You used to be able to get a cheap “standby” ticket for a
flight. It did not guarantee you a seat on the flight but it was cheap and you
could get a seat on the NEXT AVAILABLE flight, if that one was filled to
capacity. This only worked for travelers
who did not have to be some place at a designated time, and who did not mind
waiting around for long periods of time, to save some money, when flying to
their destination. NOW, the term “standby”
has an entirely different meaning.
Today, you can get a ticket at the last minute, but it is NOT CHEAPER,
it is the same rate as any traveler is paying.
If you missed your flight and can’t get your money back, some airlines
will let you use the nonrefundable ticket to travel standby to some similar
location. The airlines thought that they
were losing money that regular flyer's would spend, if they gave standby people a
seat. However, some airlines now have
some “one day air fare rates” that let you fly at the last minute, on a
particular date. If you do have a
chance to fly standby, be sure to get to the airport early so that your name
will go on the standby list first. Never
try to fly standby on the day before a big Holiday weekend. One web site that will help you save money of
this kind of travel is: http://www.cheapflights.com/book-flights-hotels/?source=gogeneralcheapflights_airfare. There are other offers out there, so shop
around.
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