ACA321

Not sure how good your chances of an F seat are if you change flights. Remember that most "paid" F seats are actually Y tickets operating as instant upgrade fares- buckets such as A and P IIRC. That disclaimer is also on AA's website in the fare rules before you hit purchase. IMO it's a dirty trick that gives the airline an easy out in irrops or situations like yours. It's then easy and legal to say "Sorry, you actually didn't purchase F so you are only entitled to a seat in Y". Happens all the time.

IADCAflyer

I doubt that he has any chance of getting a F seat. I bet he's simply hoping to get on the earlier flight.

This is where AA is a bit better than US on IRROPS and changes. One or two F seats are usually held for last minute issues.

Why not just book a Y fare (or other refundable fare) on the earlier flight? If you need it, you use it. If you don't, you just cancel it...

seawolf

The earlier flight is 6 hours 5 minutes earlier so that means I can't move up but am I allowed to standby?

Mykle

Standby is not allowed either. If greater than 6 hours, the only option is to pay the full change fee, plus fare difference, to confirm on another flight.

Carl

Another option (YMMV): find a US agent willing to move your itinerary to AA. Once you have booked an AA ticket, their standby and SDC rules apply. I actually did this yesterday because I needed to move to a later flight (which US rules don't support). This obviously wouldn't work in a city without AA.

ibrandsguest

Can you do a 2-step MoveUp or standby?

If there is a flight 4 hours or less before your original flight, move up to it. (If you check in at a kiosk, if should offer you an earlier flight if there are seats available on it; check m.usairways.com and "Flight Status" and "Standby List", which will show the number of seats available.)

Once you're on that flight, then go to an agent and ask to be moved up to the flight that is 6 hours and 5 minutes before your original flight.

ibrandsguest

One question:

If two passengers are traveling together and were on the same PNR/confirmation code, but US Airways separated the tickets and gave each person a separate PNR/confirmation code (somehow this separation was done when both were upgraded with miles on a trans-Atlantic flight), can the PNRs/confirmation codes be linked together again?

One passenger in question has status with US/AA and one does not, and they both want to Move Up to an earlier domestic flight. There are only 4 seats still available, so I'm guessing that if the PNRs/confirmation codes are separate, the passenger with status will make the earlier flight but the one without status will not, so we'd like to make sure that they both get preferred status on the standby list.

Thanks.

Mykle

Once the PNR is split, the non-preferred person will not get any benefits. The system will prompt the agent to charge for a move-up for the companion, if the aircraft is booked at less than capacity. The standby option is only given if the aircraft is full or over capacity. If you get a seasoned, competent agent, who can see that the PNR was divided, they may force an adjustment to the standby list.

seawolf

Thanks but nope; the next earlier flight is 6 hours 5 minutes. Went to airport, front line agent said can't be done. Went to AAdmirals Club, agent attempted but computer didn't allow it. However she did notice my original flight is oversold. She made a phone call and moved up to earlier flight.

ibrandsguest

Certainly not complaining, but:

When there are only a few seats that show as available on a flight (on the US Airways mobile site, when clicking on "Standby List"), if you're looking to take an earlier flight, how can you tell if (1) you'll be added to the standby list or (2) just given a seat or (3) if a kiosk will offer an earlier flight to you?

I wanted to take an earlier flight this morning and panicked when I left home, because the US Airways mobile site showed only 3 seats available and ExpertFlyer showed only a few seats available, but there were 10 people on the standby list. I figured that maybe I'd make the flight, but maybe I wouldn't.

I got to the airport, checked in at the kiosk, and was not offered an earlier flight at all, even though one earlier flight (in between my original flight and the one I wanted to take) seemed to have 27 seats available on it.

At the US Airways Club, after a little typing, I was pleasantly surprised to be given a boarding pass for the flight that I wanted to take; I wasn't even added to the standby list.

So...does the standby list just have non-Preferreds on it, and are Preferreds given a seat on an earlier flight if the mobile site shows at least one available? I don't see how I could have jumped in front of 10 people on the standby list and been given a seat if even one of them had my status level (50,000 mile level) or higher.

Conversely, on my original flight, the mobile site showed 0 seats available. When I switched to the earlier flight, freeing up a seat on the original flight, the mobile site still showed 0 seats available on my original flight, even there was one free then.

So basically I can't see any rhyme or reason in how these standby lists, seat availability, etc. work.

iahphx

So this weekend I have an Avios booking on a late US flight. I'd much prefer to take a flight 4 hours earlier. But there are 3 of us; 2 with oneworld Sapphire status, 1 without status, all on the same rez. Am I theoretically even eligible for free standby? And can I assume the oneworld status is meaningless?

If so, it would seem the only option is to just show up at the airport. But the flight doesn't look wide open, and if we're rejected, the 4-hour wait would be pretty brutal. So it doesn't seem worth the hassle. Am I missing anything?

Mykle

Only US Preferred/AAdvantage Elite are eligible for the free Move Up. Oneworld status does not qualify for the waiver.

iahphx

Thanks. Of course, through my status, I'd have access to the Admirals Club, where I assume they might be friendlier than at a counter.

But, given the high load factors, I don't think it wise to show up at an airport 4 hours early and "hope" to get on an earlier flight. Just bad risk/reward.