I second the above. While this new policy does not bring me great joy, I would express my displeasure more tactfully.

The point of this, of course, is to make people who want flexibility pay for flexibility. You can either buy a flexible ticket, or you can buy the flexibility on the day of the flight when you need it (for a very cheap price relative to the difference between a refundable fare and an L fare, I might add). And seriously, the fee isn't high enough to drive that many people away from CO in the current competitive environment. Really, this seems a no-brainer.

Will it hurt me? Yes, I'll end up paying $25 occasionally. I've paid DL's higher fee when I wanted same-day confirmed as a non-elite on DL. Does it upset me? No, not really. CO isn't exactly raking in profits right now. I can live with it.

So, do I think it's a good idea? Well, for CO, yes, I think this is a good thing to charge a fee for. Less annoying than a lot of the other possibilities for raising money. Do I think it's a good idea for me? Not too bad. The 12 hour confirmed change window is a plus.

Well in one sense it will make life easier:

No more worrying "Do I pay for confirmed standby to get a chance at the upgrade, or do I save the money and definitely get on the plane, but no chance at the upgrade?"

I thought the same thing. An airline never knows when the next problem may come down the road...misconnects that need to be accommodated, mechanicals, etc Getting out passengers on to their final destination as soon as possible on the first flight possible would seem to me to be a good idea. For example: The passenger you put on an earlier flight won't be a potential IDB/VDB later in the day.


The effects of all the extra cumulative fees is yet to be determined. They've been coming so fast that it is pretty much uncharted territory.

I did the same day confirmed change a couple of time when it was $25. I'd have to be desperate to do it for $50.

This new policy is especially for Silver Elites. I am barely making Gold for the last few years. Paying $50 for a standby may be too expensive.

I am still not clear on later standbys.

If my scheduled flight is at 6 am (first flight of the day), and I want to standby for a 8 pm flight the same day, do I call the previous day after 8 pm (24 hour window) or call after 8 am on the day of the flight (12 hrs within the flight departure) ?

I had something happen during the AUS-IAH segment of a trip that makes your post stand out to me.

There were thunderstorms in the morning at both AUS and IAH that threw off the schedules. My flight (last one of the night) was cancelled and I was automatically rebooked onto the first one the next day. Knowing that flights before mine were open, I called and got a seat on one of them. Would CO charge me for that?

Most likely. Which is why most of us think this is overall a bad deal for both passengers and CO.

If it is a non-voluntary standby there is no charge according to CO Insider's post. If your flight has already been canceled then it would likely be no charge. If you showed up at the airport early because you saw the weather forecast for T-Storms later in the day and decided to be pro-active they would charge you since the original flight wasn't canceled yet.

You have to call within 12 hours of the new flight time. In the example above you couldn't really do it since the 12 hour window is after your original departure. If you wanted the 4pm flight you could call at 4am and change it, or if you couldn't confirm the change actually head to the airport for your 6am flight.

You could also switch to the 8pm flight the night before, starting at 8am that morning. You'd be T-22 from your flight, so inside the 24h window and also T-12 from the new flight.

Exactly.

The last SAT-IAH flight of the day (#778) comes in from EWR. Oftentimes, this means that it runs late, although the delays tend to manifest themselves late in the game. For those of us who can shake loose, make good time to the airport, and can potentially catch the next earlier flight (# 1678), it is shortsighted for CO to deter us with the $50 fee when a consequence of not standing by may be a misconnection at IAH created by the backlog at EWR. And three or four extra rum and cokes at the SAT Presidents Club.

If CO wants to charge me more when for the convenience of flying an hour earlier, can I charge it the same $50 when flights like #778 inconvenience me by running an hour behind? What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. CO Insider: get out your checkbook!

I seriously doubt it.

The enhanced 12 Hour window is a major improvement for me.

The previous 3 hour window for confirmed stand by was far too restrictive to be helpful. If I wanted to confirm on the later flight, I would have to have missed my booked flight, and cross my fingers that at the 3 hour mark a seat would still be available on the later flight.

Now that I can get a confirmed seat in advance for a discount, I'll likely use this feature regularly.

OK - so let me test this out:

I'm scheduled for 5 pm departure IAH-BOS but it doesn't look like a I'll get the upgrade (3 seats left and though I am platinum, I am on a B class ticket). The 7 pm departure is wide open in First class.

Can I change to the 7pm flight at 7 am or 5 am? (for 25 dollar fee, of course)

Am I included on the upgrade standby list as soon as the change is confirmed or do I have to go to the airport/gate to be put on the upgrade list?

You can change to the 7pm flight at 7am (within 12 hours of the new departure time AND within 24 hours of scheduled flight); at 5am you'd be 14 hours from the new departure time.

I have no idea when you'll be put on the upgrade list, but that will only be the third tie-break after status and fare class, so I wouldn't sweat that too much. As long as you're on the list at T-30 or so when they start clearing upgrades at the gate you'll be fine.

Thanks. The reason why I ask is that in the event I have a connection from an int'l destination, I'd want to be put on the upgrade list prior to actually arriving in the airport of my connection, in case I have a tight connection.