reading flight coupons
 

Is there any way to know if your airline flight coupon reflecting your itinerary is for a confirmed seat or for a standby seat. I had a ticket issued by a travel agent, and the ticket was designated "Y" for class. The boarding pass said "Check-In Required", but the airline said I did not have a reservation! If I was standby, should the ticket class or the boarding pass have reflected that standby status?

Yes, the ticket should indicate whether it is confirmed or standby. Look in the box labeled "status" (usually next to the flight time on the flight coupon). An OK indicates that it is confirmed, while (I believe) an RQ is waitlisted.

The ticket "class" won't identify standby - and I bet the agent actually thought you were confirmed. (Just curious what airline this was on.) The "Y" was the fare class, which has nothing to do with whether you hold a confirmed seat on the plane. Some airlines through the CRS systems let the agency sell a seat and issue the ticket and then decide later that the flight was full and waitlist you after the ticket was issued. This generally will not happen with the US carriers anymore due to better interactivity between the systems.

In most countries, HK indicates confirmed, while HL = waitlisted. This is standard IATA jargon, and often printed on the itineraries and tickets, though not that frequently in the U.S.