Standby for earlier departure - LH Group [merged sameday standby Q&A thread]
May 10, 2007, 7:01 pm
#1
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Standby for earlier departure - LH Group [merged sameday standby Q&A thread]
I'm flying a LH intraeurope on a cheapie fare. Will they let me standby for earlier flight?
May 11, 2007, 12:48 am
#2
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Search has the answers...
Summary - in general, no standby but some stations will swing it for those that ask kindly and have status. It is still worth trying but be prepared for a curt answer.
Summary - in general, no standby but some stations will swing it for those that ask kindly and have status. It is still worth trying but be prepared for a curt answer.
Dec 28, 2007, 4:17 pm
#3
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Search this forum and surprise to learn LH has no standby policy.
Is the policy still true as in early December waiting my LH flight in FRA, I thought I saw a screen at the gate display waitlist customers and flash with status of the waitlist. May be I mis-understood what I saw.
Is the policy still true as in early December waiting my LH flight in FRA, I thought I saw a screen at the gate display waitlist customers and flash with status of the waitlist. May be I mis-understood what I saw.
Dec 28, 2007, 4:37 pm
#4
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Search this forum and surprise to learn LH has no standby policy.
Is the policy still true as in early December waiting my LH flight in FRA, I thought I saw a screen at the gate display waitlist customers and flash with status of the waitlist. May be I mis-understood what I saw.
Is the policy still true as in early December waiting my LH flight in FRA, I thought I saw a screen at the gate display waitlist customers and flash with status of the waitlist. May be I mis-understood what I saw.
Cheers, S
Dec 29, 2007, 12:03 am
#6
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I would say: In general NO WAY. LH E (same for T and L) class can only be changed for a fee and if the original booking class ist still available which is generally not the case on the day of departure.
My personal LH stand-by on cheapie fares works different: Buy one ticket for the flight you are aiming at and one for the earlier and one for the later flight. Fly on one of the three and ask them to reimburse the horrendous taxes and fees on the others. You loose a very few Dollars (maybe 10) as a price for personal flexibility. CAVEAT: This only works on one way E-Class tickets.
My personal LH stand-by on cheapie fares works different: Buy one ticket for the flight you are aiming at and one for the earlier and one for the later flight. Fly on one of the three and ask them to reimburse the horrendous taxes and fees on the others. You loose a very few Dollars (maybe 10) as a price for personal flexibility. CAVEAT: This only works on one way E-Class tickets.
Dec 29, 2007, 12:32 am
#7
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Search this forum and surprise to learn LH has no standby policy.
Is the policy still true as in early December waiting my LH flight in FRA, I thought I saw a screen at the gate display waitlist customers and flash with status of the waitlist. May be I mis-understood what I saw.
Is the policy still true as in early December waiting my LH flight in FRA, I thought I saw a screen at the gate display waitlist customers and flash with status of the waitlist. May be I mis-understood what I saw.
Dec 29, 2007, 3:08 am
#8
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Dec 29, 2007, 3:28 am
#9
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There are so many times when one of the appointments end early (domestic flight) and I would love to standby on an earlier flight but I don't feel like paying 100+ EUR for that.
Does it really hurt LH that much (no luggage) to allow me on the earlier flight if it is wide open? I am even happy to wait at the gate and basically hop on a few minutes before they close the door?
It really seems like nitpicking to me to not allow that.
Dec 29, 2007, 3:35 am
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Which is really one of the facts that I don't like about Lufthansa.
There are so many times when one of the appointments end early (domestic flight) and I would love to standby on an earlier flight but I don't feel like paying 100+ EUR for that.
Does it really hurt LH that much (no luggage) to allow me on the earlier flight if it is wide open? I am even happy to wait at the gate and basically hop on a few minutes before they close the door?
It really seems like nitpicking to me to not allow that.
There are so many times when one of the appointments end early (domestic flight) and I would love to standby on an earlier flight but I don't feel like paying 100+ EUR for that.
Does it really hurt LH that much (no luggage) to allow me on the earlier flight if it is wide open? I am even happy to wait at the gate and basically hop on a few minutes before they close the door?
It really seems like nitpicking to me to not allow that.
If you want the flexibility you have to buy these fares. If they were to allow standby travel on cheap tickets they would eroe their revenue base from corporate travel.
