Flying Stand-by
 

Hi, I'd like to fly stand by as I have an open itinerary and have heard its a cheaper way to travel. I'm looking to fly to Bangkok and wondering which airlines fly stand-by? I also have another issue, my Schengen visa has expired; flying stand-by---do think this would be a big risk? I'm thinking of either flying out of Copenhagen or Italy as I've read these are easier in customs. Any advice on stand-by airlines would be great as I'm a solo female traveller and would hate to expect to fly stand-by realize this is not feazable- it would be at the end of the month Oct. 2012 or Beginning of Nov. thank you!

If you visa is expire you run the risk of being summarily sent home no matter from which country/airport you are leaving - or where you are trying to go. Also a large fine and being banned from Schengen for a long time.

I would stop worrying about further travel (do you have/need a visa for Bangkok?) and about standing by - and try to figure out how to get home without being caught and suffering the consequences. Based on the info on the Thai website they are very strict on visa issues and might not let you enter on the basis of your having overstayed in Schengen. (In Thailand they fine you for every day you overstay a visa and can put you in jail.)

I don't know where you've picked up this nonsense about standby.

The closer you get to a flight's departure, the costlier it gets.

Flying stand by was something that happened in olden times - like 10 years ago aor more - when plaes didn't fly full.

I can't ell you the last time I flew on a plane with empty seats.

And I don't know of "stand by" except for people who have a paid ticket on a later flight and can sometimes be moved to an earlier one if an extra seat does open up.

There is no hanging around waiting for a bargain rate.

Well, we just flew home from Paris on a nearly completely empty flight (seriously, almost everyone had a full row to stretch out on), but that's far from the norm. And I agree that it's been about a decade since I've heard of anyone flying "standby," and if you just show up at the airport hoping to get on a flight you'll pay through the nose. But the bigger issue is the expired visa. You'd better deal with that before you head to an airport. And even if you manage to get ON a flight, good luck entering Thailand.

I thought maybe you were an airline employee or buddy. I think you may not understand airline rules now.

As an airline employee I fly stand by quite alot even paying for most of my tickets. You do not want to be sitting for days trying to get out of a city incurring hotel and food charges along with the stress.The flights are usually full on international and the times that you are mentioning are still high season for alot of Europe. Most airlines especially since 9/11 do not have standby fares for the general public as it is a security issue among other things.
As for overstaying your visa-be very very concerned about it as the EU countries frown on this big time and you will be blacklisted for any possible returns.

Yes, the "free" standby tickets for employees can also lead to other fees and expenses!! At least you can find out how full the flight is and your chance of getting on.

An AA flight I was ticketed on had 11 people posted on their electronic board standby list on Sunday so this exists. I would never chance it with the sold out ,full flights I seem to be on. It didn't matter in the end as the flight was cancelled and all of us were scrambling for new flights.

"<i>An AA flight I was ticketed on had 11 people posted on their electronic board standby list on Sunday so this exists.</i>"

Those were likely 'bumpees' from other flights or had missed their connections.

Those people did not have "standby" tickets. Those were people who already had tickets at whatever price they bought them for long since. Either they missed a flight or were bumped or had some change of plan that forced them to take a different flight.

Anyone just walking into an airport and trying to buy a ticket - besides having to pay a huge fare - is going to get a lot of extra scrutiny from security - like a red flag to a bull - and almost guaranteeing they will find you have overstayed your visa - and move on from there to hav eou deported, fined and probably banned from Schengen for at least a period of years.

In your situation you do NOT want to call attention to yourself - and have people examining your passport multiple times.

hannahherback: You really need to just return home . . . and pray they let you go w/o facing penalties.

<i>I'm thinking of either flying out of Copenhagen or Italy as I've read these are easier in customs.</i>

"Customs" (sic) is something you go through on arrival. I also seriously doubt that Denmark would be "easier" in any form of security check.

Thank you all for the replies! i'll look into this further; I do have a seaman's book as I work at sea with a contract. So this may help in my departure and fees. I now will not fly stand-by but book a ticket in advance and cross my fingers on my visa. Thank you!