TrackManiac

Let's say I'm booked on a flex ticket YEG-YYC-YYZ where I'm currently confirmed on the last flight of the day out of YEG and then the redeye to YYZ (60 minute connection). Am I allowed to do a SDC either standby (which I understand to be free of charge from YEG-YYC) or confirmed ($75) to change to a much earlier flight in the day out of YEG and still leave the redeye to YYZ alone so that I could have a connection that greatly exceeded the typical 4-hour maximum that normally would make it count as a stopover instead of a connection if booked that way from the beginning?

If it matters, for sake of debate, let's say this change made the connection in YYC about 10 hours in duration. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

canadiancow

Yes, you can.

nomadic.relief

I concur with cow - in another thread a long time ago I asked the same question. He answered the same. As a result, I did a SDC at YVR to make my YVR-YEG-YQU work flight include a 7 hour stop in YEG to visit my grandmother (you wanna talk about brownie points, now THAT is the way to go, secured my slot as favourite grandchild, even though she was totally puzzled by how I made it work.)

zrh2yvr

I agree with the others too. You can do this.

I have done SFO-YVR-YYC-LHR - - with the overnight in YYC. Needed to book a later flight YVR-YYC to be under the 24 hours connection rule.

Took the first flight out SFO-YVR. Dragged the bags back to domestic checkin . . asked for earlier flight . . (6 hours earlier) - and made it. They put us on J-Standby. It was also a ticket with an upgrade from a B-Fare (confirmed already in J later flight) - They did same day standby - - and - for the record - - I was ahead of the others waiting for upgrade and both me and Mrs zrh2yvr made the flight in J - while the others waiting for that flight did not have their upgrade clear . . .

So - the short answer is yes - no problem - and if you're in J already - you should be basically first on the list assuming the plane is not actually overbooked.

canadiancow

I'm curious when that was, because I've been SE on a J fare, clearing standby into Y while P25Ks in Flex had upgrades clear.

Is it possible they confirmed you on the flight in Y and then put you back on the upgrade list, where your status and fare class would have had you at the top?

zrh2yvr

CC - - It was July 2014. The way it works depends on how you are booked. If you are already in J on a later flight, DCS will put you on J-SBY ahead of everyone else on the earlier flight which is waiting for upgrade. This is because after you clear "R" class, DCS would see you a J-PAX.

If you are confirmed in Y and waiting for earlier - including J-UPG, I'm not sure what would happen. You would think you would go to the top of the list, including J-priority - but it may see you first as a Y-PAX and then put you lower down the J-SBY list.

Thinking about an old CP flight with the stickers - I was doing YYC-YVR - did standby earlier flight - - and wanted to upgrade. The lady told me she would not do an upgrade for that - I could only do Y. Which was weird.

One other weird one for me in the past year was when I was on AC33 YVR-YYZ. The inbound from SYD was so late, that they ended up switching the equipment from the later flight (which was a 788) to AC 33 (and then have the 77L continue on as the equipment for the later flight). What ended up happening is that J went from 40 to 24. This is where expert flyer is your friend. . . I noticed the equipment change quite soon in the morning. I managed to go and do a seat change from row 10 on the 777 to seat 2A on the 788. This was before they did the final seat reallocations.

Like a game of musical chairs - those who were not confirmed with seats in the first 6 rows were SOL and downgraded. However - I was actually on a B-Fare which I upgraded. I would have thought that someone would have found a way to downgrade me and put someone else in J . . however - with time being short and that type of routine not being automated, I got my J seat - and others on J fares were forced to be in the PY seats. This was one of those moments where I was not convinced I would keep my seat until the last minute when the door was closed . . . . .

canadiancow

I was on a later flight, in J. Not C, D, Z, P, I, or R. Full fare J.

And I've had it confirmed by multiple people at AC from "gate agent" up to "Ben Lipsey" that upgrades are processed before standby.

Which is why I'm so curious about your story

BlueMilk

In my experience:

1. If the flight is not overbooked but J0, then J standby will clear before upgrades if J seats become available.

2. Where the flight is overbooked upgrades will clear before J standby.

canadiancow

The flight I was on was not overbooked.

I showed up around T-55, and all the new BPs were sitting there waiting. My standby had cleared into 23E or something unacceptable like that, while there was a P25K ML*1 in J.

However, you left out the case of "not overbooked and not J0"

Nitehawk

Are you sure they put you on the correct standby list? If they flight was not J0 you would not have to standby if you are full fare J.

canadiancow

I wasn't sure I could actually make the flight when I asked (I was activating my H1B visa, so had to go through the "immigrant" line at YYZ preclearance).

I was at the counter maybe 75 minutes before the flight I wanted, and about 3 hours before the one I was confirmed on.

I made it through preclearance in about 20 minutes, got to the gate at T-45, and they had definitely processed standby, but I was behind the upgraders.

By the time I was through preclearance, the flight had closed, at which point SDC is usually not possible.

But as I said, I've had everyone from the bottom to the top tell me that my experience is "working as intended". Upgrades clear before standby.

zrh2yvr

It was an interesting one because I had some "idea" of the load but did not exactly know. The lady at checking said to me "I can put you on standby for that but you'll never make it". Since I grew up flying on a pass, and had low priority when travelling without my parents, I came to understand "no chance". . . So together we looked at the the Loz-I screen (not sure if anyone even knows what that is any more) and J had 3 open. I told her I though we were good . . . Ultimately we cleared first and then they announced no more J seats avail.

Now you never know really what was happening. Maybe they were non-rev J-SBY's. Ultimately, it worked. We managed to get to YYC by lunch and had more than a full day visiting family . . on our long connection.

CC - you may appreciate this one. We were at a wedding down past SJC the day before the flight SFO-YVR. We were originally booked on the one at around 10 am . . (the first flight returning up to YVR of the day). Pre-rouge. . We had been watching the flights all month and seeing that this mid-morning flight was delayed pretty much every day - 2 maybe 3 hours even. At the last minute, I called up AC res . a fantastic young woman helped us switch to that crazy early flight . . . Stayed near the airport after the wedding and then got out early. The later flight that morning ended up being 3 hours late . . so the morning flight was a good switch - - allowed us to get the YVR-YYC flight around 11:00 am.

Final thoughts on the upgrade order. I'm sure they have been able to adjust the system over the years - especially with e-ticketing (which means they have a better idea of what fares people actually have) but ultimately, they can tell us what they believe the order is for these types of upgrades but unless you really see it in action - sometimes you just never know. If you are SE or at least E75 - - and there is more than 1 J seat open - and you checkin early - you really have to question what happened if you are not upgraded.

Happy flying . . . .