AirTran Airways A+ Rewards - On full ATL-BWI, switch to IAD/DCA?

I'm on an ATL-BWI flight and I'd like to get out earlier. The flight (470) and the one before it (468) look overbooked (expertflyer shows 0s across the board, no seats for sale on FL website). Flights in the afternoon to IAD/DCA look like they have space. What would be the best way to get switched over? Seems like both me and FL could win by switching, I get out earlier, they don't have to compensate someone to get bumped off a flight and have to leave on the last one out or in the morning.

I called the elite line earlier in the week and was told it was a no-go on standby to DCA/IAD on a BWI ticket, but I'm still skeptical that they could do it at the airport.

I've switched between DC-area airports in the case of IRROPS (on NW, DL, and UA), but I've never heard of someone going standby at another airport.

BWI isn't a co-terminal for WAS even though it's in the Washington area. I can't speak to your specific fare, but it is also generally substantially cheaper than DCA/IAD and all of the carriers pretty jealously guard attempts to switch to DCA/IAD from BWI.

That said, overbooking and IRROPS change the entire calculus. Given the # of connecting pax xATL, FL isn't going to deal with overbooking until it really knows that it's got a problem. Could well by that it's overbooked by 10, but an incoming flight has 15 pax for your flight and they all misconnect for one reason or another, leaving 5 seats open after the overbooked are acommodated.

If you go to ATL in time for the DCA/IAD flights and ask at the check-in counter and then a GA for the flight(s) you want, you may get it. Make sure you don't have checked luggage and ask casually.

Key thing here is, the only way I'm going to get on the flight is by being at the airport 4 hours early. I'm probably not going to be casually asking, I'm going to tell them we should help each other out. Win/win for me and Fl.

I wouldn't dare try and do this with checked luggage.

And my fare was definitely cheaper to BWI, which is why I'm booked there. Of course, its not really relevant now; they've got an oversold BWI flight and other DC area flights that have seats. If they fulfill their contract to me by putting me on a flight with empty seats instead of one without seats, seems like that helps them. I just thought there might be some experience here to help.

Key thing here is, the only way I'm going to get on the flight is by being at the airport 4 hours early. I'm probably not going to be casually asking, I'm going to tell them we should help each other out. Win/win for me and Fl.

I wouldn't dare try and do this with checked luggage.

And my fare was definitely cheaper to BWI, which is why I'm booked there. Of course, its not really relevant now; they've got an oversold BWI flight and other DC area flights that have seats. If they fulfill their contract to me by putting me on a flight with empty seats instead of one without seats, seems like that helps them. I just thought there might be some experience here to help.
It's your choice. But, I can guarantee you that in the FL world and given the specific change you want made (from BWI to DCA/IAD), the casual ask will get a lot further than the heavy pitch about doing FL a favor. Remember, it's not whether you win or lose. It's whether you win.

To follow up: they never specifically said no, I can't do it. I got to the airport only ~30 mins before the IAD flight and a couple hours before the BWI flight before mine (which was shortly before the DCA flight). The agent at the terminal put me on the BWI list and said I had a pretty good shot. I went straight to the IAD gate, and she already had 39 standbys on that flight, so I didn't hang around. She didn't say I couldn't do it either, just that with 39 on the list ahead of me, my time would be better spent at the bar. I got on the BWI flight before mine as the first standby called, so didn't test the DCA flight.

Thanks for keeping us posted!