Originally Posted by
kyamato
When doing the same day standby at the airport does it matter if I have luggage or not?
Same-Day Confirmed Change (SDC) is allowed with luggage, provided that you don't miss the check-in deadline, or -- if your luggage has already been checked -- that you give them at least 1 hour in order to allow them to move your bag. If possible, SDC before check-in to reduce the chances of a missing bag.
They will generally not allow you to standby with checked luggage.
Originally Posted by
kyamato
Also if I did it, at what point would I know it be confirmed or not? Is this something they can tell me at the checkin counter or I would have to wait till im at the gate? Would I be able to make sure I could get an aisle seat?
SDC can be done whenever there's space available in the same fare class you already have. Prior to checking a bag, it can be done through the app or kiosk. If you've already checked the bag, you'll need a gate agent or customer service agent to do it.
Standby, which just requires a seat in the cabin, won't be processed until they know for sure that a seat will be available, which will be at the gate (not the counter). If the flight isn't full, they can start to process standby seats when check-in closes (30 minutes prior to departure for most domestic flights). If the flight is full, they'll have to wait to see if anyone fails to show, which means they'll wait until 15 minutes prior to departure.
The way standby works is that the gate agent will assign you a seat, call you to the podium, and then confirm your reservation when you arrive. They do that because some people may go onto the standby list but then end up away from the gate. They won't put you onto the flight unless you're physically present and ready to board. At that point, it's theoretically possible for you to decline the request if there's no aisle seat available.
That said, your best chance for an aisle seat is if a couple of premier customers get upgraded at the gate. It's much more likely for a standby customer to get a middle seat than it is an aisle or window. (Of course, if the earlier flight is also operated by United Express, there's no chance of a middle seat...)