Standby... it is not for the faint of heart. You must possess a strong sense of adventure, patience, an ability to pack lite, and most importantly a sense of humor!! You never know where you are going to end up. You might be trying to get to Paris via Phoenix, and end up Paris via Phoenix, LA, Salt Lake City. That is where the adventure lies. If you are a nervous flyer...steer clear of the Standby experience, even if your friend that works for an airline offers buddy passes to you...it is not worth it. If you are going to fall into the fetal position when the door to the gateway closes and your name is never called,just book a full fair ticket. You can't handle it:)
My dear friend Leslie has bestowed on my the privilege of a companion pass. I fly with employee status. This has enabled me to fly first class to many destinations. It is really quite the racket, when she has a good trip, I just tag along and stay with her. It might be only Dublin for 24 hours, but heck, its Dublin!!! You have to think to yourself...WHY NOT!! People ask me all of the time why I would do such a crazy thing...WHY NOT!!! Last time I checked, life is short and unpredictable. Standby is just a way to seize the day! I have to admit, I like seeing my name on the standby screen in the airport. It is like gambling in Vegas. Watching how many open seats are available, and where my name is on the list... it is thrilling! Once, Christi and I were in ATL trying to get home to PHX and since my seniority was higher then Christi's buddy pass, I got the last seat on the PHX bound flight. Christi just picked up her carry on and headed to the TUC flight. You have to be flexible, and you can not blame the one that gave you the buddy passes.
One more good pointer for using the Buddy Pass is... never, ever, ask the ticket agent a question if they are still trying to get your flight boarded! Especially in ATL!! They will bite your head off! The best thing to do is wait, scoop them out, see if they look pleasant, and then go in with the biggest smile you can muster. Never get overly excited with them.. this will lead to a lashing and if they are really put off, your buddy pass provider could loose their privileges. Don't risk it.. you will get there!
Christi and I were in London one November. It decided to snow.. a lot! The day we were to leave to ATL from Heathrow, England shut down Gatwick, the other major airport. Still not a huge problem..our flight looked good. While we were enjoying some coffee, we noticed that our flight was cancelled. Not a good sign for the Stand by traveler. You see, the airline does not care about you... you will not get the coupons for free hotels, food, etc. You get squat! Still..no need to panic. Christi and I ended up finally getting on a flight to the States... of course we had to ask the flight attendant where we were going, but we made it back to the good ole USA!
So, stand by travel is not for everyone, but you thrill seekers will love it. Just relax and enjoy the adventure. Oh...and pack deodorant, you will need it:)
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