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Standby questions for LHR-MIA and MIA-SJU today (24 Jan 2019)

Standby questions for LHR-MIA and MIA-SJU today (24 Jan 2019)

Old Jan 24, 2019, 5:29 am
  #1  
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Standby questions for LHR-MIA and MIA-SJU today (24 Jan 2019)

Im sitting in J on AA39 LHR-MIA, which today is scheduled to land at 3:22 pm.

I am flying MIA-SJU on a separate PNR on AA316 at 9PM. Now, that is a long layover with an even later arrival in PR.

I can get request a same day stand-by for the flight leaving at 5:44 pm, but Im unsure whether its wise.

At which point would they usually confirm the change? And if they do, would I immediately lose my seat on my current flight?

What happens if Im delayed at immigration and customs and I miss the new flight?
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 6:27 am
  #2  
 
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Originally Posted by ringingup
Im sitting in J on AA39 LHR-MIA, which today is scheduled to land at 3:22 pm.

I am flying MIA-SJU on a separate PNR on AA316 at 9PM. Now, that is a long layover with an even later arrival in PR.

I can get request a same day stand-by for the flight leaving at 5:44 pm, but Im unsure whether its wise.

At which point would they usually confirm the change? And if they do, would I immediately lose my seat on my current flight?

What happens if Im delayed at immigration and customs and I miss the new flight?
Go to CS desk AFTER you clear immigration/security and see if there is still time to
make it to new flight....If there is any availability you should be able to get on. This
is the safest way....
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 6:30 am
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Originally Posted by flyalways
Go to CS desk AFTER you clear immigration/security and see if there is still time to
make it to new flight....If there is any availability you should be able to get on. This
is the safest way....
Thank you! I was talking to a fellow passenger who claimed that a non-confirmed stand-by (as in when the app says explicitly that it's stand-by only) won't "clear" if you're not at the gate by the time they call you and that, if you don't show up, you keep your original flight. Is that true?
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 7:41 am
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It would be helpful if you shared whether you are a US Citizen or have Global Entry, and whether you have checked bags you need to wait for to re-check. That will impact the assessment of whether the ~2 hr connection is enough.

That said, AA's policy is to protect you in case of misconnect, which means that if you were confirmed on the earlier flight, and miss it, they'll re-accommodate you on the later (original) flight, although you risk your seat/cabin not being available at that time.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 7:50 am
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No GE but travelling hand baggage only on an ESTA.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 8:07 am
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At normal airports and non-shutdown times 5 1/2 hours would be a walk in the park in MIA while at any time, let alone now, the 2:22 option done before departure is too close.

Arrive at MIA, go through the circus especially the security - if you don't have TSA Pre-check and you see connections security is backed up 10 miles, try exiting the secure area after customs, re-enter and check the E gates. E is a smaller terminal and is connected to D anyway. People with D boarding passes will queue at D even though you can use E thus often E is faster.

Once past the zoo if you enter at E try the E Admirals Club up the elevator as soon as you clear E security or if you clear security at D (or at connection security) try the D15 lounge or the new D30 combo club and see if they will change the flight.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 8:11 am
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Originally Posted by ricktoronto
Arrive at MIA, go through the circus especially the security - if you don't have TSA Pre-check and you see connections security is backed up 10 miles, try exiting the secure area after customs, re-enter and check the E gates. E is a smaller terminal and is connected to D anyway. People with D boarding passes will queue at D even though you can use E thus often E is faster.
Good recommendation. E's security is terribly slow and it's a solid 15 minute walk (each way) from D, so I'd only recommend doing this if the TSA line at D looks like ~100 people or more (give or take).
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 8:18 am
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Thank you all for your kind replies.

So does this mean that its not true that if you apply for an unconfirmed standby you keep your seat until you accept the change at the gate?
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 8:34 am
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Originally Posted by ringingup
Thank you all for your kind replies.

So does this mean that its not true that if you apply for an unconfirmed standby you keep your seat until you accept the change at the gate?
That is true, you won't lose your confirmed seat unless you get on the earlier flight.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 10:13 am
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Originally Posted by ringingup
Thank you! I was talking to a fellow passenger who claimed that a non-confirmed stand-by (as in when the app says explicitly that it's stand-by only) won't "clear" if you're not at the gate by the time they call you and that, if you don't show up, you keep your original flight. Is that true?
That's correct.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 2:17 pm
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Hello from the flagship lounge. It took 30 minutes from the plane to the lounge.

The kiosks were all available when I got there, and the TSA check was pretty smooth.

Now I need to sit and wait. The agent in the lounge said that a seat in business is unlikely... I need to decide whether Im happy to trade a business seat for an early arrival (4 hours earlier) at SJU.

At least Im number 1 in the list. Does it make a difference?
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 2:43 pm
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Well, I was *going* to say that 2h+ was probably a safe bet at that time of day, but not *that* safe!

But your question now is delving into the realm of paid J passengers on standby for the flight vs. confirmed Y passengers on standby for an upgrade. Many gate agents prioritize the latter. I think if you confirm into Y, you'll have a good chance of staying at the top of the list as a paid J passenger (which I assume).
That said, there's currently 1 J seat left, if you are in paid J, you should be able to claim that, no? It's available in J/D/I inventories.
Alternatively, you could ask for a seat in row 17 which is normally crew rest on long flights and I believe has extra recline and a legrest. Not sure I'd want to get to SJU at 1:30am after flying in from Europe!
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 3:21 pm
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The gate agent said she didnt have anything in business if Id noticed the J1 inventory and an empty seat in the seatmap.

I accepted 12H, which is aisle, bulkhead of main cabin extra, but I dont know why she decided to proritise someone else.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 3:39 pm
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Im not sure if I have any right to be annoyed as Im not familiar with the rules, but 3 passengers have been upgraded on board.

I spoke to the gate agent on the plane and she said she had to give priority to people on the upgrade list.
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Old Jan 24, 2019, 10:39 pm
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Originally Posted by ringingup
Im not sure if I have any right to be annoyed as Im not familiar with the rules, but 3 passengers have been upgraded on board.

I spoke to the gate agent on the plane and she said she had to give priority to people on the upgrade list.
Was this an actual J (full fare business class, refundable and changeable at no charge), or a D or I fare? An AAnytime award (which is full fare J) or MilesAAver award (which isn't)? If FF J/AAnytime they should have given you the seat, D or I there is the fee for change thing and do you want to pay to change and/or reprice and thus you get lumped in a list with upgrades. That's what I suspect. Full fare J the Flagship Lounge would have handled it with aplomb I'd think.

1/2 an hour (in MIA with the shutdown, no less!) on the other hand is a terrific connection. Did you use connecting security, or did you exit baggage/customs and go back up to D or E?
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