Originally Posted by
pdxdtw
I just bought a short-notice one-way United flight from LAX-RDU that unfortunately stops in both Orlando and Charlotte (saved a lot by going with two stops vs. one).
Naturally I'd prefer one stop to two, especially since it's a redeye. Is it possible to standby for slightly later one-stop itineraries, say by arriving at LAX at 7 p.m. for my 10:18 p.m. flight to MCO and asking to standby for the 10:40 p.m. LAX-CLT shot?
Alternatively, if I get to the airport a few hours early is it possible to chat up the desk agent and standby for another itinerary that goes to RDU, i.e. via IAD? Fortunately I have no checked luggage...
Thanks in advance!
First, welcome to FlyerTalk! (it's your first post)
UA does not allow change of routing (connecting cities, connection to nonstop etc.) on standby nor on confirmed-for-fee same-day-change.
That's officially. That's what the rules say, and that's what you would be told if you called them.
However, at the airport, you may have a chance of doing so with an agent. If you had elite status with UA, I'd say your chances would range from about 50% to 95% success. Without any status in UA Mileage Plus, outlook is uncertain but I would still try it. Understand that you're asking them to break a rule.
BTW, as a "true Flyertalker" you'd probably want to take the extra flights for extra miles and segment credits! But I do understand that some (most) passengers actually want to get directly to where they are going, unlike the typical FTer!
Edit: If you're routing through MCO (Orlando) and CLT, you're definitely on US Airways, not United. At least for the CLT-RDU route and the MCO-CLT (I'm assuming that you're going LAX-some hub-MCO-CLT-RDU). US doesn't allow free standby for anybody if they can confirm a seat for a fee. So you really want to be talking to UA at LAX when you check in for your UA flight.
Assuming that you're actually on UA from LAX. It's possible the whole thing could be on US metal even if sold by UA as a codeshare under UA flight#s. If that's the case you'd never be checking in with UA at all, and would be stuck with the worst of both worlds - US's insistence on applying US's no-free-standby rules even on a UA fare, and UA's non-airport insistence on no free re-routing as a standby/SDC.