b_sfo_lax

On my weekly sfo->lax an emergency back home had me returning a day earlier than planned. Not knowing the policy I went to the LAX 1k counter asking to stand-by for the next flight to SFO. Alas, no amount of pleading for a waive of the fee worked.

Has anyone been able to talk their way out of the change fee with a stand-by the day before your scheduled flight?

zrs70

6 years ago when flying DL. I was supposed to fly out of LAX in the am but wanted to leave the night before on a red-eye. The agent needed an explanation. I smiled and said, "I want to get to (Passover) Seder on time.

She smiled and printed out my boarding pass, upgrades intact!

JohnnyP

AFAIK, this has never been allowed on United -- especially these days when "waivers and favours" has long since disappeared.

Having said that: this is a great perk of Frontier's top tier Summit program. Summit members can standby for flights (without charge) the day before and after their scheduled flight!! ^

dlwalt

Last August I flew out of IAD to BOS on a ticket that was for the next morning. The ticket counter at Dulles was slow and they let me on the flight without batting an eye.

transpac

Several years ago, with an impending snowstorm likely to affect by early morning departure the next day, I went to the airport the day before and UA allowed me to depart on the last flight out (to SFO).

zrs70

Come to think of it, about 10 years ago (also on DL, per my first response) I had to get to Boston a day earlier because of an impending snowstorm. In that case, I had to be there for a scheduled knee surgery. I was willing to pay whatever change fee, but DL didn't assess it.

My flight was the last flight into BOS for three days.

tods27

Yes, last monday. I dealt directly with the gate agents which helped out. Basically I was going from MCO-DEN then DEN-PHX the next morning. Two separate tickets. I caught an earlier MCO-DEN flight that got me in early enough to catch a flight to PHX. I stopped by the gate and politely asked them "I can't stand-by on a flight on a different day without paying a change fee or re-faring the ticket, right?" The GAs were really nice and after joking about giving them the $100 change fee to let me go and asking if my company was hiring, they simply let me go on the flight. It is interesting that they never asked about status before allowing me to go. They did, of course, see my status when they checked me in. I should note that I was booked on the 7:00AM flight the next morning.

merlin

I've had a ticket for a redeye HNL-SFO and then a SFO-ORD the next morning. After flying standby on the afternoon HNL-SFO, they allowed me to also standby a day early for the connecting flight to ORD.

LAX

Is it an "official" policy of UA for not allowing stand-bys the day before a scheduled flight? There is no way around a change-fee if I want to leave the evening before my scheduled morning flight? Thanks in advance.

LAX

CApreppie

Yes, it is not allowed by UA rules.

The way around a change-fee is to show up and keep trying agents until you get one that lets you on the flight for free (breaking the rules). If you don't, pay the fee or wait till the next day.