Booked a quick flight to visit my wife who has been working in Toronto for the past month. My return flight is on Monday the 29th and I somehow managed to book the 5pm flight instead of the 6:30 AM flight. It was a $129 ticket and of course after cancellation fees it's not worth it to even cancel (booked through Orbitz).

After talking to AC they suggested paying $150 to fly standby on the earlier flight. What I don't understand is in the past I've asked politely to get on earlier flights and if it's open other airlines can usually make the switch. Is there something stopping me from doing the same thing once I get to the airport on Monday? Any suggestions?

My options are:

1)$150 to fly standby

2)Work remotely from the airport (my wife works all day Monday so i'm stuck in the airport no matter what)

3)Flyer talk suggestion?