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Standby connections: getting your next boarding pass
On standby you're usually checked in only to your first stop, and bags aren't checked through: you get the next boarding pass at the transfer airport. New to standby? Start with How to fly standby.
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Ask at the transfer or transit desk airside. On ITA Airways, if you travel with carry-on only, you can check in at the transit desk. Not every airline offers this: Hong Kong Airlines has no transit desk check-in on ID tickets, and on KM Malta Airlines standby travellers aren't checked through at all, even on one ticket. A few airlines do check you through: on American, if all your flights are in one booking, you are checked in on the onward flights automatically.
Some airlines want you to check in for the first flight only. On JetBlue, once you clear at your origin, the system adds you to the priority list for the connection; checking in for the connection on its own loses your original check-in time.
Different airlines
Two tickets mean no through check-in. If you can't check in for the second airline airside, you may have to pass passport control, collect any bags and check in again, so check the visa rules of the transfer country before you go. Visa and transit rules aren't ours: check them with official sources, as anything we write here may be inaccurate or out of date. If you can travel with hand luggage only, every transfer gets simpler; if you check a bag, leave time to collect it and check it in again.
How much time to leave
Plan the connection around the check-in deadline of the next flight, not just the departure time:
- Hong Kong Airlines: be at the check-in counter 120 minutes before departure.
- KM Malta Airlines: standby travellers check in at the counter at least 90 minutes before departure.
Add the time it takes to leave the plane, change terminals and, with two different airlines, pass passport control. Deadlines change, and ours may be inaccurate or out of date, so check them with the airline.
Questions, answered
Can I check in through to my connection on standby?
Often not: many airlines check standby travellers in only to the first stop. A few do, for example American when all flights are in one booking.
Where do I get my second boarding pass?
At the transfer or transit desk airside where the airline offers it, otherwise at check-in for the next flight. Leave enough time at every stop.
Rules change often and this guide may be out of date. Check with your airline's staff travel department before you travel. Staff Airlines isn't responsible for denied boarding, missed flights or other losses. Found a mistake? Let us know.
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