Back in March 2024, American Airlines introduced a dumb rule regarding same-day standby. Passengers were required to be an AAdvantage member, could only use aa.com or the American Airlines app, and had to be done at least 45 minutes prior to departure.
Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum, and Concierge Key members received some generosity; they were allowed to place themselves on the list 15 minutes before departure. Still, this was not a customer-friendly system. This was highly inefficient for the airline and left many passengers in frustration as the app and website weren’t as flexible as gate agents were. There could be an open flight with plenty of seats onboard, but if your app doesn’t show the flight as an option, you’re stuck at your airport.
The good news is that starting today, American Airlines is doing away with this standby rule. Passengers can now go to the gate and have agents assist, regardless of whether they’re an AAdvantage member or not. Platinum Pro status and above will continue to be able to add themselves to a standby list 15 minutes before departure.
The 45-minute rule for other passengers is still in place, which I continue to dislike. It’s just counterintuitive that I could arrive early for my connection, find a wide-open flight going to my destination, but I can’t put myself on standby because it’s only 35 minutes til departure.
Either way, this is a small but significant move for the airline as they look to shift towards their renewed customer service vision under the newly appointed Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden. We’ve seen them make changes bit by bit over the past several months by expanding their onboard menu, offering free Wi-Fi, and this standby rule is another one. They’ve said that they want to become more premium and customer-focused, and I’m glad that we’re seeing these actions take place.
All photos taken by the author.
