standby on southwest?

[sdmojo]

has anyone flown standby on southwest?
we are booked on an 11:20 am flight this saturday, i would like to try standby on one of the 2 earlier flights that day. mind you, the entire day has been booked solid (probably overbooked, i'm guessing) for 2+ months.

the first flight is at 9:30, second flight at 10:30. so we would need to go to the airport about 2.5 hours earlier than planned to try for that first flight. my question is, is it worth it to try? i would love to get to disney 2 hours earlier! but if we don't get on either flight, we will have been sitting at the airport for 4 hours prior to getting on our original flight. what a way to start the trip!

anyone have any experience flying standby with southwest? any advice?

 

[Lewisc]

SW will charge you the difference between the fare you paid and the fully refundable fare. If you're already paying that fare, don't mind paying the extra or are using a RR ticket just get to the airport a few hours before the first flight. I think one person has a decent shot. I wouldn't waste my time if it was for a family. Unlikely you'd get 4 people on the plane and even if you did you won't be sitting near each other.

 

[sdmojo]

i'm already paying full fare, so the price would still be the same.
i'm so glad i asked though! it never even crossed my mind about the sitting together part. i am traveling with my 2 kids, DD7 and DS3, so not sitting together isn't even an option for us.

would we still be able to pre-board with my 3 year old? or would they board everyone else and then let the standbys on? i've never flown standby before, so thanks for answering my silly questions!

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by sdmojo

would we still be able to pre-board with my 3 year old? or would they board everyone else and then let the standbys on? i've never flown standby before, so thanks for answering my silly questions!

FORGET ABOUT IT. They'll board everyone else, give time for the later people to show up then they'll board the stand-bys. How can they let you pre-board when they don't even know if you'll be on the flight? Since the flight is sold out the remaining seats will be middle seats.

 

[CarolA]

If the flights are full, I don't know that I would even try it with a child.


First you need to clear three seats, that's hard enought.

Second you are NOT going to get seats together and by the time the board Standbys even the great SW Fligth Attendants won't be able to do much for you, it would be too close to departure time for them to engage in horse trading to move the seats around for you.

That said... since you have full fare tickets call SW every day and see if enough seats have opened up on the earlier flight. It happens

 

[sdmojo]

i had to laugh out loud when i read that, i will NEVER admit to how many times a day i have been calling sw!!!

the sw agent i talked to the other day was trying to convince me to go standby, so i started thinking about it. he knew i was traveling with 2 kids, but never mentioned the seating issue. i am so glad i found this board! thank you both for the advice!

 

[CarolA]

I would keep trying, you can never tell!

I apologize for all the typos in my earlier response. Even for me that was BAD!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Since you are paying full fare, see if there are any seats available and change your reservation.

 

[sdmojo]

oh, how i wish it were as easy as changing my reservation! all eleven flights on sat are booked and have been for months. i have been checking online and calling like a like a crazy person for cancellations daily (okay, okay several times a day....)

i am wondering if southwest is more likely to have same day cancellations since they allow a courtesy hold on full fare tickets until travel day???? any thoughts???

 

[Pooh's Pal]

I flew non-revenue last week on a Monday(horrible day to do that!) And I had also purchased a full fare ticket for my DD who was traveling with me. We left home at 5am, got to the airport around 6:30am..went through security and down to the gate. She was booked on a 9:20am flight and I was waitlisted. So, we go to the gate around 7am for a 7:30am flight, list ourselves and wait....the flight was sold out and the gate agent told us the chances were slim & to go and have a coffee. We didn't, we just sat there figuring that if we didn't make it on the 7:30, there would be plenty of time for coffee before the 9:20 flight.
We wait and another agent comes up and calls my daughter's name at 7:25!(now she is not too keen on flying alone at 17!) I go up with her and he gives both of us boarding passes! We both made it on the 7:30.....two seats left in the back of the plane....both in middle seats! We were only going to Baltimore so it was a short flight!

If I were you, with two little ones, keep calling....and yes sometimes people that call for reservations that haven't pre-paid yet and are told to stop at the ticket counter first to pay and get a boarding pass....(like some traveling on a senior rate) sometimes they don't show up at all and there is room at the last minute.
But even if you get onboard with two little ones, I wouldn't count on anyone changing seats to accomadate you.....people don't do this very often, and don't beleive that the Flight Attendants can make them either!!!
Or just stick with your org. reservations and be on the safe side!!!
Good Luck whatever you try!!!...Enjoy those friendly skys!!!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by sdmojo
oh, how i wish it were as easy as changing my reservation! all eleven flights on sat are booked and have been for months. i have been checking online and calling like a like a crazy person for cancellations daily (okay, okay several times a day....)

i am wondering if southwest is more likely to have same day cancellations since they allow a courtesy hold on full fare tickets until travel day???? any thoughts???

Sorry, I ran out of ideas with your last post, except flying in the day before or the day after or trying to change to flying into Tampa or out of New Hampshire or Bradley.

 

[sdmojo]

thank you for all of the ideas....
i think i will just play it safe and skip trying to go standby. the slight chance that it might work just doesn't outweigh the more likely possibility that i will end up hanging out at the airport with 2 kids for hours before our original flight.

oh well! hang on mickey, we might not be there EARLY, but we're coming.......

 

[Lewisc]

Are there 3 or 4 people travelling. If you have 2 adults you might try switching 2 tickets. It's possible 2 seats might open up. One adult would go with the younger child and you could try stand by for the other 2. The first adult would pre-board and take an aisle and window seat saving the middle seat for the other child. If you clear standby the other child has a seat and the other adult has to fend for himself. If you don't clear standby just move over and give the aisle seat to someone else.

 

[sdmojo]

what a great idea!
unfortunately, it's just me and my 2 kids though, so we have to stick together!

 

[carolsherman]

I did it once on SW with my 2 small kids and I will never ever do it again one I paid the higher price but the worst part was I was separated from my 6 and 9 year old not one person would give up their seat to a female alone with 2 kids even with the stewardess offering free drinks to whoever did. Finally a schoolteacher on board told one of the students to get up and I had at least 2 seats together but my 9 year old had to sit in the back of the plane by himself. It was the longest flight of my life he was terrified and god forbid something happened I wasn't near my child. Never ever again as much as I love southwest I will fly an airline I can at least have a seat on with my kids

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by carolsherman
I did it once on SW with my 2 small kids and I will never ever .........much as I love southwest I will fly an airline I can at least have a seat on with my kids

Any airline is going to board the standbys last. You probably would have had the same problem on any other airline. If you get to the airport early enough you'll get an "A" (or at least a "B") and won't have any problem getting seats together.

 

[CarolA]

Lewis is right. Any time you fly standby you get the "leftover" seats. So on Delta you would get assigned seats, but they could easily all be middle seats. And Delta flight attendants don't even try bribing with free drinks.

Standby is NOT a good idea if you must sit together on any airline unless you get lucky and it is a fairly empty plane.

 

[sdmojo]

thank you for all of the suggestions.
i was checking with sw (yet again) for cancellations and the agent actually laughed out loud when i inquired about going standby! sheesh!

i asked my painfully shy DD7 how she would feel about not sitting with me on the plane if it meant we could go a little earlier......she never missed a beat and said LET'S DO IT!!!! LOL! we are getting so excited!