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Old Jul 22, 2018, 9:13 am
  #1  
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Standby Qs

ive never had any issues changing flights and getting confirmed right away. My last two trips some weird things have happened. I got caught up in a fare class deal a couple of weeks ago but did get confirmed when weather messed up my original flight.

Today when I go through booking I see the flight I want has a ton of open seats, however it’s 40 min to departure and I’m still on standby (1st so I will likely be OK). Also the gate agent just announced that it’s a very full flight looking for bags to gate check which doesnt Jive with the seat map.

Im GM

what gives? No idea if today is a fare class deal or what shenanigans are in effect.

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Old Jul 22, 2018, 9:36 am
  #2  
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A fare class deal, or a fare rule deal that demands a specific routing you want to violate? Same Day Confirmed changes require purchased fare class to be available. Standby does not. Basic Economy fares aren't eligible for Same Day Confirmed nor standby.
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Old Jul 22, 2018, 10:14 am
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GA announcement about “we have a very full flight, we will be forcing the last boarding groups to check bags” is part of the standard script regardless of whether the flight is booked to 59% or 95%
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Old Jul 22, 2018, 10:27 am
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Originally Posted by jrl767
GA announcement about “we have a very full flight, we will be forcing the last boarding groups to check bags” is part of the standard script regardless of whether the flight is booked to 59% or 95%
Actually I don't like this, but it's become SOP and not just with DL.
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Old Jul 22, 2018, 11:52 am
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Originally Posted by MSPeconomist
Actually I don't like this, but it's become SOP and not just with DL.
I don’t think it’s a good perception. Gate agents don’t have to lie to get volunteers to check bags. They’ll get volunteers no matter what they say. Lying just erodes trust.
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Old Jul 22, 2018, 12:29 pm
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Originally Posted by danspartan
ive never had any issues changing flights and getting confirmed right away. My last two trips some weird things have happened. I got caught up in a fare class deal a couple of weeks ago but did get confirmed when weather messed up my original flight.

Today when I go through booking I see the flight I want has a ton of open seats, however it’s 40 min to departure and I’m still on standby (1st so I will likely be OK). Also the gate agent just announced that it’s a very full flight looking for bags to gate check which doesnt Jive with the seat map.

Im GM

what gives? No idea if today is a fare class deal or what shenanigans are in effect.

Whay is a "Fare class deal"? Regardless, seat maps mean nothing. There could be 40 passengers waiting for seats. Also again being number 1 doesn't mean you're number 1 for a seat. The standby list mixes the list for standing by for seat assignment and the list for awaiting confirmation to even be on flight.
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Old Jul 24, 2018, 12:56 pm
  #7  
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I got on and EC to boot. I never book the new bottom end level of fare. Regular economy.

My my point is that the fare class thing is just an artifice to create limitations. I have no clue what U vs E vs Y means. I buy what is shown online for the price shown. I’m not given the option of a different “letter” class unless I pay for an upgraded ticket. Clearly some letters are different for different times of day so I could choose a “better” letter but I’m really just buying on price and/or schedule.

As flyers we are just fish getting scammed by a system. No issues with those that know how to best work the system.

In general Delta treats me very well as mostly GM it higher the past decade add plus. They aren’t unique. But it is a purposefully confusing and imo dishonest system. Like cell phone plans and mattresses.
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Old Jul 24, 2018, 1:03 pm
  #8  
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My brain hurts from reading that post. I think you got the basic understanding, but not quite sure at same time.
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Old Jul 24, 2018, 2:49 pm
  #9  
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Originally Posted by danspartan
... it is a purposefully confusing and imo dishonest system. Like cell phone plans and mattresses.
translated as "not particularly customer-friendly" because, while making (at least some) passengers feel like they got a better deal than they might have otherwise, it's expressly designed to benefit the airline's bottom line ... I suspect many if not most FT regulars are among those who (as you so eloquently put it) "know how to best work the system" so we tend to be a bit more jaded
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Old Jul 25, 2018, 10:32 am
  #10  
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I get it I just don’t like it nor do I understand the nuances.

So so the second part- as a business traveler required to book reasonable fares, is there much I can do to ensure I got a better spot in line without have to justify why I paid $200 for the ticket? I have some leeway- don’t have to budget airlines or bad flight schedules but all else being equal I don’t have unlimited discretion.
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Old Jul 25, 2018, 12:46 pm
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Originally Posted by danspartan
As flyers we are just fish getting scammed by a system. No issues with those that know how to best work the system.
I prefer to think that airline passengers are consumers who are purchasing a necessarily limited product from businesses that exist to generate profit. Certainly airlines take advantage of passengers in many ways, but the fare-class pricing structure of airline tickets is not a scam in and of itself, IMO.

Originally Posted by danspartan
I get it I just don’t like it nor do I understand the nuances.

So so the second part- as a business traveler required to book reasonable fares, is there much I can do to ensure I got a better spot in line without have to justify why I paid $200 for the ticket? I have some leeway- don’t have to budget airlines or bad flight schedules but all else being equal I don’t have unlimited discretion.
I'd love to hear what routes you're flying and what tickets you're buying if $200 for a ticket sounds expensive and something you have to justify. If you need to change a flight within 24 hours of travel and same-day confirmed isn't available, just call in and ask them how much it would cost for you to "buy up" to a fare class where same-day confirmed is possible. The agent will offer you a price to either change your fare class or to completely upgrade you to first class, and then you can decide whether or not it's worth it to you.

I don't know how lenient your employer is, but I've paid this difference out of my own pocket several times in order to get home earlier (my employer will pay for it if there's a business reason for the change). Just depends on how you value your time/money.
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