Playing the "Waitlist" Game
 

Hello My Fellow NW FT'ers. I DID try to search previous posts on this board for an existing thread that covers the question I am going to ask, but I could not find a thread. If there is an existing thread, please forgive me for opening this new thread!

I am traveling SEA-MSP (surprise, surprise) in a couple of days. When I booked my original ticket, I thought I would need to keep an early morning meeting with my client. To my happy surprise, I found out at the end of last week that I do not need to be in office at my client the day I am travelling back to Minne! :D Okay, now my dilemma. I would reallly, really, really like to be on an earlier flight out on the same day. If I waitlist for an earlier flight, how does it work with getting on the flight (my main need) and then with snagging a FC UG? From experience, do the GA's clear you into coach first, then you get put in the pecking order for the battlefield FC UG's? Or, do you get cleared into coach first, but after the battfield FC UG's have been disbursed. :confused:

Thanks in advance for your help!

-A

Show up early and ask to be put on the first class standby list (verify with them that this means by default you will also be on the coach standby list).

Then it's essentially the same as a BF UG scenario, except you don't have a confirmed seat. If there's a seat in coach, they'll clear you into that first. You should still remain on the BF UG list at that point, but only for F. You might want to converse with the TA/GA to make sure your understanding is correct. And as always, you can just tell them what your goal is (first, to make the flight, but hopefully to be on the upgrade list as a Plat as well).

I used to do this a lot coming out of Chicago when there were nearly hourly flights. I'd book something in the evening for a return, but if my business was done early, I'd try and slide onto a mid-afternoon flight.

Are you in FC already? I've had this affect me (YMMV, of course) in the past:

If you are already in FC on your original SEA-MSP return flight then like SchmutzigMSP said ask to be put on the first class standby list.

If you are NOT already in FC on your original SEA-MSP return flight then just do normal standby for your earlier flight. You may get hosed on a BF upgrade if they do standby after all of the BF upgrades clear and the GA didn't notice you were a plat on standby.

In both cases, since you're OK with taking a Y seat back if it means you get on an earlier flight then be sure to tell them that (be very, very clear!) either at the ticketing counter or gate. Personally, I'd go talk to a TA a bit before the flight and poke a bit to see how full the flight is. If the flight is empty and they're feeling nice, they may just give you a boarding pass without the standby hoopla. Even if it comes down to BF I've had GAs notice that I was a plat on standby and put me directly in to FC. Other times they've call my name and tell me that they can get me on the flight, but there are only Y seats left and if that is ok. Again, YMMV.

If there is room in first, you won't be cleared into Y, you'll just be cleared into F. You should go to the top of the UG list (barring any PE's with higher fare classes) and go to the top of the standby list as well.

See NWA012's comments in this thread too.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/north...e-process.html

I've had it several times that I do standby, don't have a Y seat, and they will clear me into F. One time I wasn't cleared into F, but I was at the top of the list. They just cleared me into Y at the last minute when F was full.

I've never done standby knowing I couldn't get on though, one of the bennies of plat.

Success; Thanks!
 

Thanks everyone for helping me as a "newbie" to the standby game. Here's how this played out for me today. I tried to get on the waitlist online at the 24 hour window yesterday. No luck, no standby options available at 24 hours. I checked periodically thru the evening. At midnight, all of the SEA-MSP flights "opened up" for standby, so I picked the flight I wanted. I was told adamently by a couple of Gold/Plat WP Elite agents that this flight was oversold by 10 seats, even though there were 10 seats open in FC at the 24 hour window and many seats still open in the "premium" section of coach. Thru my own fault, I wound up arriving with not much time to spare at Sea-Tac this morning. By time I got thru security, took the tram over to the S concourse and made it to the gate, the GA's were just starting the pre-board for the earlier flight I wanted to get on. I waited for my turn in line with the GA, and when I got up to the counter - I was delighted to learn that I was not only on the flight, but UG'd to FC as well (in an aisle seat, no less)! :D

Whoop, whoop!

-A