No standby on International itineraries? A big downside to AA?
 

Yesterday I had a heck of a time dealing with AA's "no standby on international itineraries" policy.

I missed my flight (ORD-PVR) by 20 minutes (flat tire rule), and was asked to either pay $700 to go on the next one (no routing change, but I couldn't standby per AA's rules) or pay $100 change and go via MEX. With some persistence, I managed to get on the flight I wanted without any charge.

This is a very inflexible policy, IMHO. For example, if I'm on the last flight of the day LHR-ORD, but the previous two LHR-ORDs are wide open, I cannot take them.

Do AA regulars see this as a major downside to AA, or am I just spoiled? :)

A little bit of both.;)

The rules are presented before you buy a ticket. You accept those conditions when you buy the ticket. That said I do think it's un-necessarily restrictive.

I agree with HNL to the extent that you agree to the rules when you buy a ticket. But I guess I don't understand how, from a revenue or profit standpoint, letting you standby for ORD-LHR is different than letting you standby ORD-LAX.

Maybe someone who does can educate us?

Exactly. I also don't understand how, if I'm booked on AA91 (3:30p LHR-ORD), and I happen to get to the airport in time for AA47 (1:15p LHR-ORD), and AA47 is wide open...why must I wait an extra 2 hours? Same route, so I can't think it costs anything to put me on the earlier flight.

I flew standby on an AA international flight last week (ORD-LHR).

My suggestion is to tell them, not us. Whether or not we agree with you, the situation won't change until enough people tell them they don't like it.

Cheers.

I was under the impression that this had to do with post 9/11 security when flying into the U.S. and the airline having to transmit data on all of the pax very shortly after TO. I know this was cited to me as the reason at LHR.

However, a colleague told he successfully stood by for the earlier same-day AA flight from CDG to JFK.

I am suire it is not the case flying out of the U.S. as posted above.

I'll have a go.

No airline really wants to allow standby without charge -- because flight changes are a potential profit centre (that's why airlines sell flexible tickets!).

Domestically, however, standby is a long-standing tradition. All airlines do it; American would be uncompetitive if they did not allow it.

Internationally, hardly any (do any?) offer it. Ex-LHR none of UA, VS or BA allow free same-day standby -- so why should AA?

Rubbish. You were fobbed off. If you want to pay for a full Y ticket, I'm sure they'd happily let you on! And there is a standby procedure, for example for misconnects -- it's just the policy not to allow complimentary flight changes.

While you don't say why you missed your flight, most people don't miss flights because they actually had a flat tire. They miss the flight because they didn't allow a reasonable amount of time to get to the airport. AA publishes suggested times for us to be at the airport, and we constantly see someone here starting a thread to ask if a shorter amount of time will work.

From AA's point of view, they sold you a seat on that flight. This meant that they could not sell that seat to someone else, so when you didn't show up, that seat flew empty. To give you another seat on another flight means that you are essentially getting two seats for the price of one.

If I were running AA, I wouldn't give customers anything at all if they miss the flight on a non-refundable ticket. After all, they kept that seat for the customer, and it isn't their fault the customer wasn't in it.

I've flown standby DFW/LGW a few times without problem (both at DFW & LGW). Guess it's up to the gate agent to allow even though policy states different.

The folks at the GRU ticket counter are really good about allowing standby (or if it is really open, simply giving you the new boarding pass at check-in). I have flown GRU-MIA-DFW and GRU-JFK-DFW several times and they have always offered to allow me to standby or simply move me to the GRU-DFW flight. Two weeks ago they moved several J passengers from one of the 767 GRU-MIA flights with the old J seats to an earlier one that was being flown on a 767 with new J seats one so that they could try them.

All of these flights were in J (well, often in C inventory), and I have found that agents at many of the international stations go a lot farther when helping J (or F) passengers (i.e. more flexible with luggage, calling passengers from the J-line even when they are 100 feet away and there is an enormous coach line, etc.). Perhaps the same agents would not allow Y passengers to standby.

JAGMAP, could you please clarify whether (a) you were standing by for an earlier or later flight and (b) what was fare basis of your ticket. Thanks.**

2 out of the 3 times was for earlier, and the 3rd time I was ticketed on 51 (LGW/DFW 10:25a dep) and played dumb when I arrived (late) for #79 (2:00p dep). LGW ladies could not have been more accomodating (caveat: I used to fly out of there every 2-3 weeks so they knew me which is why I said it's really up to the agents).

Fare basis was always discounted Y.

Incorrecto. UA allows it.