How to fly standby

What flying standby means

You don't get a confirmed seat or a boarding pass in advance. Paying passengers come first; shortly before departure the airline sees which seats are still free and gives them to standby travellers in the order of the standby list, usually at the staff travel or check-in desk, sometimes at the gate or in the airline's app. On British Airways, for example, fare-paying passengers always have priority, and among staff travellers the order is set by when each one checked in.

Every airline sets its own deadlines and priority order; the examples below are taken from their rules. Your airline decides which staff tickets you get, on which partner airlines, and who can travel with you.

Step 1. Check your chances

Your chances depend on how full the flight is. Compare estimated open seats on the flights you're considering in Staff Airlines and choose the emptiest one. The free plan shows today's flights; other dates are in Premium. Close to departure, ask an agent in the app to check the flight: agents are airline staff, and their numbers show the seats as they are when they check. Requests use tokens; Premium includes them.

Loads change quickly, so look again closer to departure instead of checking once a week ahead. And open seats don't guarantee a seat: staff with higher priority, passengers from missed connections and weight limits on hot days can take them.

Other ways to see loads, from myIDTravel to airline apps: How to check flight loads.

Step 2. Plan your backup

On standby you may not get on, so decide in advance what you'll do if that happens. Note the next flights on your route, including other airlines. If the direct flights look full, compare the loads through a hub: sometimes both legs have seats when the direct flight doesn't. Each leg is a separate standby, so check the second leg as carefully as the first and leave time at the hub. The Transfer route finder (Premium) picks the transfer airports for you and shows both legs with estimated open seats. Some airlines ask for more: Emirates expects you to carry a backup ticket from your own airline.

Connections need extra time on standby: see Standby connections.

Step 3. Buy your ticket and list

You buy staff tickets in your airline's staff travel tool: many airlines use myIDTravel, and some airlines you fly on work through ID90 Travel, such as United for listing and Frontier and Volaris for tickets. Your staff travel department tells you which tool is yours.

You can buy your ticket early, but if the loads change you may need to change it, or cancel it and buy another one. So it often makes sense to wait until you know your chances and your backup, then buy for the flight that works best: on some airlines you can do it close to departure. Sunrise Airways, for example, sells staff flights until 1 hour before departure. Other airlines have their own listing rules, so check them before you wait:

• Lufthansa: a listing is required for every flight and is done in myIDTravel.
• British Airways: it recommends listing between 72 and 30 hours before departure.
• United: if you didn't list when you bought the ticket, list at least 48 hours before an international flight and 12 hours before any other flight.
• Southwest: the listing is created in myIDTravel when you buy the ticket.
• Emirates: you must be listed before departure; contact centres and check-in desks don't make listings.

If your plans change, cancel your listing.

Step 4. Check in and wait for your seat

Before you go, check what the airline expects you to wear. Most just want you neat, clean and tidy, not in beachwear or worn-out clothes. Some are stricter, especially in the Gulf and Asia: Qatar Airways, Etihad, Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways, for example, don't accept shorts on staff tickets, and many also rule out flip-flops or short skirts. The exact rules are on each airline's page in our catalog.

Check in as the airline's rules say, then wait for the flight to clear. Standby seats are usually given out shortly before departure, in the order of the standby list:

• United: most standby seats clear automatically, normally 30 minutes before domestic US flights and 1 hour before international ones.
• Delta: your seat is assigned at the gate.

You may first get a boarding pass without a seat number; Standby list explains what that means and where to see your place in the queue.

Step 5. If you don't get on

Act right away, while there are still flights left today:

1. Ask to move to the next flight. How it works depends on the airline: on American, agents move you to the next American flight and you keep your original check-in time on the priority list; on Southwest, agents move you to the next available flight; on British Airways, you may be moved to the next flight automatically, otherwise you relist online.
2. Check the next flights in Staff Airlines. Search from the airport you're at; search by city code (NYC, LON, PAR) to see every airport in the city at once, and ask an agent to check the best option before you move.
3. Look for a connection instead of a night in the terminal. If the direct flights are full, the Transfer route finder (Premium) shows routes through other hubs, so you can still get out today.

If it looks like you won't get out, book a room early: after mass cancellations, airport hotels fill fast.

Read next

• How to check flight loads: where airlines show loads, when to check and how to read them.
• How Staff Airlines loads work: estimates, agent answers and how long they stay fresh.
• Airline staff travel portals: official login links for 25 airlines and where staff of other airlines list.
• How the standby list works: who goes first and where to see your place in the queue.
• Standby connections: how to get your next boarding pass at a transfer airport.
• Flying standby as a family: sitting apart, splitting up and travelling together.
• Non-rev tips: habits experienced staff travellers swear by.
• Staff ticket prices: ZED, ID90 and MIBA fares, R1/R2 codes, refunds and business class on standby.
• Flying standby as a retiree: who qualifies, your place on the list, guests and ZED after retirement.
• Jumpseat and commuting: how crew get to base on standby or on the jumpseat.
• Standby over the holidays: peak-date embargoes, earlier check-in, closed offices and backup plans.