Dec 29, 2007, 3:42 am
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Of course, it makes sense out of the airlines perspective and I complain about something I probably should not complain about but it would still be nice to change from a 19:30 to a 18:50 flight. Just 40 minutes difference but on a Friday night, it would still be a nice time saving.
Dec 29, 2007, 4:28 am
#12
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I used this argument so frequently, it did not get me on an earlier flight.
From an airline perspective there is even a better reason to allow flexibility on unflexible tickets. An empty seat on an aircraft has no longer any commercial value a.s.a. the doors are closed. So if they put me on an empty seat of an earlier flight, they have the chance to sell the seat of my original booking on the on the later flight (or use it for whatever, eg solve overbooking problems). However, they are pretty strict on this to protect the high revenue flexible tickets - the only thing you can do is beat them using their own system: Buy three one Dollar (+ tax) ticket, use one and get a reimburse for the other two. If they want the have it that way I am happy to obey.
From an airline perspective there is even a better reason to allow flexibility on unflexible tickets. An empty seat on an aircraft has no longer any commercial value a.s.a. the doors are closed. So if they put me on an empty seat of an earlier flight, they have the chance to sell the seat of my original booking on the on the later flight (or use it for whatever, eg solve overbooking problems). However, they are pretty strict on this to protect the high revenue flexible tickets - the only thing you can do is beat them using their own system: Buy three one Dollar (+ tax) ticket, use one and get a reimburse for the other two. If they want the have it that way I am happy to obey.
Dec 29, 2007, 9:16 am
#13
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I used this argument so frequently, it did not get me on an earlier flight.
From an airline perspective there is even a better reason to allow flexibility on unflexible tickets. An empty seat on an aircraft has no longer any commercial value a.s.a. the doors are closed. So if they put me on an empty seat of an earlier flight, they have the chance to sell the seat of my original booking on the on the later flight (or use it for whatever, eg solve overbooking problems). However, they are pretty strict on this to protect the high revenue flexible tickets - the only thing you can do is beat them using their own system: Buy three one Dollar (+ tax) ticket, use one and get a reimburse for the other two. If they want the have it that way I am happy to obey.
From an airline perspective there is even a better reason to allow flexibility on unflexible tickets. An empty seat on an aircraft has no longer any commercial value a.s.a. the doors are closed. So if they put me on an empty seat of an earlier flight, they have the chance to sell the seat of my original booking on the on the later flight (or use it for whatever, eg solve overbooking problems). However, they are pretty strict on this to protect the high revenue flexible tickets - the only thing you can do is beat them using their own system: Buy three one Dollar (+ tax) ticket, use one and get a reimburse for the other two. If they want the have it that way I am happy to obey.
That's what I always tell them. There is a chance that you might be happy about my seat later on...
If I have to buy one-ways, I would do it the way you do! Thanks to FT! Most of the times, this usually doesn't work for returns.
Dec 29, 2007, 9:33 am
#14
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Thanx to the flexible rules in the US we keep buying the cheapest fares and changing them on the day of the flight depending on how the meeting went/goes. So its 200$ instead of 700-900$. For LH we don't mess: its the 500-900 EUR tix most of the time when flexibility is required.
Another option for LH is to buy the E fare out bound (when its pretty fixed) and the B/YFLEX for the inbound. SK introduced and advertised this concept and it finds many takers in the corporate travel world that have a Y for <4h flights rule.
Our corporate office in Germany has negotiated a number of full flex C/D fares for 500-700EUR on the major EU routes out of MUC with LH, which is also an alternative
Another option for LH is to buy the E fare out bound (when its pretty fixed) and the B/YFLEX for the inbound. SK introduced and advertised this concept and it finds many takers in the corporate travel world that have a Y for <4h flights rule.
Our corporate office in Germany has negotiated a number of full flex C/D fares for 500-700EUR on the major EU routes out of MUC with LH, which is also an alternative
Dec 29, 2007, 9:36 am
#15
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I in general changed to o/w because it happened more than once that I either change my plans, go back by train, take AB on short notice (I pay 99 Euro flat and all in for domestic flex tickets without any booking restrictions) and I was really tired of discussing with call centre agents that I want to have a partly refund of the taxes of my E/L/T return ticket.