What time does the standby list close?
 

At what point (t-30 etc) do the GAs lose the ability to add people to the standby list?

Usually the standby list goes to gate control at around the 1 hour mark. At this point, nobody but the GAs working the flight can add you to the list.

But as far as I know, the GAs can add people to the standby list/clear people onto the flight right up until departure (and even after in some cases!), though theyare usually too busy trying to get the plane out and may not be helpful in actually doing it.

One time I had a GA just tell me to board into a seat after boarding was complete. She never added me to the standby list and I never had a BP for that flight. Once the plane pushed back, she squared it away in the system (or possibly right before so the planes paperwork was correct, but I never got a BP)

My experience as well. I don't like to push it, but there has been twice in my experience where out of necessity I ran up to the gate, less than 10 minutes before scheduled departure. In one of them, the GA got me on no problem.

In the other, the GA could not get me on, and there was no Red Coat around. A Performance Leader/Ops Manager (is this what they are called now? I remember Widgets saying someplace the term changed, but I forget it...my apologies) happened to walk by, and she starting typing endlessly (like in Meet the Parents) and after a minute told me to get on, and take any seat...and that she would square it in the system.

I boarded, sat down, and refreshed the app, and saw she had placed me in last Economy Comfort (at the time) aisle and that someone was in my seat! I kindly pointed it out to the FA prior to takeoff, and asked her if she could help me rectify it after takeoff. She kindly did, and the poacher was sent back to his original seat (his initial excuse was he wanted to stay with his luggage, which was directly overhead :rolleyes:).

Ah the cutoff. After 30 minutes prior to departure, you shouldn't be able to check in to the standby list; hence, you can't be added. I guess it varies in practice. However, expect them to start clearing and blocking standbys around that time.

The gate agent can definitely do it all the way to departure.

While you can be added to the airport standby list at any time, the gate agent isn't required to respect your position on the list if you are added after the check-in cutoff time. The gate agent can/should clear you last if you are added after the check-in cutoff and standby customers are already being cleared.

What I got when I asked about 25 minutes before departure was "Standby list is closed, go to your original gate".

The GA for the flight can add you until the flight is closed. "Closed" does not mean the door, but rather that the paperwork is transmitted to the dispatcher to calculate weight & balance.

If there is a delay and the GA is willing to add you while the aircraft is sitting at the gate and the flight is not closed, the GA can certainly do it.

But, it is completely the agent's discretion. It is going to be low on the agent's list of priorities as delaying the push because the GA has boarded a passenger and loused up the passenger count requiring both the Captain and dispatch to recalculate weight & balance is not the kind of thing which endears GA's to their employer.

There is the can (technically, system allows) and the other can (operating procedures). My guess is that operationally, guideline is no later than T-30 to allow GA to focus on getting the plane out. If and when a GA wants to do more without affecting the flight, they can because the system can accept changes as long as flight is not closed. Makes sense?

Final weight and balance details and the associated final "paperwork" for domestic flights are transmitted electronically to the flight deck while the plane is taxing out. The paperwork given to the FAs when the door closes is for their use and doesn't have to reflect the final status of the flight. With the increasing use of the FA smartphones I wouldn't be surprised if the hard copy paperwork goes away. I think international flights have more strict requirements for some destinations.