If the work schedule you'll be returning to next year will allow you to take advantage of the standby perk fairly regularly, I'd go for it. That is a fantastic benefit. While I can't actually value it at face value - I wouldn't usually pay the fare difference to fly earlier - I do value it highly. Add in autocheckin, A61 boarding, and a few extra points, and I wouldn't have much trouble rationalizing it away. Check recent threads, someone put something really impressive together recently...