US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - ticketed from bwi,standing by from dca

My mom is ticketed bwi-phl-cmh.But she's gonna be closer to dca.She wanted to standby dca-phl and she called up us res and they said even though they are co-terminals she cannot standby..?Because the fare was restricted and not available ex dca.Ive always stood by from other co-terminals then i was booked to/from someone explain why they are giving her a hard time?
-howie

I've had the same problem. There are published fares good only from the ticketed departure/return terminal. The BWI-CMH fare may be one of them.

As an example, I had a $198RT itinerary DCA-DFW through CLT. On the way home, I asked to standby to go to BWI. Nope! Most times this would work, but it was a DCA/IAD fare for both departure and arrival. When I looked at the fare rules, it was there in black and white.

Look up the fare rules for her ticket and if it's not there, ask them to explain further.

She's called them up a few times and each time goten a different answer
-howie

Keep in mind the phone agents will always play by the rules because they only state what they view on their computer screen.

Recently I bought a BUF-BWI r/t ticket with a "BWI only" restriction (Thank you Southwest for giving us cheap fares!) I flew BUF-BWI on the outbound, but wanted to return from DCA instead.

Prior to heading for DCA, I checked the loads on the DCA-BUF flight I wanted and discovered there were some 80 seats open. I checked in with my ticket and asked the agent if I could standby for that flight. She had to confirm with the rate desk, but they said I could only use BWI. The agent then went to a supervisor, who gave me approval to take the DCA-BUF flight. Not only did I get the flight I wanted, but I was also able to upgrade using a NAU. Maybe they are more willing to bend the rules for Gold Preferreds - I don't know.

I'd say take a chance and try to get the DCA flight. But check the loads first to make sure it's worth trying. Also, standby for a flight that is earlier enough than your BWI flight just in case you might have to get there to make your original flight.

I don't think that standing-by at DCA is a good idea. The airports are more than an hour apart, just in driving time. That doesn't include all the time involved with parking and what-not.

BWI almost always has fares that are considerably lower than the same itinerary out of DCA, due to Southwest. I heard recently that BWI, DCA, and IAD are no longer considered co-terminals, only DCA and IAD are.

I could see being allowed to fly back to DCA rather than BWI, but it seems a stretch that the agents would allow a different departure city, especially considering the often large fare difference between these two particular airports.

Ditto. Head to DCA and try to stand by on an earlier flight (of course, after you call to see if the flight has a lot of open seats). Rarely will they say no if they have seats available.
Good luck!
From USAirways site:
CO-TERMINALS - -THE FOLLOWING GROUPS OF CITIES ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE SAME POINT EWR - HPN - NYC - ISP, LAX - ONT - SNA, BWI - WAS, FLL - MIA, GSO - INT, ORF - PHF, SFO - SJC, UCA - SYR.


[This message has been edited by always_delayed (edited 09-07-2001).]

[This message has been edited by always_delayed (edited 09-07-2001).]

She landed up going to bwi from dca since she came in on the shuttle.People at lga told her no so she decided not to try it even though she's silver.
-howie

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by always_delayed:
Ditto. Head to DCA and try to stand by on an earlier flight (of course, after you call to see if the flight has a lot of open seats). Rarely will they say no if they have seats available.
Good luck!
From USAirways site:
CO-TERMINALS - -THE FOLLOWING GROUPS OF CITIES ARE CONSIDERED TO BE THE SAME POINT EWR - HPN - NYC - ISP, LAX - ONT - SNA, BWI - WAS, FLL - MIA, GSO - INT, ORF - PHF, SFO - SJC, UCA - SYR.


[This message has been edited by always_delayed (edited 09-07-2001).]

[This message has been edited by always_delayed (edited 09-07-2001).]</font>

While that's true in general, restricted fares have restrictions, and one of those possible restrictions relates to coterminals. Bring up the specific rules for your fare type and look for the coterminal info in the rules (most travel booking engines, when you bring up a ticket and are ready to book, will allow you to look at the "real" rules [not a summary, but the actual abbreviation-laden ALL CAPS real stuff]. If its already booked go to Travelocity's Fare Listing and look for your specific fare basis (not just V, but VFGHGR or whatever).

Actually , if you are looking up a specific fare code, then it will always show these same coterminals, this is part of the tariff that all airlines file. See Standby or MISC for specific airport, time, day restricitions regarding standby at coterminals.

thanks MCO/Gold and Silver res rep

[This message has been edited by BWI2MCO97 (edited 09-09-2001).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BWI2MCO97:
Actually , if you are looking up a specific fare code, then it will always show these same coterminals, this is part of the tariff that all airlines file. See Standby or MISC for specific airport, time, day restricitions regarding standby at coterminals.

thanks MCO/Gold and Silver res rep

[This message has been edited by BWI2MCO97 (edited 09-09-2001).]</font>

Thanks for that info, BWI2MCO97!! I must say, it is great to have a US res agent on the boards!! And all the Gold agents I regularly speak with are always knowledgeable and friendly (which is more than can be said for some other airlines), so a big thank you for all the hard work of you and your colleagues!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BizJet:
And all the Gold agents I regularly speak with are always knowledgeable and friendly ...so a big thank you for all the hard work of you and your colleagues!
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Very true.... thanks, BWI2MCO97.