Arriving Early? Check Your Flight Options
My Hurricane Sandy flight cancellations wound up with an even happier ending on Wednesday. I was dropped off at the airport a few hours before my 6:35PM flight was due to depart. I leisurely checked in and strolled to security which moved quickly. Once through I idly checked the departures board to make sure my flight wasn’t delayed and, on a whim, I checked to see what other DCA flights were going out.
That’s when I saw the the 2:30PM US Airways flight had been delayed to 4:30PM (which is what I had suspected might happen to the first flights out)!! At this point it was 4:10 so I hustled to the gate to see if there was a chance they could squeeze me on. The flight was boarding, but they actually had a window seat near the front still available. She printed out my new ticket and I boarded immediately. Getting home at least 2 hours earlier was totally worth giving up my first class upgrade on an hour and a half flight!
I’ve had mixed results asking to get on earlier flights. My attempt to avoid a long wait in the United PHL club lounge failed since the flight was already oversold, but asking at the gate of what looked like an oversold flight from CLT-DCA saved me a 2 1/2 hour layover!
So check the departures board when you first arrive. I’ve found it’s sometimes easier to  change your flight at the gate without a fee instead of at check-in (although sometimes the kiosk will offer you earlier options). As long as your tone isn’t entitled of presumptuous, they never seem to mind you asking, so it’s worth a try. I usually go with “This is probably a long-shot…” or “This flight is probably oversold, but…”
—–
Did you know you can subscribe to Heels First to keep up on new posts?
You can also follow our twitter feed (and say hi!) and like our fan page on Facebook.
Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.
