SoCalFlyer23

Hello FT nation, I've been trying in vain for the last few days to book a BUR-GEG RR Standard Award trip for this coming weekend, without success. However, I have found an LAX-GEG itinerary with 2 stops and only 2 flight numbers (that according to the Wiki should work). My question is once I got the LAX-GEG award itinerary booked, could I then go to BUR and try to get on standby on a set of BUR-GEG flights instead, or am I locked into LAX? I ask because getting to LAX is a major hassle for me, especially smack in the middle of morning rush-hour when I'd have to go to make these flights. Does anybody know?

Beckles

My understanding is that Standard Awards are not eligible for standby, period*. Of course, they can be rebooked at any time right up until departure for free, but that's potentially a tricky process if flights are full (which there is certainly a good chance of on a holiday weekend).

* In the case of IRROPS of course this may be waived.

SoCalFlyer23

Okay, maybe I didn't phrase this right to begin with, maybe I should have asked if I have a confirmed award reservation out of LAX, can I show up at BUR and just change the ticket from LAX-(intermediate city)-GEG to BUR-(intermediate city)-GEG without penalty or drama, assuming there are open seats BUR-(intermediate city)?

nsx

I assume there are no seats available from intermediate city to GEG, or else you could just make the change yourself online.

Change without penalty? Sure. Without drama? I doubt it. If you try this M-F during Dallas business hours at Dallas, a long phone call from the airport's gate agent will fix you up. Allow enough time for that, maybe 40 minutes.

SoCalFlyer23

Oh, there are plenty of seats from intermediate cit(ies) to GEG, there just aren't any Standard Award seats that don't make it a three flight number trip. I just booked LAX-(OAK)-PDX-GEG (i.e. the plane stops in OAK but continues as the same flight number to PDX). I guess what I'm trying to figure out is Thursday morning can I show up at BUR, get on the slightly earlier BUR-OAK flight (which has no standard award availability but isn't sold out), then rejoin my original itinerary at OAK? Or will the computer systems not like that because it would now be 3 flight numbers instead of 2?

nsx

I have successfully booked itineraries with 3 flight numbers. Today I almost did so again. I got all the way to the payment page which showed only one award coupon used. Then I got the mysterious "We are currently unable to complete your request due to an undefined error."

tusphotog

I assume you've tried BUR-LAS-GEG?

SoCalFlyer23

I got the exact same message when I tried to book a BUR-OAK-PDX-GEG itinerary with 3 flight numbers, and like you I got all the way through to the payment page.

Oh yeah, I tried BUR-XXX-GEG for all 5 cities WN flies to from BUR, couldn't get any Standard Award availability from the connecting city to GEG except for the early morning flights (which I couldn't reach from BUR in time anyway). There is Freedom Award availability and paid seat availability, so hopefully I can just show up at BUR Thursday morning and change it to BUR-LAS (or one of the other 4 cities)-GEG.

nsx

See my comment today on the older thread. I must have misremembered success with 3 flight numbers, thinking that getting to the payment screen with one award showing was success, not anticipating that the last step would fail.

Beckles

Let me expand on what I said previously, this seems quite risky to me because unless you get an agent to actually put you on the stand-by list, which they may not do (and my understanding is that you can't officially stand-by on an award, so it would be within the rules for them not to put you on the list), you have to have award availability open up before they clear stand-bys. That is a big risk in my opinion, especially during a peak travel week, which is what this is. Even employees flying non-rev stand-by may have priority over you if they don't open up award seats before they clear stand-bys. Then, even if they clear stand-bys and there's room, it's probably too late to get on the flight with an award anyway.

That being said, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if you get a gate agent to put you on the stand-by list and it will work out, but it seems like a big risk to take that you could waste many hours at Burbank and not get anywhere.

Oh, on top of that, just because things work out in Burbank is hardly a guarantee things will work out in your connecting city!

SoCalFlyer23

Well, right now I have an LAX-(OAK)-PDX-GEG itinerary I'm checked in for. All I'd like to do is get on an earlier BUR-OAK flight (that would arrive sooner than LAX-OAK), then rejoin my original itinerary in OAK. (I'd probably lose my A boarding pass spot from OAK-PDX, but I'll live.) On the day of departure, isn't an Award ticket treated the same as a full-fare itinerary, i.e. fully changeable?

2nd possible option: there's a later BUR-SMF-(PDX)-GEG itinerary that has open Standard Award availability but doesn't get me in until late at night. In your (general sense, not specifically Beckles) expert opinions, would I be better off switching my itinerary to that, then trying to go earlier in the day while keeping the same origin and destination airports?

rove312

I'd be very reluctant to try to start from a different airport.

In your second option, this forum's FAQ section 3.5 would indicate that you'd have a better chance of standing by for an earlier flight, but when I cited that in a recent discussion, people seemed to disagree that what's stated there is accurate.

Beckles

I've already said it twice, but here it is for a third time, my understanding is that the rules don't allow stand-by on Standard Awards, which makes them quite different than a full-fare ticket. This is not to say it doesn't happen, but the problem is it doesn't have to happen, if a gate agent says no, they are within the rules.

SoCalFlyer23

Okay, let's scratch the word "standby" from this discussion, maybe that was a poor choice of words on my part. If there's an open seat through tomorrow from BUR-(any connecting city)-GEG (and it looks like there are plenty of seats, just not Standard Award seats), would I be able to switch my existing Standard Award LAX-(OAK)-PDX-GEG itinerary to a BUR-(wherever)-GEG one without a problem tomorrow at the airport?

Thanks to everyone for your help so far!

formeraa

I assume that standard awards are booked into a certain fare class. Right now, the OP is stating that the fare class is not available on the flight out of BUR. From what Beckles is stating, there is NO standby available on award travel. The standard award fare class must be available and the TA might well say "No". The OP wouldn't be speaking to the GA because they would not be able to get past security with a BP for LAX (hopefully).

I would keep checking award availability throughout the day. If the flight truly isn't full, WN's system might open up the standard award availability.