bag would make the flight, but I'd have to wait. If you get stuck in an airport for long hours, you'll be glad. It's also great if you get stuck overnight. Been there, done that....no T-shirt though...

I wish you luck and will answer any more questions, if you have them. Have a great trip!