Waiting to catch flight cancellation seat

[Liverpudlian]

Hi, thinking of flying home for a short visit in a few months, in the old days one could hang about the airport and bag a cheap charlie flight due to cancellations thus saving a decent slice off the norm booking fees   is this still an option at airports nowadays ??

[dundas]

Don't think so. I remember those fares, in the days before airlines got smart with yield improvement programs. Nowadays, if you want to fly at short notice they reckon you'll be desperate enough to pay up.  

[Snow Leopard]

Not a chance. Just look for the best deal on the internet. 

[Liverpudlian]

7 minutes ago, dundas said:

Don't think so. I remember those fares, in the days before airlines got smart with yield improvement programs. Nowadays, if you want to fly at short notice they reckon you'll be desperate enough to pay up.  

But if they had a last minute cancellation and i got my bum on the seat then surely there quids in after all the previous person surely only gets a percentage returned ??

[Liverpudlian]

2 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

Not a chance. Just look for the best deal on the internet. 

Yep but even they get cancelled, thus vacant seat = more money.

[poohy]

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Liverpudlian said:

Yep but even they get cancelled, thus vacant seat = more money.

Sadly,Airlines overbook on purpose to cover these things

Any free Last minute seats they smell urgency so therefore fares go up not down

[Snow Leopard]

1 minute ago, Liverpudlian said:

Yep but even they get cancelled, thus vacant seat = more money.

The cancelation price doesn't exist anymore for long haul. It might on Ryanair or Easyjet no idea but I doubt it as well. 20-25,000B should get you a return ticket. 

[scorecard]

15 hours ago, Liverpudlian said:

But if they had a last minute cancellation and i got my bum on the seat then surely there quids in after all the previous person surely only gets a percentage returned ??

Modern marketing doesn't see it that way, not at all, just go all out for the highest possible revenue, regardless of how many times the full price revenue might have already been earned.

 

 

[Katia]

15 hours ago, poohy said:

 

 

 

Sadly,Airlines overbook on purpose to cover these things

Any free Last minute seats they smell urgency so therefore fares go up not down

Yes, I assume they overbook to the point that they're more likely to err on the side of bumping people than having empty seats?

[thailand49]

Airlines believe it or not know how much fuel it cost them to carry a can of coke, every cart etc is accounted for in the weight and balance of the aircraft.  So on any given flight to whatever destination they know exactly on how many booking and how many do not show up.  When it comes to International flights it is rare for them to overbook unless there is a completing airline leaving for the same destination around the same time.  

Today with the Internet the old days are gone! forever!

 

A few years back with my airline benefits I decided to go standby on Cathay Pacific,  Bangkok-Hong Kong - SFO, a fare I usually pay on Eva is around 27.000 baht (USD 800)  when I returned I got stuck in Hong Hong / Bangkok after 6-7 departure I was stuck for the night slept on the floor and started again the next morning after another 2 departure started to check other  alternatives that included buying a ticket, with no Internet access, I wasn't able to go online to check around ended up buying a one way ticket to BKK for 650 USD walk up on Cathay

[MadMuhammad]

I have been offered stand-by for preferred times on a couple of occasions recently. With one of them the booking agent stated I’d be pretty much guaranteed a seat on the earlier booking as they generally have people miss that flight. No such guarantee for the oarer flight so obviously the airlines a very aware of seats sold, over books, missed flights, late cancellations etc so I don’t think I’d rely on hope if it were my choice 

[millymoopoo]

Airlines haven't done stand by fares for years, as poohy said they deliberately over book because they know there will be some 'no shows'.

Cheapest long haul used to be out of KUL (Kuala Lumpur) but now there are good prices out of BKK too.
Eg: KUL > LHR (London) return US$597 KLM. or KUL > LAX return US$650 China Eastern

BKK > LHR return US$636 Jet air. or BKK > LAX return US$586 Xiamen air
So even if you take a US$50 Airasia flight to KUL your not saving anything.

Best advice, look online 2 to 3 months ahead, avoid holiday season.

[DJ54]

Yep tough to impossible to get stand by seats. Arizona during NASCAR and Football many times they’ve overbooked and offer 

money for people to give up seats and go on next flight.

 

I’ve seen them pay up to $2,000.00 USD and miles or just miles..

. 

 

These days they have a charge for everything. A large US carrier if you book by phone instead of web there’s a fee , change flights fee everything and any thing.

 

One if not all low cost domestic airlines if you need to cancel

depending on what type of ticket ie you bought a discount ticket.

if you cancel no refund, 

 

Charges for everything next they’ll charge for the toilet.... 

 

 

 

 

[allanos]

This is what the Skyscanner website says about standby.  Maybe the OP will find it useful.

 

Who Can Fly Standby?

In decades past, flying standby meant that you could buy a ticket right before departure and waltz right in to the last seat on the plane. These days, however, the subject of how to fly standby is much more nuanced.

Generally speaking, taking standby flights in the modern era is possible in two instances:

1.) If you or a friend work for an airline and are traveling on a complimentary ticket, sometimes known as a “buddy pass.”

