Nov 8, 2015, 3:40 pm
Last edit by: Prospero
American Airlines Same Day Standby Policy and Discussion
(Not to be confused with SDFC / Same Day Flight Change - see links below)
Standby has its own rules and peculiarities: (As of 14 Jan 2016)
Same-day standby
Standby for a fee (waived for AA Elites)
For $75 on domestic flights, you may standby on an earlier flight under the following conditions:
*Standby between NYC-LON is offered for $150.
AAdvantage elite members may use the standby option for earlier or later flights.
Though it appeared those with checked bags were being denied SDS, JonNYC clarified that AA affirmed AA Elites are allowed to SDS if they have checked bags. Link.
Complimentary standby
Get complimentary same-day standby with:
Complimentary same-day standby is also available for:
Link
The following passengers may standby at no charge based on availability:
Link
Q. What happens to my upgrade if I stand by for another flight?
Your upgrade and position will be lost. You can not be added to the upgrade list on your desired flight until you have cleared from standby. At that point, it may be too late to request your upgrade, given upgrade requests are normally processed prior to the standby list.
See "Airport Upgrade and Standby List" / Order, PALL List and issues (FT)
Previous posts have been archived and can be read here
Standby is not the same thing as SDFC / Same Day Confirmed Flight Change:
See "Domestic" Same Day Confirmed Flight Change / SDFC / CFC / "Standby" or
International Same Day Flight Change / SDFC / SDC / CDC
(Not to be confused with SDFC / Same Day Flight Change - see links below)
Standby has its own rules and peculiarities: (As of 14 Jan 2016)
Same-day standby
Standby for a fee (waived for AA Elites)
For $75 on domestic flights, you may standby on an earlier flight under the following conditions:
- Standby is not allowed for international flights*.
- Has the same origin and destination
- Is for the same calendar day of departure
- Is marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle
- Changes to another multi-city airport or to different connecting cities are not allowed
- You can standby for your originally purchased cabin (not upgraded cabin)
- Standby means upgrades on the original flights are lost (you can not be on an upgrade list until your standby has cleared)
- Standby pax may be required to gate check carry-on baggage
- Standby is prioritized - see "PALL List" link below
*Standby between NYC-LON is offered for $150.
AAdvantage elite members may use the standby option for earlier or later flights.
Though it appeared those with checked bags were being denied SDS, JonNYC clarified that AA affirmed AA Elites are allowed to SDS if they have checked bags. Link.
Complimentary standby
Get complimentary same-day standby with:
- Unrestricted Economy Class (Y fare), Business or First Class tickets
- American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum, Platinum Pro or Gold status and companions in same record
- oneworld® Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby status and companions in same record
- AirPass membership
- First and Business Class MileSAAver award tickets
- AAnytime award tickets
- Choice Plus fares
Complimentary same-day standby is also available for:
- Active U.S. military personnel traveling on orders or personal travel
- Active U.S. military dependents traveling on orders
Link
The following passengers may standby at no charge based on availability:
- Customers who purchase unrestricted Economy Class fares (Y class of service)
- Customers who purchase Business or First Class tickets
- Active U.S. military personnel traveling on orders or personal travel
- Active U.S. military dependents traveling on orders
- American Airlines AAdvantage® Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, Platinum or Gold members
- oneworld® alliance Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby members
- Customers flying on the same reservation as an American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum or Gold member or oneworld alliance Emerald, Sapphire or Ruby member regardless of frequent flyer status or fare type
- AAirpass® members
- First and Business Class MileSAAver® Awards
- First, Business and Economy Class AAnytime® Awards
- Customers who purchase a Choice Plus fare
Link
Q. What happens to my upgrade if I stand by for another flight?
Your upgrade and position will be lost. You can not be added to the upgrade list on your desired flight until you have cleared from standby. At that point, it may be too late to request your upgrade, given upgrade requests are normally processed prior to the standby list.
See "Airport Upgrade and Standby List" / Order, PALL List and issues (FT)
Previous posts have been archived and can be read here
Standby is not the same thing as SDFC / Same Day Confirmed Flight Change:
See "Domestic" Same Day Confirmed Flight Change / SDFC / CFC / "Standby" or
International Same Day Flight Change / SDFC / SDC / CDC
Same Day Standby / SDS (not SDFC) Rules & Discussion (master thread)
Oct 8, 2018, 3:52 pm
#646
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Plano, TX, USA
Programs: AA: PPro, 4MM; HH: Lifetime Diamond; MAR Life Titanium Hertz: Prez Circle
Posts: 547
Confirming what I think I already know... I am flying LHR-DFW in J on Friday on the last flight back. In the event I don't need to work the morning in London, I can only standby on one of the earlier flights back to DFW, but not try for SDFC. Right?
Oct 9, 2018, 10:05 pm
#647
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: IND/MEX
Programs: AA PPro BA Bronze SPG Gold HH GLD Hyatt Exp
Posts: 1,134
No, you cannot standby for any international flight with the exception of JFK-LHR
Oct 10, 2018, 2:43 am
#648
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EP
Posts: 107
I have similar experiences to you when it comes to arriving at the airport for a later-standby flight. It always seems to involve some kind of manual or extra typing from the agent. My only worry with your suggested approach is that I am not sure I would trust AA to put correctly put me on the standby list for my desired flight without checking in with someone, either at the ticket counter or I guess at the gate. The issue with the gate is that the GA may assume you simply “missed your flight” instead of standing by
Oct 11, 2018, 3:11 am
#649
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Plano, TX, USA
Programs: AA: PPro, 4MM; HH: Lifetime Diamond; MAR Life Titanium Hertz: Prez Circle
Posts: 547
That is what I thought. Interestingly enough aa.com is showing SFDC as an option (I fly tomorrow), but is then telling me that no flight options are available.
