Originally Posted by chowder
the sold (or oversold) condition of the flight should have no bearing on the ability to change or stand-by. usair's policy is earlier stand-by same-day only, with perhaps a $25 charge. later flights are considered a change, thus the $ quoted you.
an oversold condition could afford you a double bonus, bumping you to a later flight, and paying you off with a voucher. of course, you'd have to be at the airport for your scheduled flight -- which is what you are trying to avoid in the first place.
That makes sense Chowder. It seems like it would be in everyone's best interest (cust and US) to allow a passenger to change from a full flight to a flight with ample space 24 or 48 hours prior to departure. It would save them the expense of compensating bumped passengers - though they would be giving up the revenue from those who pay for changes.