Can you still get standby flights?

Simon Calder answers your questions on last-minute trips, complimentary upgrades and whether online travel agents should still be avoided

Airlines have become more savvy about filling seats in aeroplanes (AP)

Q Can you still turn up at an airport and get a standby flight, if you weren’t too fussy about where you went? When I was young I did that a few times. I’ve just retired and would like to try again.

Andy H

A Standby flights were part of the travel landscape in the 1980s. You could pick up a (relatively) cheap trip on a British Airways Shuttle flight from London to Belfast, Edinburgh or Glasgow if you were prepared to wait around at the airport until a seat became available. Longhaul, you could get standby flights across the Atlantic to many destinations. I flew to New York on Pan Am and on British Airways to Anchorage, Alaska, for about £100 one-way – roughly £300 now. You had to standby for the return journey, too, which meant a bit of jeopardy. Even once onboard, it was theoretically possible to be tapped on the shoulder just before departure and asked to surrender your seat to a full-fare paying passenger.

For European holiday flights, up to around two decades ago you could standby for seats on charter departures. The last occasion I did this was in 2005 from Ibiza to Newcastle. For a time there was even a travel agency in Manchester airport that specialised in “turn up and take off” trips – in particular package holidays that still had seats available. People who weren’t too fussed about a specific place in the sun would turn up with their luggage and see what was available.

Once airlines became more sophisticated about filling planes, with algorithms adjusting fares to get the right sales profiles, they dispensed with standbys. Carriers try to avoid “distress” sales. Instead, they will push up the price for a seat on the day, on the grounds that the passenger is likely to be desperate to travel.

The closest equivalent is to use a fare-comparison site such as Skyscanner the day before you want to travel. Tap in the name of your local airport, select “Everywhere” as your destination and – off-season – you should be spoilt for choice. I have just checked for Manchester tomorrow and was offered Cork for £15 and Faro or Bratislava for £20. Travelling is so much better these days.

Roomy with a view: World Traveller Plus is what British Airways calls premium economy (BA)

Q We are heading to New York on a family trip next month. How likely are British Airways to offer complimentary upgrades? Is it at least worth asking the question?

Paul McD

A To answer your second question first: bluntly, no. Or at least I personally wouldn’t bother to ask.

Like all airlines with multiple classes on their planes, British Airways does upgrade passengers. My observation is that this takes three forms. First, commercially important passengers are upgraded from time to time to recognise their high spend. They are typically holders of elite status with BA, especially Gold and Gold Guest List (the latter being even more superior).

Next, what I would call “operationally necessary” upgrades. If economy class is overbooked, and more passengers turn up than the number of available seats in the rear cabin, the problem can often be solved by upgrading some passengers to premium economy – which British Airways calls World Traveller Plus. In turn, some people in this class could be moved up to Club World; on four-class aircraft, one or two Club passengers might be upgraded to First. But the staff (or algorithms) will favour two categories of passenger: those with elite status, and those who have paid the most. For example, on a (pre-Ukraine invasion) flight from Moscow to London, I was upgraded from economy to World Traveller Plus because the flight was oversold. My ticket had been particularly expensive, and at the time I had Silver status with BA. Since then I have been downgraded and have managed to find cheap tickets, so no more upgrades.

The third category is known informally as “kling-ons”: family, partners and friends of cabin crew and pilots, or off-duty staff. Those upgrades tend to take place on board the aircraft rather than in advance.

Unless you fit into one of those categories, I am afraid that you and the family will just have to make do with BA’s perfectly acceptable economy class. See you there.

Many travellers have dismal stories of trying to deal with OTAs when things go wrong (Getty)

Q You mentioned on your current trip to Australia that you used an online travel agent. But you’ve previously said you don’t think much of them. So why use one?

Lynne H

A I book flights in three different ways. If it is a complicated booking that requires expertise, I go through a human travel agent. Otherwise, I will almost always go direct to the airline; this makes life much simpler if anything goes awry. Occasionally, I book through an online travel agent (OTA).

You are right that I have a low opinion of many OTAs. I hear dismal stories from readers about their treatment, and I have also had some dire experiences trying to get money back for cancelled flights: during Covid, both Lastminute and Travix failed to issue timely refunds. After the Australian airline Jetstar cancelled my flight at the weekend from Singapore to Melbourne, I am now waiting nervously for a refund through Etraveli (trading as GoToGate, MyTrip and many other brands).

In addition, communicating when things go wrong is difficult because OTAs tend to make bookings under a concocted email address – in the latest case, the unusual simon.calder1@bookyourdetails.com.

So why would I ever use an OTA? Sometimes to save cash. If a long-haul air ticket is at least 10 per cent cheaper through an online agent rather than buying direct, I will be tempted to go through the OTA. The less time between buying and travelling, the more inclined I am to book; there is less chance of changes such as a significant re-timing and subsequently seeking “help” from the online agent’s customer service team.

A second reason: online travel agents sometimes come up with combinations that airlines do not offer direct at a sensible fare. For example, I flew from London to Kansas City with an overnight stop in New York JFK. Virgin Atlantic and its partner Delta provided the flights, but would not sell a reasonable ticket direct. The same has happened with an Air Canada/British Airways combo from Toronto via Amsterdam to London.

Finally, when booking flights starting and ending outside the UK, getting an airline’s payment system to accept a British card can be tricky, and after several failed attempts I will often turn to the cheapest OTA.

Email your questions to s@hols.tv or tweet @SimonCalder