Oct 19, 2018, 3:45 am
#651
Join Date: Jan 2003
Programs: American Airlines Platinum, National Executive
Posts: 3,790
Oct 19, 2018, 9:22 am
#652
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 142
Thanks for the feedback. I do not have boarding pass. AA lady just hurried me up into the plane without giving me boarding pass as a replacement for some one who left the flight in last minute.
Oct 19, 2018, 9:39 am
#653
Join Date: May 2013
Programs: AA PLT, HH Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 282
This has been my experience. I have had this confirmed by AA Customer Relations. I've never been allowed to standby directly for first. I've had to standby for coach, then hope for an upgrade. Technically, once you get on the flight, you'll be at the top of the upgrade list because you're a displaced first passenger. However, the GAs run upgrades before standbys, so you aren't put on the upgrade list until after the upgrades are gone. Unless, of course, you're on the unicorn flight where there are more first seats than upgraders.
I guess it's because they want to get flights out as full as possible. If they clear FC standby passengers into first directly, they can't bump anyone out of Y and clear seats for the people standing by for Y. I would guess that a vast majority of times, there is a longer list of people standing by for Y than there would be for F.
Oct 19, 2018, 12:52 pm
#654
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
A physical boarding pass isn't needed to request mileage credit assuming that the original ticket was eligible for mileage accrual anyway. You shouldn't have to argue about the mileage credit but more often then not, the situation I see is that the standby ticket is processed with a different fare letter so you end up with wonky earnings. You can sort this out by calling AA Customer Service (not reservations) but you can check on it ahead of your call via AA.com to see the breakdown of what was credited.
Oct 26, 2018, 1:12 pm
#655
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: CLT
Programs: Marriott Plat, AA Gold
Posts: 1,076
I am hoping to fly CLT-PHL on a Friday in November, but the earliest MileSAAver non-stop option departs at 2:30 and I was hoping to get on an earlier flight. Obviously there are several more flights, but wasn't sure if anyone had any idea what my chances would be?
Oct 26, 2018, 1:31 pm
#656
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AA PLT, IHG Spire
Posts: 551
Last time i stood by on a saver ticket, I was near the top of the standby list as a Plat, and had no trouble clearing the flights I wanted (BNA-DFW-LAS).
Best prediction about whether it will happen is the Seat map in my experience.
Best prediction about whether it will happen is the Seat map in my experience.
Oct 26, 2018, 2:42 pm
#657
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: CLT
Programs: Marriott Plat, AA Gold
Posts: 1,076
thanks, so judging by other posts in this thread, there doesn’t have to be Saaver inventory, or maybe even award inventory for that matter?
Oct 28, 2018, 2:00 pm
#658
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
I have had some decent luck lately shifting to a slightly earlier return flight when a meeting gets cancelled. I generally hop in an Uber and call on the way to the airport and the last two times I have confirmed onto the earlier flight and wven had the second segment upgrade into F while the EXP agents reissued.
Today I had an issue where i arrived in JFK very early from SEA due to tailwinds and had plenty of time to catch and earlier connection to DCA. I could see 5-7 seats still unassigned so thought i would try to get moved onto this, pretty confident that i would get one of those seats. The surly GA said she wouldn’t touch my ticket that i needed to wait in the general CS line or call AA. Of course I ran out of time in line, by the time I got up to an agent the doors were closing for the earlier flight and so all seats had been given away. I’m curious what the protocol here is. I’ve had GAs recognize that as an exp i am going to sail to the top of their list and agree to spend a few minutes rebooking me right then and there.
Today I had an issue where i arrived in JFK very early from SEA due to tailwinds and had plenty of time to catch and earlier connection to DCA. I could see 5-7 seats still unassigned so thought i would try to get moved onto this, pretty confident that i would get one of those seats. The surly GA said she wouldn’t touch my ticket that i needed to wait in the general CS line or call AA. Of course I ran out of time in line, by the time I got up to an agent the doors were closing for the earlier flight and so all seats had been given away. I’m curious what the protocol here is. I’ve had GAs recognize that as an exp i am going to sail to the top of their list and agree to spend a few minutes rebooking me right then and there.
Nov 7, 2018, 6:01 pm
#659
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: West Coast
Programs: UA 1K 2MM, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 264
Maybe someone can clarify. If I have a normal AA flight and number on BA ticket stock, will I not be able to do a standby at the airport for one of the many earlier flights on the same day? I am exec plat. Not sure if Marketing means ticket stock or just a non-code share.
Last edited by dkmatter; Nov 7, 2018 at 6:29 pm
Nov 9, 2018, 1:31 pm
#660
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: TPA
Programs: BA Silver; Hilton Gold; IHG Diamond Ambassador; Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,814
Maybe someone can clarify. If I have a normal AA flight and number on BA ticket stock, will I not be able to do a standby at the airport for one of the many earlier flights on the same day? I am exec plat. Not sure if Marketing means ticket stock or just a non-code share.