Question about flying standby with baggage
 

Have never tried to fly standby before with baggage that needs to be checked, so I have some question.

I want to get out on a flight that leaves a few hours early, but I have 2 bags that I need to check. How will that work with trying to fly standby on the earlier flight? What will the airlines do with my bags? Or will they even let me fly standby if I have bags to check?

Thanks,
K

AA changed it's policy to forbid flying standby with checked bags.

Whether it will actually work in practice or not, I can't say, but I wouldn't count on it.

Obviously, your best bet is to hope there are enough seats on the flight you want available so that you can get a seat assignment at ticketing rather than the gate. Then your bags will just be checked directly onto the flight you want to fly on.

d

As long as you haven't checked your baggage, you should be able to fly standby on an earlier flight.

I did this a few weeks ago on a UA flight where my wife and I hopped onto a non-stop (instead of connecting) flight. The agent was very accomodating--only bummer was she couldn't get two seats together (which we remedied on the plane).

Good luck!

1. Some airlines allow you to declare your intent to standby when you check your bags. Then they make a special effort to match your bags with your flight.

2. I haven't figured out how they handle things when someone who has checked baggage suddnely volunteers to be bumped after they ask.

3. Does this mean that, if you check baggage, they will page you if you are stuck in the security line?

Travel tips:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/travel.htm

I flew AA in late May, FLL to ORD. We had 4 checked bags and were standby - remote possibility of getting out that night. The bags were on the next flight out - but we weren't. I was told that this is allowed on weekends.