Apologies if this has been answered before somewhere else - I did a search and was unable to find anything.

I was booked on a flight this coming Sunday SEA-PHX-ONT that has a 25-minute connection in Phoenix. I called US Air and was told the following:

1. Yes, 25 minutes is a legal connection in Phoenix.
2. Sure, I can stand by for an earlier flight to make sure that I connect (since I'm connecting to the last flight out to ONT), but it will cost me $50.

Since I normally fly United and the last time I flew through Phoenix was sometime in the 90's, could you help me out...

Is 25 minutes a realistically doable connection in Phoenix? Making the connection is more important to me than the 50 bucks.

What are the chances (if any) of getting the standby fee waved? (Stop laughing!) I'm *A gold if that makes any difference.

(...and for the record - had I booked it myself I would have spent the extra and gone non-stop on Alaska)

Thanks!