We have our ‘regular’ flight booked for 3/10 from EWR – MSY, CO816 – Class W. The flight is always late, at least when we fly it. We can get away earlier that day but the previous flight, CO516 at 3:20 PM, only shows Class H availability.

What we’d like to do is try to get a connection through IAH which is a regular ERW – MSY route but at a higher fare. The only better arrival time at MSY involves 2 flights EWR–IAH-MSY, CO51–CO1423 that are showing Y availability only.

Are we closed out of a free same day 3 hour before departure flight change because of the Fare class differential?

No, you can still do the $25 confirmed stand-by or the regular stand-by.

Thanks

However going EWR-IAH-MSY when one is tkted EWR-MSY wont be able to be done as its a change of routing and they usually (anything can always happen, just dont count on it) wont allow you to SBY except for the way you are tkted.

One can do SBY say on a NW or DL flight that also has a CO code-share, as long as its still the same routing. So a EWR-DTW can be done on NW even if booked on CO as long as that NW flight has a CO code-share flight # to it. Going EWR-MEM-DTW is not allowed even if it has a CO code-share # as its a change of routing. The NW EWr-DTW doesnt have a CO # to it then no SBY allowed

I had looked at the FAQ on CO.com which states:

You can now get a confirmed seat when changing your flight for travel on the same day for a fee of $25. This new convenience means you no longer have to wait as a stand-by customer if there is an available seat on an alternate flight.
You may take advantage of this same-day change option when traveling on Continental Airlines, Continental Express* and/or Continental Micronesia. Changes may be confirmed within three hours of your new desired flight at any airport check-in kiosk or with an airport agent. You may also contact Continental Reservations by phone.
Changes may be confirmed no earlier than three hours before flight and no later than 30 minutes prior to departure. Other terms and conditions apply.
Same-Day Confirmed Travel FAQ
1. Does this option apply to both domestic and international travel?
Yes, but your original and desired itineraries must be wholly operated by Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia, Continental Express and/or Continental Connection (excluding flights operated by American Eagle).
2. If I have an unrestricted ticket, will this policy apply to me?
No. The $25 same-day change policy applies only to travelers on restricted tickets. Travelers on unrestricted fares are permitted to make changes at any time without a fee.
3. Can I change the routing of my itinerary?
Yes, changes from connecting itineraries to direct itineraries (and vice-versa), as well as changes to connection points are allowed provided the new routing is considered valid per the original fare rules.
6. How does this affect Continental's current airport standby policy?
There are no changes to our airport standby policy. The new option is only available at the kiosk, with an agent or by contacting Continental Reservations by phone. Airport standby travel cannot be arranged by calling Continental Reservations.
7. What are my options if my original class of service is not available on my desired flight option?
The $25 same-day confirmed travel option would not apply in this case. In these cases, you will be required to pay the change fee (per your original fare rules) plus any difference in fare if you would like to confirm the change. Alternately, you may still stand by, provided your original fare permits it.
My first concern was that if I tried for the $25 option I get smacked for the fare differential on top of the $25. Second was that if I just went the gate standby route, the flights would fill before our lowly status got us on board.

The FAQ indicate that you can reroute on a standard route, which EWR-IAH-MSY is and that the reroute has to be completely on CO metal.

If someone has been through it already it’d help to hear definitively from them, if not, I guess we’ll give it a try and post the results. The first one we’d like to try for is 7 hrs earlier than our scheduled flight and I don’t look forward to 7 hrs in EWR Term C going from gate to gate in the hope that we catch a flight. I could do the same thing as a non-rev. We don’t even get to relax in the PC while gate hopping. The only partial saving grace is the new pda information so that I know for certain when a GA is lazy or worse. I searched the co.com site but couldn’t find anything regarding the ‘airport standby policy’.