Companion Pass and Standby

[Jennifer_Palm]

I am an A-Lister and earned Companion Pass for 2023.   If I wanted to try to catch an earlier flight home on Standby, would my companion be also be able to fly standby as well?  The last time I flew standby we were both A-List and purchased revenue flights so this is new to me.

[SoCalFlyer97 · Accepted solution]

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@Jennifer_Palm wrote:

I am an A-Lister and earned Companion Pass for 2023.   If I wanted to try to catch an earlier flight home on Standby, would my companion be also be able to fly standby as well?  The last time I flew standby we were both A-List and purchased revenue flights so this is new to me.

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Hello!

Here's Southwest's Policy:

On the day of travel, Companion Pass holders who have a Companion already booked and would like to use the same-day standby benefit can get added to the same-day standby list only in person at the airport with a Southwest Customer Service Agent located at the ticket counter or departure gate. Companion Pass holders and Companions cannot use the Southwest app or mobile web to list for standby. If seats become available for you and your Companion on the flight, you will receive an email or text message (based on the flight status contact preference selected during booking) with a link to access your new boarding pass. You and your Companion will both need to retrieve your new boarding passes via the Southwest app or mobile web or visit a Southwest Customer Service Agent at the ticket counter or departure gate to request new boarding passes.

Keep in mind that a Companion must travel with the Companion Pass holder. If the Companion and Companion Pass holder choose not to travel together, the Companion must purchase a ticket at the applicable fare in order to travel.

https://www.southwest.com/help/changes-and-cancellations/same-day-change-same-day-standby

Looks like the answer is 'Yes', but the request needs to be done with a CSA at the ticket counter or at the gate and the registered Companion needs to be with you during the transaction. It cannot be done via the app or website.

If you request at the ticket counter, I see no problem with both of you going through the Fly-By Priority Lane to bypass the line.

[Jennifer_Palm]

Thank you so much for the information.  

[DancingDavidE]

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@Jennifer_Palm wrote:

Thank you so much for the information.  

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One way to think of it is if you wanted to change and then canceled the companion pass ticket, made the change, then re-added the companion pass ticket on the new flight - logically the companion wouldn't be paying anything. 

The trick is that you only want to change if you get two seats, not just one, so it isn't quite as simple as canceling the companion and making the standby request, and then adding the companion ticket back - what if you happened to get the last seat and there was not room for the companion ticket. 

So the human intervention is needed to ensure two seats are open.

[Jennifer_Palm]

That makes sense.  Appreciate the response.

[bballflyer]

I had this happen to me this summer;  Even though we were both A-List, there were no seats left on the plane to be able to cancel the companion, change and rebook;  They would not let me get on standby until at the airport and by then everyone who could do it through their mobile app in the morning was on the list;  To me, this is a huge disservice to A-List when they allow people to get on standby on the app, but others not until they get to the gate;  They did not prioritize A or A-preferred on standby either.