Trying to understand same day change standby list ?
Jul 14, 2018, 12:54 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Hawaii
Programs: Delta Diamond
Posts: 192
Trying to understand same day change standby list ?
PM and GM on one reservation.
flying LAX > LAS tomorrow. Confirmed on the 9:20am flight.
did a SDC for the 7:00AM flight. Now we are on the standby list and started at 8/9 out of 13 people and 28 available seats.
An hour goes by or so and now we 14/15 out of 19 people.
Wondering how this standby list works with priority.
I assume there are a bunch of BE tickets that are airport assign but anyone have a breakdown on the priority?
And last question for future flights. Does C+ / First upgrades work on standby too?
Thanks!
Jul 14, 2018, 1:41 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 91
Your suspicion is correct- the “Standby” list you see on the app makes no distinction between “confirmed, waiting for a seat assignment” and “space-available standby” of which you belong to the latter. So as customers continue to check in before the flight, those without a seat assignment (mostly those with a BE ticket) will appear on this list and take a greater priority since they do have confirmed space on the flight.
After the check in cutoff time has passed you should have a reasonable idea of where you stand in relation to the amount of unassigned seats. Note that they likely will begin clearing those BE customers into seats before the cutoff, thus reducing the count of available seats but simultaneously reducing the number of pax ahead of you in the list. Also, potential “no-shows” are not counted in this number so even if the situation does not look good 30 min out, their seat will be dropped later on. It pays to stick around until the door is closed. Good luck!
After the check in cutoff time has passed you should have a reasonable idea of where you stand in relation to the amount of unassigned seats. Note that they likely will begin clearing those BE customers into seats before the cutoff, thus reducing the count of available seats but simultaneously reducing the number of pax ahead of you in the list. Also, potential “no-shows” are not counted in this number so even if the situation does not look good 30 min out, their seat will be dropped later on. It pays to stick around until the door is closed. Good luck!
Jul 14, 2018, 5:59 am
#3
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
Programs: Starbucks Green Card
Posts: 5,431
If you did a SDC you shouldn't be on the standby list. Sounds like you did a SDS.
SDC = same day confirmed
SDS = same day standby
Lots of confirmed passengers will appear on the standby list, it's basically a list of people without seat assignments, not an actual standby list. Confirmed passengers without seat assignments will be ahead of actual standby passengers.
Generally, the priority will be
Confirmed pax
Revenue pax on standby
Non-revs
I have cleared into C+ on occasion from SDS, but not always. The GA will process all the upgrades first, then standbys, so generally there are no seats left to clear into.
SDC = same day confirmed
SDS = same day standby
Lots of confirmed passengers will appear on the standby list, it's basically a list of people without seat assignments, not an actual standby list. Confirmed passengers without seat assignments will be ahead of actual standby passengers.
Generally, the priority will be
Confirmed pax
Revenue pax on standby
Non-revs
I have cleared into C+ on occasion from SDS, but not always. The GA will process all the upgrades first, then standbys, so generally there are no seats left to clear into.
Jul 14, 2018, 6:03 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Hawaii
Programs: Delta Diamond
Posts: 192
If you did a SDC you shouldn't be on the standby list. Sounds like you did a SDS.
SDC = same day confirmed
SDS = same day standby
Lots of confirmed passengers will appear on the standby list, it's basically a list of people without seat assignments, not an actual standby list. Confirmed passengers without seat assignments will be ahead of actual standby passengers.
Generally, the priority will be
Confirmed pax
Revenue pax on standby
Non-revs
I have cleared into C+ on occasion from SDS, but not always. The GA will process all the upgrades first, then standbys, so generally there are no seats left to clear into.
SDC = same day confirmed
SDS = same day standby
Lots of confirmed passengers will appear on the standby list, it's basically a list of people without seat assignments, not an actual standby list. Confirmed passengers without seat assignments will be ahead of actual standby passengers.
Generally, the priority will be
Confirmed pax
Revenue pax on standby
Non-revs
I have cleared into C+ on occasion from SDS, but not always. The GA will process all the upgrades first, then standbys, so generally there are no seats left to clear into.
that makes perfect sense. Thanks. I was using SDC as same day change instead of confirmed. Now I know how to word it. Thanks!
Jul 14, 2018, 6:56 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,042
currently 1/2 with 2 seats left. *crosses fingers*
Jul 14, 2018, 6:39 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2006
Location: MLB
Posts: 445
I had an equally frustrating experience with a happy end to the story on Thursday. I was connecting from a small city via ATL to MCO, and called at 8 AM that day to see what I could do about moving from a 6 PM flight to a 2 PM departure connecting to the 6:15 PM ATL-MCO flight. Wanted to SDC, but apparently my ticket was too low fare...different gripe...but anyway....
