The best days & times to fly standby

The number one way to clear a standby flight isn't priority or fare level — it's flying when the planes aren't full. Get the timing right and even a low-priority non-rev sails on; get it wrong and the most senior employee can be stuck. Here's how to time it.

Best days of the week

Midweek is your friend. Tuesday and Wednesday are typically the quietest days, with the lightest loads. The hardest days are the business and weekend peaks: Friday afternoons, Sunday evenings, and Monday mornings.

Best times of day

Early-morning and late-night flights tend to have more open seats than convenient midday departures. Red-eyes and the first banks of the day are often wide open. The catch: those flights are also popular with other non-revs, so always check who's already listed.

Seasons and peaks to avoid

• Major holidays — Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Year, Easter, and national holidays are the toughest of all.
• School breaks & summer — leisure routes fill up; business routes may ease.
• Big events — festivals, sports finals, and conventions spike demand on specific city pairs.

If you must travel during a peak, give yourself extra days of flexibility and several backup flights.

Think about direction and routing

Loads are directional: a route can be packed outbound and empty on the return (think commuter patterns, or beach destinations on a Sunday). Flying through a less obvious hub or taking an extra connection often opens up seats that the direct flight doesn't have.

Build in flexibility

The golden rule of standby is flexibility: flexible dates, flexible times, flexible routings, and a realistic backup plan. The more rigid your schedule, the more standby will test you. For more, see 10 tips for flying non-rev.

myIDBuddy makes it easy to compare loads across days and find others flying flexible dates to your destination. Join the waitlist.