I can accept the argument about logistics if someone is travelling with checked luggage, but RD's explanation makes no sense. In fact, the opposite is true. As Empress points out, standbys are processed after the flight is closed, so there is no chance of losing a paying customer. It is possible that there will be someone who paid a higher fare also standing by, but that can be solved by giving that individual priority (just like SEs are given priority for comp u/gs when a flight is overbooked ). Realistically, it seems unlikely that this will be an issue most of the time. Once someone has taken that earlier flight, then his seat is available for sale to a premium fare pax on the later flight.
SO, it does come down to a money grab. It also is a real irritant to FFers. If you combine the fact of there being no standby with the lack of a reasonable justification for denying it, and then throw in the fact that there are some L fares that do allow standy (I think websavers fall into this category) but that most gate agents are not aware of this and therefore will follow the general rule, then you have a perfect recipe for yet another less than happy AC cusotmer. Oh yes, I forgot. This rule only applies to doemstic flights, so the argument that the standbys can't be processed for operational reasons loses even more credibility.
This is yet one more area where a simple concession by AC -- same day standby for pax without checked bags -- could generate an enormous amount of good will at zero financial cost.



[This message has been edited by Academic (edited 08-08-2002).]