rsteinmetz70112

The few times I've used this policy I have been changed to the new flight immediately and was given a boarding pass. I didn't have a Companion. Does that not still happen?
I'd assume if it did you could then cancel you original Companion reservation and book a new companion reservation. You would of course lose your boarding position.
Am I missing something? How would they know you changed flights?

nsx

Yes if you are traveling solo it's quite easy.

I don't think you can add a companion online less than an hour before departure. I doubt they would clear you onto the new flight earlier than that.

If I had thought of it in time, I could have tried canceling the companion's reservation, checking my bags on the later flight, going to the gate to try to get cleared on the earlier flight, then phoning to add the companion to that flight. My companion would not have enjoyed waiting outside while I attempted all that very hard to explain process. For 6k points I made the right choice.

PAX62

That happens only of there is ample available open seats on the flight and the chances for a standby list are slim, then they will clear you and issue a BP on the spot...otherwise it it can be a waiting and game of who bumps who down the standby list based on status.

rsteinmetz70112

I'm usually at the airport 1 hour before flight time, mostly to allow for traffic and clearing security, which usually doesn't take that long but has sometimes.

If you're happy I'm happy for you.
If your companion had a boarding pass for the later flight they could have gone with you to the gate, no need to wait outside in the snow .

braddqq

NSX, couldn't you have just tried a different gate agent to ask to add your companion to the flight? I find that anyone can do it.

nsx

I was checking bags 5 hours before my booked flight. These days that's a normal interval for west coast flights.

nsx

The policy of not allowing a companion to standby without paying full fare contributed to my decision to drive the round trip from northern to southern California last week. I rented a car for comfort and substantial fuel savings. In this particular case (endpoint not near LAX) flying would have saved only a couple hours over driving the 700 miles round trip. Exact times were unpredictable, so a fixed return time was not compatible with this trip.

I now know that driving is a reasonable option, even taking a one-way rental car, as long as Interstate 5 remains very lightly used by passenger vehicles. Speeds are 80 to 85 mph and in the entire trip I saw nobody stopped by the highway patrol. This was my easiest trip on Interstate 5 in over 30 years.