Originally Posted by
skywalkerbeth
Hey, thanks everyone.
62% on time with avg delay of 42 mins does not make me comfortable.
Is there a way to find out if the earlier flight has empty seats, now? Or, is there a way to secure a seat on it NOW versus on standby at the airport? I don't want to lose my bags, too.
United is currently 1350 bucks. 250 bucks on top of that is 1600 bucks. I coulda/shoulda just bought the United tickets off the bat. Not having a great feeling about this...
Looking at a seat map for the earlier flight will give you a "rough" idea about how many seats are open, but as BoeingBoy said take it as a rough idea - not exact. That being said, if Orbitz shows the flight with a ton of seats open - you can be sure it actually is (the opposite holds true as well). You can always call US Airways as well.
In order to get confirmed on the earlier flight right now, they'd have to rebook your whole itinerary which would cost you a change fee + the difference in airfare.
I really think you'll be fine. If you can't get on an earlier flight at IAD and your flight is delayed, really press to be put on UA.