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[ptmmg]

our flight was booked many months ago it lands at 6:30pm I picked a late flight because I thought DH had to work, come to find out he is not working that day at all JetBlue has a 7:30 am flight (will give us a whole day) it will cost us $80 more per person, but if we call the day before and they say there are seats available we could go in and go standby and not pay any upgrade fees!! Has anybody done this before? I was told on the phone today they still had a lot of empty seats on the plane (35 days from now)

Not sure if I want to drag the family to get to airport (30 min away) and to be told no)

 

[tony609]

I wouldn't I'd stick to the original plan.

 

[tzeitel]

I would not pay extra but I would call the night before (and the morning of your departure day) and ask about stand-by. We live 2 hours away from the airport so 30 minutes sounds so close

 

[juliebug1997]

I wouldn't want to be on standby. If you don't make it on the plane, are you still guaranteed to be on your original flight?

 

[Mary Anne]

As far as I know the only upgrade to *standby* you can do for free on Jet Blue is ONE FLIGHT BEFORE your scheduled flight. You may want to double check with them again. I have done that many times. You do need to get to the airport very early-- like two hours before the scheduled flight you want to try and get on. -- and that two hours is two hours before the flight and you have already gone through security and are at the Jet blue "just ask" desk.

 

[Mary Anne]

If you don't get on the stand by with the one flight up on Jet blue, you will be put on your scheduled flight.

 

[ptmmg]

it is the flight before there are only 2 .the one that leaves at 7:30 am and then mine that leaves at 3:45pm

 

[juliebug1997]

That's a lot of time between flights. Plus, it looks like according to a PP here that you have to be there no later than two hours before hand. That means having your family there by 5:30 AM. DH and I can do it--no kids.

 

[Mary Anne]

OK, if there are only two flights a day and the one before yours is the 7:30 am flight, yes you can move up for free assuming you can get on. In this case, I would call the day before and see how many open seats there are and then see what your options are. I do agree it is a long day in the airport if you don't get on that plane. Oh another thing I just thought of, you cannot check your luggage, only have carry ons.

 

[juliebug1997]

OK, if there are only two flights a day and the one before yours is the 7:30 am flight, yes you can move up for free assuming you can get on. In this case, I would call the day before and see how many open seats there are and then see what your options are. I do agree it is a long day in the airport if you don't get on that plane. Oh another thing I just thought of, you cannot check your luggage, only have carry ons.

Not being able to check a bag cuts me out.

 

[conniehar90]

A 7:30 am flight might sound great but considering you would have to get up at 5am or earlier it will make for a very tiring day. Not a great way to start a vacation that is tiring in itself. I would take the later flight and arrive fresh and ready to go the next morning.

 

[cluvsdisney]

If we couldn't swing the $160, I'd stick with the original flight. I wouldn't want to get up super early to go standby with the possibility of getting turned away. plus I would enjoy being able to sleep in, do some last minute packing, possibly go to lunch or get my nails done before leaving for the airport.

 

[Tiggr924]

While I know its tempting to want to get there sooner... we typically book really early flights when possible... in this situation I would probably just stick to the original flight.

 

[Mary Anne]

She'd need to get up way before 5 -- I live 30 minutes from JFK -- even at that early hour, with no traffic, I'd be leaving my house by at least 4:30 am which means getting up by at least 3:45 assuming I took a shower the night before and just needed to get dressed. Yes, you will get in to Orlando early but by 4 pm in the afternoon you'll be dragging and in the room by 7pm. Trust me, been there, done that. If you have kids involved it can get nasty. You push too much that first day and you'll pay for it the rest of your trip. You didn't mention how long your flight was. That too might factor into the decision.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I think you can call the day before and pay a fee to be guaranteed a seat on the flight.

I have flown standby and had checked luggage. They mark it as standby and put it on the plane if you make the flight.

 

[ptmmg]

I was never told that we could only bring carry on if that is true then we couldnt do it. There are 4 of us 2 adults 2 kids 9 and 11. so $320 more to change the flight! we could easily leave by 5 and be at the airport by 5:30 we wouldnt hit traffic. thanks for all the comments!

 

[Happyjen27]

I think you can call the day before and pay a fee to be guaranteed a seat on the flight.

I have flown standby and had checked luggage. They mark it as standby and put it on the plane if you make the flight.

I looked into this very same thing with JetBlue, and this is exactly right.

If you call the same day and try to change your flight, you will be charged only $50 per person for the change, but it would be a bookable seat, not stand-by, and you could check luggage. You would not be charged the fare difference, only the $50.

The customer service person at JetBlue said to call at 12:01AM the day of the flight and ask for a same day change.

 

[Simba77]

1) It's tempting, but honestly, by the time I got to my room and checked in, I'd be so tired I wouldn't want to go anywhere. (That's me - air travel takes a lot out of me).

2) I don't know how long your flight would be, but even a 7:30 flight into Orlando isn't going to give you a full day at Disney. By the time you get off the plane, collect your luggage, get to your hotel (don't know where you're staying, either, which could be a factor), etc, it's going to be at least mid-day. If you planned on using that day to go to the parks, by the time you get to one, it might be 1, 2, even 3:00 PM in the afternoon, and you'll have been up since 4:00 AM or so. I don't tend to sleep well on flights, so I know that by the time the afternoon comes around, I'd be wanting a mega-nap.

3) This is why I always fly with Southwest. Free bags, and the key: free flight changes. 100% free. You only pay an upgrade fee if the flight you want to switch to costs more than the one you already payed for. And you're allowed to cancel any flight at any fare, but you don't get a refund - the money is credited as travel credit that can only be used by YOU specifically, and it expires after 1 year from the initial payment date. All that being said, Southwest has given me so much flexibility in the past in this regard, I can't even imagine any other airline. Not to mention that their prices are usually in line with all other airlines, if not less. That combined with free changes and free bags... Southwest all the way for me.

Consclusion: If it were me? I'd just sleep in and take my scheduled flight. Roll out of bed late, eat a nice meal, make sure you're all packed and have everything you need, cruise on over to the airport. Get on your late flight, get to your hotel, and relax. Grab some late dinner, and zonk out. Getting up at 3-4 in the morning to make sure I'm out the door by 5... By the time I got off that flight and into my hotel room, I'd need to chill and prepare for the days ahead.

Again, that's me. I'd be dead after getting up before sunrise and traveling and everything. I'd be zombie if I tried to accomplish anything that afternoon/night.

 

[TagsMissy]

At this point stick with your booked flights, especially with kids in tow.

 

[ptmmg]

thanks for all the input