Originally Posted by
roknroll
With loads way way up, at T-3 hours you are often times lucky to just have Y available.
True, but the relevant timeframe would no longer be T-3 as it is today -- what will matter most is fare availability at 12:00am on the date of departure (or even the day before, for a red-eye flight). I think this is an important distinction because fare availability is often significantly better that many hours in advance.
Originally Posted by
mattsteg
I'd much rather confirm myself from the skyclub, (or be able to grab a meal or something) and saunter over to the plane at boarding time than wait around to be cleared as a standby.
Confirmed is a big deal. I have no desire to louse around the gate area if avoidable.
Originally Posted by
TurtleSVS
Not forgetting at all but the idea of going to the airport a few hours early and hoping that maybe you'll be able to get on the plane and then sitting around is quite unappealing.
Confirmed is definitely better than standby, but flyers will often be able to check fare availability in advance and predict with decent probability whether they would clear. If Y9, I would certainly relax in the SC instead of at the gate and just keep an eye on the standby list on the mobile app.
Keep in mind that the new standby experience will likely come with more certainty than we are used to:
Medallions today go on standby only if the flight in question is so full that they cannot SDC onto it -- but that will not be the case after April.