mrkymark

Hi there,

I am scheduled for a 345pm flight in a week from FRA-VCE on an LH metal, UA codeshare.

I would love to hop on the 12pm flight instead.

What's the standby policy at LH, and does anyone have experience with trying to catch an earlier flight on LH?

Thank you to all responders!

IAN-UK

my experience is that unless your ticket has the necessary built-in flexibility you have no chance at all at ticket desks.

Boarding positions are a better bet: I've alway supposed this is because the staff there have different priorities to their ticketing colleagues. In all cases, checked-baggage in the system might be the cruncher on flight changes.

In a position similar to yours, but with an infexible ticket, I check-in early for the confirmed flight, then present myself at the boarding gate for the earlier one and ask if there is any chance of getting on it.

olm022

Unlike in the US, where the stand-by policy seems to have been and continue to be favored by traditional and low-cost airlines, in Europe, the only airline which actually practices this is Easy Jet. All other airlines, are VERY reluctant (VERY=almost a no-go in 99.(9)% of cases) to do so.

In your case, it depends on what kind of ticket you have. If it allows changes, then yes, they will let you fly on an earlier/later flight provided there is space and you have paid the rebooking fee and any relevant fare difference.

If you are on a ticket that does not allow any changes, then your chances are very slim, unless your original 15:45 flight is heavily overbooked (what happens not that often on an intra-European flights) or an agent whom you approach is fond of you in such a way that he/she is willing to bypass the rules. In all other cases, it is very unlikely that they put you on an earlier flight. Most probably you will hear, "If you want to be on a midday flight, you should have booked that particular flight or a ticket which gives you flexibility to alternate between the flights."

Needless to say, it does not hurt to ask; however, do not be surprised to hear "No!"

neo16287

One time I was flying from HAM-FRA then on to BOS, and was supposed to fly on LH003 (LV 0720 AR 0830). The woman at checkin said the LH003 was full, and as I was there early, would I mind taking LH001 (LV 0610 AR 0720). I took her up on it.

If there is an operational need to move passengers, at my station we will do so. But unless the tickets are fully flexible, there is usually no way to switch flights at no charge.

El_Duderito

All of the flights on the 13th are wide open so I believe you have pretty much no chance of getting onto an earlier flight - unless paying the change fee.

I was put on 'better' flights by Lufthansa when they felt that I could miss a connection. A valid reason could be the possibility of fog in the connecting city with an international connection.

Since VCE is pretty much a leaf and not a hub you'll have a hard time argueing that you'll miss your connection. Perhaps you can produce a ticket for a gondola

Instead of spending money on rebooking fees you could also take the 10:20AM flight to ZRH and on to VCE (14:05 arrival). 75E one-way in Eco and 175E in discounted business based on a r/t (sometimes tweakable).

demue

As stated by the others my experiences confirm too that LH takes a hard stance on putting you on an earlier flight unless for

1)operational reasons
2) you got a flexi fare
3) your fare is changeable against a fee, you are willing to pay the fee and there is space in your eco booking class

I usually have some LH special fares from SIN that are MFFSG which offer decent value and full flexibility. It is not always that fully flexible is only a full Y fare.

tobegold

Does LH allow you to standby for an earlier flight on the same day, i.e I have a flight at 10:00 but arrive in time for the 9:00 flight. Is there a fee? Booking class is W, LHR-FRA, but on UA ticket stock.

Thanks,

neo16287

Re-booking fee, plus applicable fare difference if W/CL is not available. If the flight is overbooked, they could ask if you want to take the earlier flight, but this is really the only situation in which it would be free of charge. W/CL is pretty restricted.

hch

I think we really need a sticky or similar for this. It feels like it's coming up every second week now..

oliver2002

Merged a few threads on the topic so it gets better visibility when someone attempts to search 'standby' in this forum.

Regards Oliver2002
Mod M&M forum

aardee

Hi All,

I booked my dad and I on a RT to MUC on Saturday July 18th from BRU (its a big holiday weekend). The Euro 99 fare only offered on the evening 5.15pm flight. To better enjoy MUC, I was wondering if we showed up at the airport, would they let us go stand by on the earlier flights, if space is available? (There are some 3-4 other flights before). This works well in the US, but not sure about Europe. Also, does my FT status help with this?

Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

NewbieRunner

As you will see in this thread (with which these posts may be merged eventually) the answer is 'no'.

If you want more time in MUC you'll have to pay a higher fare to fly earlier, I'm afraid.

totti

Correct! Please search the forum before starting a new thread.

Have a nice day

totti
M&M moderator

totti

As pointed out by NewbieRunner before the answer is pretty simple: NO way! The only exception I can think of is an overbooking situation of your flight. I'd not waste any time to try to get on an earlier flight but would either show up in time for your flight or invest some money in an earlier one.

Enjoy your trip and the weekend in MUC.

aardee

Thanks NewbieRunner and Totti. Sorry - for not searching the forum - didn't think this topic was soooo heavily discussed.

I'll look into options for paying for the earlier flight. Thanks.