I was booked yesterday on an early evening Jungle Jet from IAH to STL. I finished my business early and tried to get on an earlier mid-afternoon ERJ flight. When I checked in, I was told that that earlier flight was oversold with five people already on standby, but that I would be added to the list and placed first (I didn't ask, but I assumed that that move was because I am Plat Elite).

Later on, I'm at the gate for the earlier flight. The GA asked for bump volunteers, but nobody bit. After everybody boarded, I and the other five standbys - which included an off duty CO FA - stood around waiting for the verdict. Before any action was taken by the GA, the off duty FA went to the counter, filled out some kind of form (which appeared to be the size of a boarding pass), handed a pink part of the form to the GA and boarded. About five minutes later the GA announced that there were two seats available for the standbys. I was called first, and then another standby was called.

I got on the airplane to take my seat, and as I boarded I saw the off duty FA get out of my seat to move to the last empty seat in the back. I settled in as the second standby passed me to take her seat toward the back of the ERJ. I then heard her complain that there was no seat available for her - the off duty FA was sitting in that seat - and she got off the airplane. I thought that I'd see her get back on with the GA, but - no - she did not reappear, the door was shut and the flight took off with the off duty CO FA on seated in that rear seat.

I had my seat, so I kept my mouth shut. But had there been only one standby seat available, I likely would have been in a position where I would have been denied boarding because of the off duty CO FA. So, it got me thinking, who gets priority for standby? I suspect that the presumably non-revenue FA had no business jumping the line, and if that is the case what should the passenger who get bounced have done (which means, if it had been me, what should I have done)?