The agent on the phone indicated that for the ATL-MCO leg I was the only one on standby with "plenty of seats open" at 8 AM. By 5 PM when I showed up at the ATL gate for that flight, I was 14/25 for 7 open seats. I watched the screen anyway, despite feeling that it would be hopeless, since I was already there at the gate. As the flight finished boarding and they started clearing standbys, I became #7 with 2 open seats showing on the screen. And yet, they kept calling names after the first 2, and lucky me, I made it on the flight (not only that, but in an exit row window seat!). The experience was a great lesson in what a complete, inexplicable lottery this process has become.
The agent on the phone indicated that for the ATL-MCO leg I was the only one on standby with "plenty of seats open" at 8 AM. By 5 PM when I showed up at the ATL gate for that flight, I was 14/25 for 7 open seats. I watched the screen anyway, despite feeling that it would be hopeless, since I was already there at the gate. As the flight finished boarding and they started clearing standbys, I became #7 with 2 open seats showing on the screen. And yet, they kept calling names after the first 2, and lucky me, I made it on the flight (not only that, but in an exit row window seat!). The experience was a great lesson in what a complete, inexplicable lottery this process has become.
Jul 15, 2018, 8:03 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,042
I had an equally frustrating experience with a happy end to the story on Thursday. I was connecting from a small city via ATL to MCO, and called at 8 AM that day to see what I could do about moving from a 6 PM flight to a 2 PM departure connecting to the 6:15 PM ATL-MCO flight. Wanted to SDC, but apparently my ticket was too low fare...different gripe...but anyway....
The agent on the phone indicated that for the ATL-MCO leg I was the only one on standby with "plenty of seats open" at 8 AM. By 5 PM when I showed up at the ATL gate for that flight, I was 14/25 for 7 open seats. I watched the screen anyway, despite feeling that it would be hopeless, since I was already there at the gate. As the flight finished boarding and they started clearing standbys, I became #7 with 2 open seats showing on the screen. And yet, they kept calling names after the first 2, and lucky me, I made it on the flight (not only that, but in an exit row window seat!). The experience was a great lesson in what a complete, inexplicable lottery this process has become.
The agent on the phone indicated that for the ATL-MCO leg I was the only one on standby with "plenty of seats open" at 8 AM. By 5 PM when I showed up at the ATL gate for that flight, I was 14/25 for 7 open seats. I watched the screen anyway, despite feeling that it would be hopeless, since I was already there at the gate. As the flight finished boarding and they started clearing standbys, I became #7 with 2 open seats showing on the screen. And yet, they kept calling names after the first 2, and lucky me, I made it on the flight (not only that, but in an exit row window seat!). The experience was a great lesson in what a complete, inexplicable lottery this process has become.
Jul 15, 2018, 8:31 am
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
Programs: Starbucks Green Card
Posts: 5,431
Right, clearly the backend system has different lists, it's simply that DL choses to display all three mixed together on the website/app/GIDS.
Jul 15, 2018, 3:03 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Programs: DL DM, UA 1K MM, Subway Club Member
Posts: 1,988
They might not actually have different lists. My guess is they use a legacy standby list function and just have a fairly complex priority system that makes sure the list is ordered properly. Remember that delta’s (and most other airlines’) “backend” system is from the 1970s and the primary functions such a reservation records and ticketing still have to fit into this system.
Jul 15, 2018, 3:20 pm
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
Programs: Starbucks Green Card
Posts: 5,431
When I do a SDS, the agent (whether it's a phone agent or skyclub/gate agent) can always tell me without hesitation where I am on the "real" standby list. I'm guessing at the very least whatever they're looking at isn't displaying confirmed pax.
Jul 15, 2018, 4:31 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Programs: DL DM, UA 1K MM, Subway Club Member
Posts: 1,988
They might not actually have different lists. My guess is they use a legacy standby list function and just have a fairly complex priority system that makes sure the list is ordered properly. Remember that delta’s (and most other airlines’) “backend” system is from the 1970s and the primary functions such a reservation records and ticketing still have to fit into this system.
Jul 15, 2018, 4:33 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Programs: DL DM, UA 1K MM, Subway Club Member
Posts: 1,988
Or, they know the various standby codes and can decipher where the splits are.
Jul 15, 2018, 4:48 pm
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: MEM
Programs: Starbucks Green Card
Posts: 5,431
In a vacuum that sounds plausible, but given all of the other collective experience we have with phone agents knowing ins and outs of the IT systems, it seems unlikely that I've consistently gotten agents who know all of this off the top of their heads.