Poor college student needs help with MSP PVD this weekend
 

Poor college student here trying to get to PVD this weekend from MSP. I booked the flight weeks ago, but a professor is refusing to let me take my exam early. If I intentionally miss my 6 am flight and show up late to the airport and tell them I overslept, will they allow me to standby for a flight later that day.
I was told it would be $800 to change the flight

What time do you plan on arriving at the airport?

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8330/4.3.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

If you arrive within 2 hours of your scheduled departure you *should* be allowed to go standby on the next flight.

If it's the 6am flight (US6806 codeshare on UA metal, connecting in ORD), UA policy would govern, and someone who flies UA would better be able to chime in...

The 6:50am flight is the US Express (Republic) # 3104 to PHL, with same flight # on to PVD.

As stated by uva185, US has an unofficial "flat-tire policy" - arrive at airport within 2 hours of flight time, and they'd try to accommodate you on the next flight out. It worked for me last year!

Ditto, IME as well. Just check seatcounter.com to see how full that flight is looking, that could be only potential issue.

It's been a while since I was in college, however if the OP is booked on a 6AM-ish flight the "flat-tire" allowance is only going to cover him until at best just before 9AM. I never knew an exam to be scheduled before 8AM. That gives the OP less than an hour to take the exam, get to the airport, get in line and present himself to an agent to plead his case.

My suggestion is to try to get the youngest agent you see, or one who looks like a Mom who could have college aged children herself, at the counter who hopefully will be sympathetic to your situation. Be honest and tell the truth. Airport agents have heard every exaggeration and blatent lie in the book and they can usually tell if one is not being honest. I believe honesty will get you further than deceit.

As a professor, please know that in all likelihood, your college states that students are expected to take examinations when announced, and that the examination schedule is posted at the beginning of the term (or earlier, even).
Please be careful in the future when scheduling flights!

And good luck on your examination.

Also as a professor, I'll second that. I always put in my course disclosures that finals are given as scheduled.

If the exam date/time was known before you booked the flight (i.e. outlined in the syllabus), then why didn't you check with the prof before booking the flight, or book a later one?

Scheduled exam dates change and sometimes professors add exams. It's entirely possible this exam was not scheduled when the OP booked the flight. And if that's true, then he/she should have a good argument to take to the Dean....

Depending on availability, your best option is probably whatever US calls "Same Day Confirmed." (That's what DL calls it.) On most airlines, if you call within 3 hours of your flight and another flight that day is available, you can change for $50. I don't know specifically how it works on US. Obviously there is no guarantee of availability, but other sites mentioned in this thread will give you an idea.

Unfortunatley US only allows you to do an earlier flight. Sounds like the op is catching the first flight of the day