Standby Games--Winning Most
 

has worked ok for me most times in the past so gave it another shot yesterday on YEG-YYC and I played my cards right.

There was one M class seat available that I could have paid $50 to get on at 1 hour before 2 PM flight time or I could wait for my 3 PM.

I decided to play my cards since all flights were running full (zeroed out mostly). Went to the gate and agent said it was oversold but put me on list anyway (as usual). She was calling for volunteers due to oversold (strange that 1 M class was still available) but after flight had boarded, I looked up at her and she waved me over and gave me my boarding pass for the earlier 2 PM flight.

I don't know if it is status or horseshoes but I have seldom missed doing this at no charge for a number of stations in Canada (other main one has been YVR-YYJ). If I really wanted to I could have paid a reasonable $50 but sometimes I like the thrill of small time gambling :eek:

Well, it's a lot easier to gamble when you are an SE 1MM, so not really anything earth shattering, no? Try that as an E35 these days...;)

And it is also different gambling with Express versus Mainline;

I, and another Non-Status pax have been able to get on earlier YOW-YUL or YUL-YOW flights free;

How do you go about pulling that one off?