Charges, rules for standby vary from airline to airline

Flying standby has as many wrinkles to it as a prune.

First, there’s the matter of understanding what standby is. Simply put, it’s when an airline can let you fly domestically on an earlier or later flight on the same day you’re ticketed, without an extra charge.

There are instances, however, when a carrier won’t let you fly standby because special Web fares rule out standby travel. Or, if you wish to fly standby, you might be required to pay a fee of $25 or $50 for a guaranteed seat. Or $100. Or, if you’re a mega frequent flier, no fee at all.

Standby changes can be made at airline ticket counters and often at airport self-service check-in kiosks or on airline Web sites.

While many passengers don’t concern themselves with standby travel, business travelers on their way home certainly do, if their meetings end earlier or later than expected.

Typical of standby travelers is Dr. Judith Gravdal, a Chicago-area physician who recently attended a medical conference in Kansas City, Mo.

She had booked a 5 p.m. return flight on American Airlines, but her conference ended at noon. She high-tailed it to the airport, requested standby for the next available flight and got a seat on a 2:47 flight at no additional cost.

“I gladly would have paid $25 or so to get home two hours early,” she said.

A survey of major carriers shows how different standby rules can be from airline to airline:

•Alaska Airlines. Passengers on most same-day, same-destination flights can fly standby on an earlier or later flight without additional charge. To fly standby, a traveler should go to the ticket counter as soon as possible. The traveler will be put on a standby list.

Priority is given according to several factors: mileage plan status, the time the traveler checked in, whether the traveler is flying to take care of a medical emergency and whether the traveler has been bumped from another flight. Passengers can get a confirmed ticket for a $50 change fee. (800-426-0333, alaskaair.com)

•American Airlines. Passengers can stand by for an earlier or later flight for free on a same-day departure, but a seat is not guaranteed. American does not offer a guaranteed seat standby fee. Some highly restricted fares preclude standby. (800-433-7300, aa.com)

•America West Airlines. Standby is permitted for certain earlier/later flights on the same day as ticketed for no charge. Customers who want to stand by for a later flight than ticketed should call the reservations desk to let it know. The agent will make a notation in the record that will prevent the customer’s confirmed segments from being canceled as a no-show. (800-235-9292, americawest.com)

•ATA. There’s no program in place that allows passengers to stand by for an available seat. Passengers with restricted tickets can be confirmed on earlier or later flights if they pay the difference between the booked advance-purchase restricted fare and a walk-up fare. If the customer purchased an unrestricted walk-up fare, he or she would be confirmed on another same-day flight at no additional charge as long as space is available. (800-435-9282; ata.com)

•Continental Airlines. Free standby travel is permitted on the same day as originally ticketed, but the flight must be no more than two hours before or after the original departure time. Standby is not permitted on all fares. (800-525-0280, continental.com)

•Delta Air Lines. No free standby is available per se except for Platinum and Gold Medallion (frequent-flier) members and in the case of a bad weather situation. A Same-day Confirmed option allows you to change your flight time on the same day of travel for a fee of $25. To use the Same-day Confirmed option, you must confirm your new flight within three hours of your originally scheduled departure time. If you have a flexible fare (usually a refundable ticket), you may be able to change your itinerary for free. (800-221-1212; delta.com)

•Frontier Airlines. Standby at no charge is allowed only on the day of departure of the original itinerary. If you wish to change your itinerary to a different day or would like a confirmed seat on a different flight for the same day of travel, a $100 change fee plus any applicable fare difference must be paid at the time you make the change. (800-265-5505; frontierairlines.com)

•Northwest Airlines. A new FlyNow option, introduced in May, allows customers to make confirmed same-day changes to their domestic flights scheduled within three hours of the time they check in for their original flight for a $25 fee. Customers still have the option of standing by for an earlier or later flight on the same day at no charge if seats are available. (800-225-2525; nwa.com)

•Southwest Airlines. Standby customers are generally cleared 10 minutes prior to departure. Any seats not claimed by confirmed customers are issued to standbys on a first-come, first-served basis. Customers traveling on full, unrestricted fares are allowed to travel standby at no additional cost. Passengers with advance purchase or discounted tickets may be required to pay the difference between the discounted and full fare. (800-435-9792; southwest.com)

•United Airlines. Passengers can stand by for an earlier or later flight on the same day for which they were ticketed without paying an additional fee. To keep the standby list as fair as possible, the list is computer-automated and is based on frequent-flier status, value of the ticket and on a first-come, first-served basis. (800-241-6522, united.com)

•US Airways. Customers with nonrefundable tickets can – if permitted by fare rules – stand by for alternate domestic flights by purchasing a standby coupon for $25. (800-428-4322, usairways.com)