Standby flights?

[Asher]

Im heading up to Dorkland on Friday to buy a new bike and have left it a bit late buying flights. When i started making plans flights were around $120, now they are around $350, no way im paying that.

I plan on heading to the airport in the morning a hope to catch a cheap standby flight.
There are about 5 flights leaving leaving before lunch but im still a bit worried i wont make it up.
Does anybody here use standby flights? and how long do you normally have to wait?

[Akzle]

Im heading up to Dorkland on Friday to buy a new bike and have left it a bit late buying flights. When i started making plans flights were around $120, now they are around $350, no way im paying that.

I plan on heading to the airport in the morning a hope to catch a cheap standby flight.
There are about 5 flights leaving leaving before lunch but im still a bit worried i wont make it up.
Does anybody here use standby flights? and how long do you normally have to wait?

i can get down to auckland and.. err. look after your new bike till you get there

[Monsta-C]

Have flown from Christchurch to Auckland (and back again) on standby three times this year (bloody funerals!) - never had to wait more than an hour or so for a seat either way.


$65 each way - can't go wrong!!

[Asher]

Well shit.
Turns out the rugby is on this weekend which is why flights were so expensive.
I went to the airport at 7:45 and ended up waiting in the standby line for over an hour to get to the front and find that air nz ended up using a smaller plane so 80 people from that flight ended up filling all of the available spots to Auckland, even the flights through Wellington

Going to go back to the airport tonight and see if i can catch a late flight or else im going to try and catch the 6am flight tomorrow.
FML

[Chooky]

Why are you buying a bike in Dorkland...? Are there none left down there....?
How are you going to get it home...?
Ride it... yer OK..

[jellywrestler]

Well shit.
Turns out the rugby is on this weekend which is why flights were so expensive.
I went to the airport at 7:45 and ended up waiting in the standby line for over an hour to get to the front and find that air nz ended up using a smaller plane so 80 people from that flight ended up filling all of the available spots to Auckland, even the flights through Wellington

Going to go back to the airport tonight and see if i can catch a late flight or else im going to try and catch the 6am flight tomorrow.
FML

twice i've bene handed a ticket there and then once they told me none for 7 hours then stright on it varies.
best option is to try and ghost book before the flight you want say three people, whats the likely hood of three waltzing up last minute although to be fair the serive is gaining in popularity
relocate a rental car is another option

[Asher]

Turns the rugby or some other stupid sport was on in Auckland which was the reason tickets were so much ($500 for last minute ones) and it seemed everyone was trying standby. I turned up at the airport at 4:15 am and there were still 10 people in front of me, by 5:30 there would have been about 60 people lining up.
I ended up getting the 9am flight luckily.