Flying to CHS
 

Hi. I'm hoping to get some advice for those traveling through CHS.

I have a flight from MEM-CLT-CHS and back on US Airways in a few weeks, and will be picked up at the airport by a friend. Neither she nor I have ever been to this airport, and realize that she will not be allowed to venture to the gate to meet me. Also, I would hate for her to park and come to the terminal only to have no idea where I am.

Is there some readily identifiable place at CHS that would not be too difficult for either of us to find? I know at MEM it does no good to "meet at baggage claim" as this is spread out.

Also, I will be departing CHS on Sunday at 7:55am. Any recommendations on what time I should arrive? What are the lines like -unfortunately, no status http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/frown.gif

Last question, my tickets are from last weeks sale fares, coach class, nonrefundable, blah blah blah. They do give me permission to fly stand-by on a same day flight. My question is- if I decide to fly stand-by on a later flight, must i notify the airline to avoid losing my ticket? What if I choose to fly later, but then find no available seats on later flights? As my original plane has already departed, what happens then?

Thanks for any advice you might have.

Speechless,

Flying same-day stand-by generally refers to flying on an EARLIER flight that the one you've got tickets for, not a later flight.

If you miss your flight, the airline might take pity on you and put you on a later departure at no extra expense, but it would be within their rights to charge you the non-discounted same-day-purchase one-way price for a ticket to get home.

In other words, plan on getting there early Sunday morning.

Same-day standby means you can take a later flight as well as earlier. If you can't get on, assuming the usual voluntary change rules apply, you will have to make a confirmed change to leave the following day.

If this happens on the first flight of your trip, your itinerary will also have to be re-fared up to the last-minute fare. The $100 change fee pales in comparison to a walk-up fare for most markets.

If you are doing this on any flight but the first, your itinerary does not have to be re-fared as long as you don't change your destination(s). You still have to pay the change fee.

[This message has been edited by JS (edited 10-12-2001).]

I take it you've never been to Charleston. You're in for a real treat because CHS is a small airport, having only 2 gates--A and B. Your friend can meet you just outside the security checkpoint--as a matter of fact, there's even a sitting area there. Baggage claim is a piece of cake! There are only 2 carousels, side by side, which handle all flights. The airport is seldom busy, though in recent years business has picked up a bit. I really can't advise you as to how much time you should allot before flight time--things are so unpredictable these days---but I would go with the standard 2 hours--certainly no more than that! There's a quiet little restaurant/bar-where you can get a cup of coffee + while you wait to board.