What happens if you are on standby and the flight is full?
If the seats arent taken you will get on the plane however early or late you get there (within limits of course) They will usually wait until about 20 minutes before the flight goes before you are allowed on.
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Sometimes, when an airline asks for volunteers to give up their seats and fly on a different flight, there are not enough volunteers. When this occurs, the airline will select passengers to give up their seats. This is called “involuntary denied boarding” or “bumping.”
Standbys these days are reserved for people who have been bumped off the flight they were initially booked on, those who would like to get on an earlier flight on the same day they were meant to travel, or who wish to fly to a different airport at their destination.
You're more likely to get standby flights on less popular routes, off-peak travel seasons, or if you're a member of an airline's loyalty program. To improve your chances, arrive at the airport early and avoid checked luggage. Wait until the last minute in case your name is called.
It means exactly what it says: an agent will assign a seat to you at the gate. Chances are the flight is overbooked, so they're still figuring out who is flying and who is not.
Standby, on the other hand, involves showing up at the airport without a confirmed ticket and hoping to secure a seat if there are no-shows or last-minute cancellations. While waitlisting is often done in advance, usually online or through customer service, standby is typically done at the airport on the day of travel.
Airlines have the right to give your seat away or deny you boarding, even if you have a confirmed reservation and may be on the way, said Justin Albertynas, CEO of the travel-tech start-up RatePunk. He reminded me that airlines overbook flights to compensate for potential (and common) no-shows and cancellations.
Airlines can sell more seats than they have available – as they assume that not all passengers will show up for the flight. If all passengers do show up, some may be denied boarding or “bumped” off the flight.
If there are not enough passengers who are willing to give up their seats voluntarily, an airline may deny you a seat on an aircraft based on criteria that it establishes, such as the passenger's check-in time, the fare paid by the passenger, or the passenger's frequent flyer status.
Standby passengers typically have priority based on how much they paid for their tickets and their relative status in the airline's frequent flyer program.