Front Page || Main Index || Corpus Christi News || Business || Texas || Sports || Entertainment || Selena
Tuesday, Sep. 22, 1998
Passengers finding fewer standby flight seats
Airlines are prioritizing who gets a seat on crowded planes by price, frequent flyer status
By JUSTIN BACHMAN
Associated PressATLANTA - At the end of a work week in Atlanta, Dallas computer consultant Avi Saxena found himself in a line at the airport, hoping to catch an earlier plane than his 11:30 p.m. flight home.
For six available standby seats, he was one of 90 waiting. He knew his chances were slim. ``I carry my notebook computer, so I just sit and wait, sit and work,'' he said.
In these days of jam-packed airplanes, passengers trying to fly standby are realizing that not all customers are created equal.
With load factors - the percentage of an airplane's seats filled - nearing 80 percent, airlines weigh the value of each passenger when doling out the few empty seats on popular routes. They decide by looking at such things as ticket price and frequent-flier mileage balance.
Airlines don't track the number of passengers who fly, or try to fly, standby. If a seat is open and someone with a ticket to the same city on the same day wants it, airlines allow the person to board.
But if an airline is faced with a crush of standby passengers trying to get on one flight, the decision may come down to a database appraisal of each customer. The bottom line: how much each passenger's satisfaction means to the airline.
Such gateside evaluations have quietly been the norm for years, carriers say. But with seats on many flights becoming scarcer, passengers may find this behind-the-scenes ranking becoming more visible.
``It's not hidden or secret,'' American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith said. ``Whether everyone understands it, I don't know.''
Leisure travelers - those who fly on bargain, highly restricted fares - usually end up sitting at the gate when a throng starts jockeying for a few open seats.
``As a blanket statement, almost all of our flights are full all of the time,'' said Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Laura Gillig said.
Terry Overby, a cellular phone technician from Garland, Texas, said he finds that standby seating on many flights, especially at week's end, is ``iffy.''
``You take your chances,'' he said while waiting in line at the Atlanta airport in hopes of snagging an earlier flight home. He managed to leave Melbourne, Fla., early when his training conference ended, but needed to make connections in Atlanta.
Those who pay the most - first-class and business-class travelers - are rarely turned away.
``In general, it's the best system that works for us,'' said Kristina Price, a spokeswoman for United Airlines in Elk Grove Village, Ill. ``We reward those who do pay more.''
American Airlines, like most of its rivals, uses a computer to rank standby passengers. American's system first considers ticket price and check-in time.
Atlanta-based Delta looks at the ticket's fare code and the passenger's frequent-flier status.
``We take care of our best customers first,'' said Delta spokeswoman Kay Horner.
USAirways, which guarantees members of its Chairman's Preferred club a seat on any company flight, uses ticket price last when determining whom to seat, said company spokesman Dave Castelveter.
Most airlines recommend calling their reservations centers a day ahead to learn how many standby seats are open on the flight you want.
Otherwise, Overby said, ``you just sit and read.''Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web