lindi

At least one of us has to get to Budapest, (from Halifax, Canada) the sooner the better. To fly standby, do you just go to the airport before each flight, and ask if there is space? We live 15 minutes from the airport, so it wouldn't be a problem. Also how much cheaper is it? I will go to the airport too to ask about this, but if you can advise me, wheather it is a doable thing at all, it would be very helpful.

amber

Every airline has different rules about standby. I work for a major airline and standby is only an option if you already have purchased a ticket and want to try to leave earlier or later on the same day you are originally ticketed for, or if your flight were cancelled or if you are an airline employee. let me know if you have anymore questions.

guy

as the previous poster said, it has always been my impression that "flying standby" meant you had already bought a ticket and were using it on a different flight than the one originally bought without going through the "change" process which costs at least $75 I believe. i think if you are just going to the airport and buying a ticket it's going to be the most expensive ticket you have EVER bought.

lindi

Thanks amber and guy. I thought it would be cheaper, because if someone is not coming the airline can't sell a ticket in 2 hours and they would try to recover cost. And getting a ticket only a couple of days ahead is going to be expensive too. Well I guess we'll just have to pay the price.

Don

Icelandair fly from Halifax, and methink they might offer standby fares. However, they do not fly to Budapest; closest city that Icelandair serve is probably Frankfurt. You could take train, bus, car hire, or fly the rest of the way--but trains through eastern Europe are generally very cheap.

Chris

This story may just be an urban legend, but if you are prepared to go a a few hours notice, it may be possible? I heard about someone who was prepared to do this, and rang the airline a couple of hours before the flight (London-Sydney as it happens), and asked if the flight was full. On hearing it wasn't, he asked how much, was given the price, and offered half of it for the ticket. As it was so near to the actual flight, the airline would rather have half the price for a seat than nothing for an empty seat, so he got it. Whether this actually works normally in reality is another thing...

Myriam

In Belgium there is a system that is called "last call" (which is not similar to "last minute") which means that you go to the airport and ask if there is space on the flight you would like to book. If so, you can fly at half price or less. <BR>

Me

www.airhitch.com & www.eurotrip.com 'cheap flights tactics' page.

guy

that is interesting about calling the airline and offering half price. it might work. it is certainly worth a try if there is no other option. <BR> <BR>i have also heard that priceline.com is great for last minute flights. i have not tried it but i know people who have and got the rock bottom price.