How to fly standby › Standby packing checklist

What to pack for a standby trip: documents, bags and dress code

On a staff ticket you can be offloaded at a stop, rerouted through another hub or spend a night at the airport, so you pack differently from a paying passenger. This checklist covers the documents to carry for every country on the way, the travel authorisations to get before you leave, what to keep in your cabin bag, the dress code and sports equipment. Airline rules here come from their staff travel rules, and entry rules change often: confirm both with your airline and the official government site before you fly. New to standby? Start with How to fly standby.

Before you pack, check which flight gives you the best chance.

Check loads in the app

Documents for every stop, not just your destination

A paying passenger needs documents for the place they're going. A standby passenger may be taken off at a stop on the way to free a seat, and then needs to be allowed into that country too. That is why airlines ask you to carry a passport and any visa your passport needs for every scheduled stop, not just for the destination: British Airways, American Airlines, Helvetic, airBaltic and Croatia Airlines all say so, as do dozens of other airlines in our catalog.

Whether you need a visa depends on your passport. Where it does, a short connection that a paying passenger makes without one can still need a visa on standby:

Lufthansa: if your passport needs a visa for India, get one even if you're only transiting.
Aeroflot: if your passport needs a visa for Russia, you need a transit visa to connect through Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) on a standby ticket.
Air Mauritius: if you travel without valid visas or documents, you pay any penalty the authorities impose.

Without a valid passport or visa you can be refused boarding, as Aegean, Etihad and El Al point out. Getting the documents is your job, not the airline's.

ESTA, UK ETA and Canada eTA

Many countries that don't ask you for a visa still want an online travel authorisation before you fly. Apply on the official government site only: other sites charge extra for the same form.

USA: ESTA. If you travel under the Visa Waiver Program, you need an approved ESTA. British Airways, Condor and Air Tahiti Nui recommend applying at least 72 hours before departure. Condor notes an approved ESTA lasts two years, so it's worth getting one early if you might fly to the US. Apply at esta.cbp.dhs.gov ↗.
UK: ETA. Most visitors who don't need a UK visa, including travellers from the USA, Canada, Australia and most of Europe, now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation. Every traveller needs their own, babies and children included. You also need one if you pass through UK border control to make a connection. If you change planes without passing the border, for example at Heathrow, the rules have changed more than once, so check gov.uk for your trip. SWISS warns about the UK ETA in its staff rules. Apply at gov.uk ↗.
Canada: eTA. Citizens of visa-exempt countries need an eTA to fly to or through Canada, SWISS notes. US citizens and US green card holders don't need one. Icelandair and Kenmore Air also mention it in their staff rules.

Some airlines also need your passport details (advance passenger information) before check-in. Icelandair, SAS and Malaysia Airlines ask for it in advance, on Smartwings you fill it in in myIDTravel, and S7 wants your passport and visas before check-in.

US preclearance: the border comes first

At 16 airports outside the US you go through US immigration, customs and security before you board: Toronto Pearson, Toronto Billy Bishop, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Halifax, Victoria, Dublin, Shannon, Abu Dhabi, Nassau, Bermuda and Aruba. You land in the US as a domestic passenger and can walk straight to your connection.

For a standby traveller this means two things. Have your US visa or ESTA, whichever your passport needs, ready at the departure airport, not just on arrival. And leave time for the US checks after you get your boarding pass, because the gate is on the other side of them.

Royal Jordanian wants you at the airport at least 3 hours before flights to the USA and Canada.

Pack a cabin bag you can live out of

Non-revs often board last, when the overhead bins are already full. Delta warns you may be asked to check your carry-on at the gate, Alaska Airlines accepts carry-ons only if there is room, and on Royal Air Maroc and Norwegian a cabin bag can go in the hold at boarding.

So keep what you can't do without in the small bag under the seat: passport, staff ID, medicines, chargers, a change of clothes and anything you'd need for a night at a hub if you don't make the last connection.

Travelling with cabin bags only also makes connections easier. On two separate staff tickets your checked bag isn't sent through, and on ITA Airways you can check in at the transit desk if you have cabin baggage only. Standby connections explains how transfers work.

Limits on size and weight differ by airline and aircraft, and small planes may have no overhead bins at all. Check the rules on your airline's page in the catalog.

Dress code and uniforms

164 of the 195 airlines in our catalog set a dress code for staff travel. Most ask for neat, often smart casual, clothes, some set stricter rules for premium cabins, and many say you can be refused boarding or offloaded if you don't meet it.

Uniform has its own rules:

KLM: you can't travel in airline uniform.
Norse Atlantic: no uniform unless you're commuting straight to or from a flight you operate.
Flair, Breeze and JSX: unless you're in uniform, other passengers shouldn't be able to tell you work for an airline, so put your badge away.

Commuting to work? Jumpseat and commuting covers uniform and jumpseat rules.

Skis, golf clubs and bikes

Few airlines in our catalog mention sports equipment for staff travel, and the rules differ widely:

Turkish Airlines: one set of golf equipment and the first pair of skis travel free. A second pair and items such as bikes and surf equipment are charged on top.
SWISS: most sports equipment fits into the free allowance; bicycles go only if there is space.
Central Mountain Air: skis or a snowboard with boots in a proper boot bag count as one item, but each part must be tagged.
Aer Lingus: golf clubs, skis and other oversized items are charged as excess.
TUIfly: sports equipment can be booked only on a confirmed reservation.
Sunrise Airways: special baggage such as sports equipment is booked and paid for at the airport on the day.

On standby a ski bag is one more thing that has to fit. Before you check it in, find out whether the airlines you might be rerouted to take it on the same terms.

The checklist

Before you leave home:

Passport valid for the whole trip, and any visas your passport needs for your destination and every stop on the way.
ESTA, UK ETA or Canada eTA if your passport and route need one, approved before you fly.
Staff ID and your listing or ticket confirmation.
Advance passenger information entered where your airline asks for it.
Clothes that meet the dress code, for the cabin you hope to sit in.
Medicines, chargers and a change of clothes in the bag that stays with you.
Sports equipment rules checked with each airline you might fly.
A backup plan: a second flight or a connection, in case this one is full. Flight cancelled on standby covers what to do if you don't get on.

Questions, answered

Do I need a visa for a country where I only change planes?

It depends on your passport. If your passport needs a visa for that country, plan to have one on a staff ticket: you can be offloaded at a stop to free a seat, so airlines such as British Airways and American Airlines ask you to carry the visas you'd need at every scheduled stop. Lufthansa, for example, asks staff whose passport needs an Indian visa to get one even for a transit.

Do I need a UK ETA if I'm flying standby?

If you are from a country that doesn't need a UK visa, such as the USA or most EU countries (Irish citizens don't need an ETA), you usually need an ETA to enter the UK or to pass through UK border control on a connection. Apply only on gov.uk.

Can I take a cabin bag on standby?

Yes, but non-revs often board last and may have to check it at the gate, as Delta warns. Keep your passport, medicines and essentials in a small bag that stays with you.

Can I travel in uniform on a staff ticket?

It depends on the airline. KLM doesn't allow it, and Norse Atlantic allows it only when you're commuting to or from a flight you operate.

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.

Pick the flight, then list

Staff Airlines shows estimated open seats on the flights you're considering, so you list on the one with the best chances. Free on iPhone and Android.

Check your flight

‹ How to fly standby: the full guide