How does A-List Standby work on Connecting Flights?
#16
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: ATL
Posts: 1,909
I'm guess they either both clear or neither clear; don't think there's been a posted case yet. Again, the policy says that the companion must also be A or A+ in order to also go standby, but we know there's been exceptions to that. In my case my non-status wife companion and I were simply handed boarding passes for the earlier flight and didn't have to wait out the standby process. And what if one is A and one is A+, which is within policy? Maybe that's why someone earlier mentioned that A+ doesn't have priority over A (when the policy says A+ does have priority), and the two folks simply are back-to-back on the standby list?
There seems to be lots of conflicting situations/handling of this so far.
There seems to be lots of conflicting situations/handling of this so far.
#17
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
If there are seats avalible then it seems to no different than any other flight, where if a seat is avaliable the companion goes. If no seat is avaliable then the companion is on their own or the pass holder can forgo the standby and take the original flight.
#18
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
Programs: WN Companion Pass, A-list preferred, Hyatt Globalist; United Club Lietime (sic) Member
Posts: 21,617
Then what happens if the A-lister (Companion Pass holder in this case) clears and the companion doesn't because there are not enough seats available on the flight? Does the companion have to pay full fare to get to their destination because they aren't on the flight with the Companion Pass holder? Or do they not clear either of them unless there are enough seats for all standbys?
#19
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DEN
Posts: 256
Just a data point, out of LAS and DEN on numerous times in the past 2 months, I have done same day standby as a A List with my companion wife who has no status. However, at ATL today they told me she can not do standby so I took the earlier flight and she followed on the original flight.
#20
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
Just a data point, out of LAS and DEN on numerous times in the past 2 months, I have done same day standby as a A List with my companion wife who has no status. However, at ATL today they told me she can not do standby so I took the earlier flight and she followed on the original flight.
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chicagoland, IL, USA
Programs: WN CP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,173
Just a data point, out of LAS and DEN on numerous times in the past 2 months, I have done same day standby as a A List with my companion wife who has no status. However, at ATL today they told me she can not do standby so I took the earlier flight and she followed on the original flight.
pause pause pause
Nope, cannot imagine it.
#23
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: MCI
Programs: CBP Global Entry, WN A-List Preferred, WN Companion Pass
Posts: 2,007
#24
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,867
Yeah, we're all familiar. Just trying to understand how she was allowed to fly for free when she wasn't accompanying you on a flight. I've only heard of this (rarely!) during IRROPS and VDB situations.
Yeah, we're all familiar. Just trying to understand how she was allowed to fly for free when she wasn't accompanying you on a flight. I've only heard of this (rarely!) during IRROPS and VDB situations.
#25
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DEN
Posts: 256
Last edited by figment7; Dec 11, 2017 at 4:35 am Reason: grammar
#26
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DEN
Posts: 256
If you notice I quoted the poster asking if she flew for free, hence the response.
#27
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 1,867
In any event, I'm pretty surprised it has worked that way with any amount of consistency for you, that's pretty interesting. Doesn't work for our travel patterns, but I always like knowing that agents have the room to do things like this.
#28
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,698
Just a data point, out of LAS and DEN on numerous times in the past 2 months, I have done same day standby as a A List with my companion wife who has no status. However, at ATL today they told me she can not do standby so I took the earlier flight and she followed on the original flight.
#29
Join Date: May 2014
Location: DEN
Posts: 256
So the original flight was selling 3 seats (not sure how close to full do they do that). The flight that I went standby on was completely full. It appears they gave me my A List priority as they cleared 3 more people behind me (not sure if they were WX or what with ATL getting snowed in the day before.) They were done boarding when they cleared myself, another A List person that I know for sure, and then 2 or 3 others.
#30
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SLC
Programs: DL PM, Hilton/Marriott Gold
Posts: 971
If WN wants to differentiate their (fairly weak) elite program, they'd pick A-Listers at random to deliver pink slips to DAL CSAs.