2.) A second possibility that can make you a potential standby passenger is if you’ve already booked a ticket, but can’t take your original flight, either voluntarily (you want to head home earlier after a business trip) or involuntarily, such as when your flight is canceled due to inclement weather.

[Liverpudlian]

1 hour ago, allanos said:

This is what the Skyscanner website says about standby.  Maybe the OP will find it useful.

 

Who Can Fly Standby?

In decades past, flying standby meant that you could buy a ticket right before departure and waltz right in to the last seat on the plane. These days, however, the subject of how to fly standby is much more nuanced.

Generally speaking, taking standby flights in the modern era is possible in two instances:

1.) If you or a friend work for an airline and are traveling on a complimentary ticket, sometimes known as a “buddy pass.”

2.) A second possibility that can make you a potential standby passenger is if you’ve already booked a ticket, but can’t take your original flight, either voluntarily (you want to head home earlier after a business trip) or involuntarily, such as when your flight is canceled due to inclement weather.

Well ! looks like they got this old hippie whooped, guess my last ditch effort would be a box of chocolates slipped discreetly over the counter at swampy. 

[wgdanson]

9 hours ago, thailand49 said:

Airlines believe it or not know how much fuel it cost them to carry a can of coke

I wonder if they calculate how much it costs to carry all those un-read magazines, and the printed menus they bring around. Why not have it all on the entertainment system. Save 'em a fortune both in printing and carrying. And why why why do they allow passengers to each carry a litre of inflammable liquid (booze), that's 3000kg for 200 passengers. And the hassle of carrying it before boarding. Buy it at arrival.

And then of course there is the question of passenger weight plus luggage plus hand luggage. That should be the same for each fare paying passenger. 

[HAKAPALITA]

1 hour ago, wgdanson said:

I wonder if they calculate how much it costs to carry all those un-read magazines, and the printed menus they bring around. Why not have it all on the entertainment system. Save 'em a fortune both in printing and carrying. And why why why do they allow passengers to each carry a litre of inflammable liquid (booze), that's 3000kg for 200 passengers. And the hassle of carrying it before boarding. Buy it at arrival.

And then of course there is the question of passenger weight plus luggage plus hand luggage. That should be the same for each fare paying passenger. 

Planes have inside Toilets now, and if you look just in front of You a Screen with a Menu and order buttons, i thought i was old.!

[JaiLai]

1 hour ago, wgdanson said:

I wonder if they calculate how much it costs to carry all those un-read (no hyphen) magazines, and the printed menus they bring around. Why not have it all on the entertainment system. Save 'em a fortune both in printing and carrying. And why why why do they allow passengers to each carry a litre of inflammable liquid (booze), that's 3000kg for 200 passengers. And the hassle of carrying it before boarding. Buy it at arrival.

And then of course there is the question of passenger weight plus luggage plus hand luggage. That should be the same for each fare paying passenger. 

 

 

[wgdanson]

4 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

Planes have inside Toilets now, and if you look just in front of You a Screen with a Menu and order buttons, i thought i was old.!

Not on Etihad or EVA this year. Agree about the toilets, and your thought about your age.

 

[HAKAPALITA]

1 minute ago, wgdanson said:

Not on Etihad or EVA this year. Agree about the toilets, and your thought about your age.

 

Never heard of them, must be old Brit Seaplanes. .

[Liverpudlian]

22 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

Planes have inside Toilets now, and if you look just in front of You a Screen with a Menu and order buttons, i thought i was old.!

Inside toilets ? now that's interesting ! stops the arse wipes from Blowing in the wind.

[MyFriend You]

On 1/30/2019 at 4:10 PM, Liverpudlian said:

Yep but even they get cancelled, thus vacant seat = more money.

I remember when you could upgrade to Business for a fraction of the cost once the doors closed, no more says the Pursor, guess they'd rather see it empty than give a brother a break.

[Jaggg88]

13 hours ago, Katia said:

Yes, I assume they overbook to the point that they're more likely to err on the side of bumping people than having empty seats?

If a flight is overbooked they choose some people at check-in who look like they could be business class passengers and give them a free upgrade (usually people with frequent flyer miles and no kids). If business class is full some lucky business class customers will get a free upgrade to 1st class - which is never full.

[nontabury]

8 hours ago, Liverpudlian said:

Well ! looks like they got this old hippie whooped, guess my last ditch effort would be a box of chocolates slipped discreetly over the counter at swampy. 

  You could always try a classy airline, sometimes they even allow Lancastrians on.

 

 

[DrDave]

13 hours ago, Jaggg88 said:

If a flight is overbooked they choose some people at check-in who look like they could be business class passengers and give them a free upgrade (usually people with frequent flyer miles and no kids). If business class is full some lucky business class customers will get a free upgrade to 1st class - which is never full.

Years ago, I had tons of frequent flyer miles and elite status. I'd get free business class upgrades on about 50% of the trans-pacific flights I took when traveling alone whenever economy class was oversold. I stopped using miles to upgrade once I realized I had a 50% chance of a free upgrade.