Standby flights are in fact quite cheap. Just about 10% of the normal price must usually be paid. So a standby flight can be quite financially rewarding.

Standby tickets are not necessarily more expensive than regular tickets, but they are no longer the "cheap" last-minute deals they were decades ago. In the modern aviation era of 2026, you generally cannot just walk up to a counter and buy a "standby ticket" at a discount; instead, standby is a status for passengers who already hold a confirmed ticket but wish to fly on an earlier or later flight. Most major airlines charge a "Same-Day Standby" fee (often between $25 and $75), though this fee is frequently waived for elite frequent flyer members or those traveling on flexible "Full Fare" tickets. The "expensive" part comes in if you are trying to buy a seat on the day of departure without a prior booking, which would be a "walk-up fare"—often the most expensive ticket type available. However, for those already ticketed, flying standby can be a cost-effective way to change plans compared to paying a full "Change Fee" plus the fare difference. Essentially, standby saves you money on changes, but it isn't a strategy for finding a cheap initial fare.