In the airline industry, there is no such thing as a permanent change. A very trusted source shares that American Airlines is considering eliminating complimentary standby for passengers without AAdvantage elite status. While not surprising, it would mark a customer-unfriendly move and likely mark the first step on the road toward the reintroduction of change fees.
Prediction: If American Airlines Eliminates Free Standby, Other Fees Will Follow
During the pandemic, beginning with United Airlines and quickly followed by others, change fees and standby fees were eliminated on most tickets. Suddenly, it no longer cost $200 to change a domestic ticket or $75 to standby for an earlier flight. The changes fundamentally changed the way I bought airline tickets, making me much more likely to purchase tickets without much thought knowing that I could use the full credit later if my plans changed.
The elimination of standby seemed to me to be a win-win move. First, passengers always love getting home earlier if they arrive at the airport early…standby accommodation builds loyalty by showing respect for the passengers time. Second, by getting passengers to their destinations early, airlines potentially reduced their burden should flight cancellations or delays occur later on the originally scheduled flight.
But free standby can be gamed. Many book the cheapest time of day with the specific intent to standby for the preferred time at no charge. Thus, open seats on coveted prime time flights might be filled by those willing to take a gamble to get home early. If an airline started charging, once again, for standby, those customers may either pay it (more revenue to the airline) or book the pricier flight in the first place (more revenue to the airline).
With that in mind, industry insider JonNYC reports that American Airlines is considering the elimination of free standby for those passengers without elite status:
(“domestic” = Itineraries within and between the following markets:
50 United States
Puerto Rico
U.S Virgin Islands)— 🇺🇦 JonNYC 🇺🇦 (@xJonNYC) June 9, 2022
View From The Wing confirms similar discussion from an independent source.
This would be a very disappointing change that I suspect other carriers would be quick to match. Part of the implied covenant with the American people was that in exchange for bailout, U.S. airlines would permanently eliminate change and standby fees. Of course “permanent” in the airline industry is indeed only until an airline changes its mind.
I do this think this change, if implemented, will be the clearest sign yet that airlines feel aggressive enough to bring back change fees.
To the airline industry: this would be a mistake. I’m so glad that you are seeing “gangbusters” demand, but don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Forget whether you can get away with it. Instead, keep your word.
CONCLUSION
According to a pair of reports, American Airlines is considering the elimination of free same-day standby for non-elites. This would mark the first major rollback of the more flexible pandemic era. The problem is that airlines promised consumers these eliminated fees would be “permanent.” If permanent only means “until our planes are full again” then the airline show that they cannot be trusted. We should demand more, especially when we bailed them all out.
Meh – absolute free standby for all customers is something that can be abused pretty easily.
1) Allowing for anyone to standby for free means standby lists are pretty long
2) American also lets you standby for a later flight if you are an elite – easy way to book cheap flights and fly out whenever you want
I would have always guessed this would be rolled back. Standby for a fee, with fee waived for elites, seems fair.
To this day, I will never understand charging for standby. Once an aircraft departs with an empty seat, that seat is gone. If you fill it with a standby, that creates a seat open on the later flight that can still be sold. Or, in the case of all the airlines these days, the open seat can be used to accommodate passengers whose flight was delayed or cancelled.
Absolutely agree.
There are benefits, but Matthew explained well why the process is frequently gamed. The airlines are able to track how the benefit has been used and how often people use it after buying seats on the cheap flights.
AA is going bAAckwards!
I fully expect that all of the “fees” will come rolling back in the next few months. They just can’t help themselves. Even SQ is making it clear that as of July 31 all waived change fees for flights will end. By the end of this year we should be right back to 2019 again. But with less planes, less options, operational meltdowns where they get away with stranding you for hours or days, and a complete lack of any respect for customers. Oh well, at least Breeze is getting rave reviews as of late. Maybe there is hope?
Rewarding loyalty isn’t a bad thing. With Gold being easy to get for almost anyone without flying anymore by filling out surveys, eating out, shopping portals and using branded cards it’s not a big deal to most.
And YES the abuse is huge but I believe it is mostly by those with status. The average traveling vacation Joe doesn’t figure this out.
I hope airlines do not start to charge change fees again. At least for elite members that is a huge advantage as I can book flights in advance without fearing it will cost me a fortune to change if I need. Now, airlines never learn the lesson about not messing up with customers. When they were about to die they were helped and now they forget the ones that keep them alive.
So happy this is coming to an end. Hopefully UA adopts this as well.
Yet more work for the gate agent and another source of potential conflict and delay in turning the flight.
If they go to this it needs to be a automated online process via website or self service machines that does not involve the gate agents.
Hopefully OW alliance elites will keep the free standby option on AA too. I am AS Gold 75, and I put my AS number on every AA flight I take.
I would hope so too.
I frankly think “gaming” is a bit unfair since if their computer models are correct, those “primetime” flights will sell out anyway and there will not be any standbys accommodated.
Ending universal free flight changes might increase the odds we elites get more and better vouchers for volunteering to give up our seats on oversold flights.
If an airline changes my flight to earlier/later, do I get an automatic $75.00 refund for the change inconvenience?
No, but if more than a few hours you are eligible for a refund or reroute of your choice, including a date or time change.
A number of years ago, before the Continental merger, I was returning from Orlando to Washington Dulles. I got to the airport very early and checked in at the kiosk. The KIOSK ITSELF noticed that there was an earlier flight departing before my 4:00 pm flight and would I like to standby for it? Yes please. It printed a boarding pass for the 4:00 flight and a standby pass for the 2:00 flight. That standby pass told me to present myself at gate 42 or whatever it was at 1:30. I did, and the gate agent exchanged it for a boarding pass on the 2:00 flight. Didn’t have to ask anyone: the automated system did it. Nice. United avoided an empty seat going out and got a seat back on the 4:00 pm flight it might need.
Same thing a few years before that, only it was at ORD, and I got a seat on a flight to DCA instead of waiting two more hours to go to BWI from which ground transportation home would have been difficult.
I’m thinking the computer model that the beancounters are noticing could be factored into improving packing the flights (although they don’t seem to have a problem with that now.)
A “gamer” willing to risk sitting in the airport for hours, even perhaps half a day just to save money on a fare will probably not pay the higher fare anyway hence it’s really a “paper loss”. He can help fill up the earlier flight and free up the later seats for other standby passengers or, better yet, the computer algorithm gambling on their own.
So the computer notices that about 15 cheapskates risk sitting in the airport and about 5 of them get onboard. Congrats to the other 10! They just made the airline money! The algorithm can see if this is a pattern and sell about 3 tickets on the cheaper flights later with a buffer factor of 2. If the airline gambles and loses, perhaps it has to give out denied boarding compensation to those who got bumped but in the end, they’re packing the planes.
It needs to go into effect. What people aren’t realizing is that Airline employees can’t use their benefits due to passengers going stand by or purposely not making their original flight.
No one works in the airline industry just to work there. They work there for the benefits. Each non employee going standby pushes the employees further down the list,and frankly all airline employees are sick of it.
Flight attendants not living in their bases are even missing out on being able to get to work because of this.