[QUOTE][No airline can afford to have "formal" standby crews down the line, in this day and age.
/QUOTE]
Wrong.
For example airlines have, in europe, used the practice for years for some of their long haul destinations to provide an operational flexibility that can cover a scenario like this. What it requires is some common sense on both sides of the fence. Oh, hang on that may be construed as engagement,.
It's not rocket science either!