Questions and Answers

Hello all, I just got benefits with United and I’m new to flying standby. So tomorrow I’ve got a couple of flights in mind to get up to ANC from DEN. The AM flight has 0 available seats so I don’t think I’ll make it on that one but I might still go early to the airport to try. There’s another flight with 67 available seats in the evening that I’m confident I could get on. I have a bag that needs to be checked. If I show up early in the AM and check the bag but can’t get onto the AM flight will someone just put my bag aside in ANC? If there’s nothing super valuable in it anyway I don’t really have a problem with that but some people I’ve talked to are like, “well you can’t check a bag if you won’t make the flight.”

Yes, they’ll put your bag aside at ANC.

I non revved on AA and honestly it varies. Here are the “rules” as much as I’ve gathered over the years:

1) Your bag will fly on the first flight if checked domestically
2) Your bag WILL NOT fly internationally (and it can take FOREVER to get it back)
3) If you are flying standby and can’t get on a flight going to a different airport with a checked bag on the current flight is the agents discretion (it sucks but it is)

For example if you are trying to fly to RDU and the only flight you can get on is to CLT that night, I’ve had an agent tell me I can’t fly to CLT since my bag is checked through to RDU. Which is annoying because no matter what, I was not flying to RDU that night… she ended up putting us on the flight and my parents grabbed the bag at RDU and all was fine. But something to be aware of.

For non-revving, I would not recommend checking in a bag. It really restricts what you can do, and with non-revving your plans can change instantaneously. I know some airlines will hold bags downstairs, then re-tag them on your new flight. But other airlines will make you pick them up in the domestic baggage hall, then re-check them in yourself. But every airline and every station is different in how they handle non-revs in my opinion. I’ve even had to wait until the flight closed and I had a confirmed seat to be able to check in a bag once! I was so nervous the bag wouldn’t make it. Ever since then I don’t check in a bag and I just get my standby boarding pass then go straight to the gate.
But just ask the agent upon check-in what their policy is Don’t be afraid to ask questions, non-revving is extremely confusing