How do Standby Flights Work | Book Now

published on 18 June 2025

Organizing travel plans with the airlines will be more convenient and seamless. An airline offers a wide range of services to fulfill the basic needs of the flyers. In those facilities, one would find standby flights, where travelers can take a seat on an earlier flight than their original ticket. Moreover, this could be complimentary, but it very depends on the airlines. In order to fly on standby flights, travelers will be required to create a competent itinerary. However, there are many facts related to it, and it has been shown in the following titles.

What Is A Standby Flight? 

A standby is a situation where a passenger requests to get into the prior flight of their original itinerary. Further, these seats might not be guaranteed but can be obtained without any charges. Additionally, the standby flights come into play when a ticket is canceled at the last moment, or the passenger is deemed as a no-show. But it can be obtained by acquiring an eligible airfare.

How To Book A Standby Flight?

A same-day change allows one to take a seat on the earlier flight. Moreover, it is for one who has requested the airline, and it can be done through different methods. The details about each one of them have been presented at the bottom.

Book A Standby Flight Via A Phone Call

A call might be a suitable option for getting into the standby flights. With these options, you would not have to go through the complex steps and can carry on efficiently. Moreover, you can get rid of any complicated queries conveniently. Moreover, the steps concerning this have been shown in the following points.

  • Just dial the airline reservation number.
  • Select your language first and then the standby options from the menu.
  • Share the necessary information and add yourself to the waitlist. 

Request For A Standby Flight Via The Official Website

One more way to request a standby flight on the airline is on the website. Here, you can choose to book standby flights by yourself by observing all the relevant factors. The guide that you can request online is mentioned at the bottom. 

  1. Open the official website of the airline.
  2. Then, locate the manage booking options on their website.
  3. Submit your confirmation number along with your surname.
  4. Select the standby options and choose the flight.
  5. Finalize the onscreen procedure, and the details could be shared in the emails.

Use An Airline Counter At The Airport

A traveler can request a standby flight at the last moment by using the airline counters available at the airports. With them, you could learn appropriately about the availability of the earlier flight and the process that needs to be followed for boarding it. If you need to get on the earlier flight, then try to arrive at the airport accordingly.

How Much Does A Standby Flight Cost?

An airline may accept a passenger for getting on the prior flight, but only when space is available on the previous flight. On top of that, the spot is offered according to the sequence of the waitlist. Additionally, the standby flight tickets are not chargeable under many conditions. However, there are some airlines that require a $75 confirmation fee.

Conclusion

Hence, the airline offers an opportunity to request a spot on the earlier flight while having a confirmation on the first one. These same-day flight changes will only be applied to the previous flight, which has the same origin and destination. Moreover, the standby airline tickets are for the flight that is departing within 24 hours of the originally scheduled departure. Here, you can find enough information related to this and prepare for a smooth trip.

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