Is there still a "Standby" facility.?
Joined: Oct 2002
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 8,201
Likes: 347
From: London UK
The term Standby has been used for two separate things. Back in the 1970s-80s it was a reference to waiting at the airport to see if there was space for a (cheap) ticket, in other words there was no reservation for you and it was space-available. There were various incarnations of this. Then it disappeared. It was a poor revenue model because pax got to know flights where there were normally seats available and went for the cheaper option.
In more recent times the term is extensively used in the US for the practice, on frequent routes, of waiting at the departure gate with a ticket and confirmation for another flight (which may have been previously, you having missed your connection) to see what the final load may be. fares being the same, the revenue is not an issue.
Both VLM and Scot Airways on their LCY domestic routes were very good at this, and your ticket was essentially regarded as "next flight out if there's space". They knew their business-oriented market valued this type of service. I once even had a completed load sheet reopened and reworked for me by Scot at Edinburgh when the previous flight had just closed - I didn't even have to ask, it was just done for me. Alas the dead hand of Air France, alias Cityjet, procedures now prevails on these routes.
In more recent times the term is extensively used in the US for the practice, on frequent routes, of waiting at the departure gate with a ticket and confirmation for another flight (which may have been previously, you having missed your connection) to see what the final load may be. fares being the same, the revenue is not an issue.
To be fair it has also happened in the UK, in the days of MAN-LCY on VLM I used that flight a few times and on more than one occasion I was early and asked if I would like to go on an earlier flight. I suspected as has been said this maybe took pressure of a busier later flight but who knows.
