Same Day Changes (SDC) and Standby on Air Canada (2019 onwards)
 

This thread contains useful information on same day changes and standby on Air Canada flights. There is a very detailed wiki at the top of the thread that provides a good explanation of how SDC and standby work, both broadly and with many details. Please read the wiki before posting a question.

Note that this thread is an amalgamation of several previous threads, and that some posts were carved away from older threads. To the extent the thread is slightly disjointed in certain places before this post (which explains which threads were combined and what was left out), it may be a result of these threads being merged together at a later date. Please forgive any untidiness in these older posts. However, given the comprehensive nature of the wiki, it shouldn't be necessary to read many of these older posts to get a very good understanding of how standby/SDC work.

I don’t mind paying a fee to do the change, but when doing OLCI, if you’re looking for the next/later flight on the same day, does the system require space in your original fare class or will it book you into any open (ticketed or higher) class in the same cabin?

For example I’m flying YYZ LAX at 630p and I want to switch to 845p, do I wait for after midnight on the day of departure and just do OLCI and find the option to switch flights, and if space is open, I’ll see the later flight along with the fee?

You only need positive space, but you're not going to get rebooked in a higher xlass.

AFAIK, self serve SDC is broken right now.

Is a SDC to another city (within reason) completely out of the question?

I was thinking something like LHR-YYZ-YYT SDC'ed to LHR-YYZ-YHZ ??

Yes, completely. Unless there are massive IRROPS or something.

Will arrive YYZ at 5am fom DEL and onwards to YOW. Wife is in the 7am flight and I am on the 9am flight to YOW. What the process of me standing by for the 7am flight?

Thanks

Ask an Air Canada agent, whether at the transfer desk after you come through customs, in the check-in hall, at the airside customer service desk, at the lounge (if you have access), or at the gate.

If you have any checked baggage, it will be best to check it under your wife's name so that your baggage doesn't become an issue.

Note that this thread is about same-day changes, which is different from standby.

I'm flying paid J (Z, not full fare) transatlantic on AC metal and AC ticket stock, but LH codeshare. Is it possible to SDC to another AC metal flight when my flight is booked as an LH codeshare?

Ask an agent at the customer service desk, or in the MLL if you have access.

I don't see this one so if I missed it please excuse me. Does AC allow SDC or standby for an earlier flight if ticket booked via UA mileageplus (award) on AC metal (earlier flight would be AC metal also). TIA

Does the itinerary need to be identical like AA or can it be different as long as O/D are the same?

Want to try to change YUL-YYZ-FLL to YUL-FLL nonstop.

Thanks!

I'll soon be flying DME-MUC-YYZ-YYC on a P fare.

Would a SDC be possible on the domestic section to YYZ-YVR-YYC or YYZ-YUL-YYC?
If possible, what would be the best way to request this? I assume at the MLL when I get to YYZ, is that right?

Thanks

It might be possible, but you'll likely have a tough time.

• If you have bags checked through, that'll cause an issue unless you short check to YYZ (which causes additional risks in the case of a delayed flight on your arrival into YYZ) as your bags will likely not need to be claimed in YYZ.
• You're trying to add an extra segment to your itinerary. I've had a Concierge be able to do this once, but it took forever. When I've tried to do this in the past with a regular agent they had no clue how to. I'm sure the fact that people still don't seem to know how to use Amadeus doesn't help...

I won't have checked bags but good info about the difficulties of adding an extra segment, thanks!
I guess I can try the Concierge office in YYZ but will keep my hopes low.

Edit: Ignore this, I misread

There's no extra segment here, so it should be easy.

If you don't need to go through YUL, have you considered just taking a YYZ-YYC?

Also, you're only entitled to concierge access in YYZ if your YYZ-YVR is on a wide-body.