tommy777

What's your point??

You know more than most people here and more than any of the CO personell I have interacted with


My flight was at 8:30 AM, tried to change it to a flight that was 11 hrs and 50 minutes earlier... Shouldn't that work?

Bonehead

Silvers are "Elite", but it's $50 for them...

That's because I've had trouble with this policy, and have tried to learn exactly what it allows and doesn't allow...

Actually, yes, according to this:

http://www.continental.com/web/en-US...romoCode=A1631

When did you call and try to change the flight?

tommy777

Thanks for your help.

The last time I called was around 5PM, so 3 hrs and 40 minutes before the flight I wanted to get on

sbm12

It is the same policy now. It should be called 24-hour standby or something like that, because that's how it works.

And I forgot about the T-12 from new departure time part of the change; that explains why I didn't have any options at my check-in Wednesday night.

Bonehead

Unless the flight that you wanted was zeroed out (sold out), they should have honored your request, as far as I can see.

I hope that CO Insider chimes in here, although I haven't seen him much since several posters used gutter-level language in expressing their opposition to the recently announced OnePass changes.

bocastephen

OK - got it to work. CO released inventory to all classes about 6 hrs or so before flight time. Called reservations, getting the Elite desk on the first try!

Very nice agent, knew exactly what to do and what to charge me. I was switched and checking in to get back on the upgrade list in about 2 minutes.

$25 to save 2 hours (although my 'bodyclock' will arrive there at 230am instead of a brain-busting 430am) and I'll get a free sushi dinner to cover the effort.

So it works - but again, there needs to be far more specific detail posted on co.com.

UA Insider

Hi Everyone, when it comes to the availability for same-day confirmed changes within 12 hours of departure, it's a question of whether the flight is available (i.e. booked below capacity) rather than fare class. In simplest terms, we'll always offer the confirmed option within 12 hours of departure when the main cabin is booked below actual capacity. In these cases, we'll open up all main cabin fare classes at the 12-hour mark, enabling confirmed same-day changes regardless of fare class. On the other hand, when the main cabin is booked at or above capacity, the flight will be unavailable in most or all main cabin fare classes.

We agree with you, bocastephen, and we'll be updating continental.com to this effect. As with any complex policy change, getting the word out and delivering on it consistently is a challenge during the initial rollout. Thanks for bearing with us.

bocastephen

Thanks Scott!

This makes perfect sense - I agree the details of such an arrangement are hard to convey to the average customer, even though it makes sense to us here. Of course, not having access to the PBT makes it hard to gauge whether the flight will open up or not, but at least now I understand the policy and know how to interpret the seat availability data I can see.

The trick will be getting the staff to understand the distinction between 'SDC is not available except for full fare customers due to current flight booking load' and 'SDC is not available to you because your fare class is sold out'.

neuro0

I gather from the info here that it is possible to SDC just the first leg from a morning (10am) flight to a evening (5pm) flight the day prior while keeping the original second leg. Is my understanding correct?
Basically, I would like to increase my connection time

rasheed

Hello,

I don't like to contradict CO Insider on anything (since he does a great job here), but I did email Customer Care on the standby issue I had posted earlier in the thread regarding ticket issue date as a factor in whether the old or new policy applied. Old policy being related to the free standby at the airport for an earlier flight.

I won't post the actual response unless someone official needs to see it, but it stated rather clearly that the issue date is not a factor for the new $50 standby policy and there is no free standby at all, and the new policy applies to all tickets (old purchased and new purchased). I got the reply in exactly six days from when I emailed it.

Disappointed, but it seems clear here that everyone has had to pay (either $25 or $50).

Thanks,
Rasheed

sbm12

I suggest forwarding the email to [email protected] (the CO Insider "generic" email) or sending him a PM to get it cleared up.

neuro0

Can't wait for CO.com to update the rule to make it more clear.

neuro0

Anyone try the above?
Please kindly let me know.

Totoro

And I have a related question. On multi-segment itineraries, taking an earlier first segment flight will not arrive earlier at final destination unless one also takes earlier flights on subsequent segments. In this scenario, will multiple SDC fees apply, or just one SDC per trip/leg?

yad

I've just discovered another issue with the same-day standby.

The first time I did this, I switched flights prior to checking in for my original flight (while doing OLCI, in fact). I was added to the 1st class standby list automatically, everything worked great.

The next time, I changed flights after checking in for my original one (also online, I simply checked in again and was offered the option to switch flights, and took it). This time, I wasn't automatically added to the first-class standby list. A call to the elite line didn't help, either. I had to get the GA to add me manually. I got the upgrade in the end, so no harm done in this case, but this could easily lead to you missing out on upgrades which you are entitled to according to the rules.

I think the difference may have to do with having checked in for the original flight first, but of course I'm not sure. If this is some kind of systematic glitch, would be good to correct it.