Flight Loads – Air Canada Standby: How To Check Airport Standby Position

A few airlines allow you to check your position on the standby list using, an App, their Web site and/or airport gate flight displays. This series will highlight these in order to ensure that you have a better standby experience by understanding the flight loads.

 

Air Canada | Alaska Airlines | American Airlines | British Airways | Delta Air Lines | Frontier Airlines | JetBlue | Southwest | United Airlines

 

There are a few options that you can use here:

The Web site (View Available Seats)

This is the most unreliable as it just shows assigned and unassigned seats and with Basic Economy fares, it’s even harder to tell these days since seats are assigned at the airport, usually at the gate.  I say its unreliable as the unassigned seats may already be booked and will be assigned as the flight’s departure time draws closer.

 

Remember that the fact that a seat is open does not really tell you that the flight is open or not; just that the seat is not assigned. The closer it gets to departure though, its pretty accurate as people are being assigned seats and checking in and receiving seats.

Here’s how to access it for what it’s worth.

To use this functionality, head to https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home.html or navigate to it by first going to aircanada.com > Book. Enter the details of your flight, From, To and Departure Date.

You will get a page similar to this one below:

 

 

 

Click on the “Preview seats” link, then you will see a page similar to the one below. I must say that sometimes the seat map may not load though; sorry.

 

 

 

Flight Status

Looking at the Flight Status page online is another way that you may be able to see the seats assigned or the standby list. However, Air Canada does not show this information. But here is what their flight status page looks like.

 

 

 

The Air Canada App

First, download the Air Canada App: Apple IOS | Android. This page explains all the functionality of the mobile App. You can also start at AirCanada.com and navigate to Fly > Air Canada Mobile App.

Let’s take a look at the App’s functionality:

Upgrade Standby List

 

First choose Flight Status from the bottom right hand side of the App and enter your city pairs and dates. You will then see a screen like the one below:

 

Once you click on the flight in which you’re interested, you will see the Standby list.

Swiping left, will show you the Upgrade List.

At the Airport

I’m still working on this part; I did not take any photos of the screens. If you know what is shown at the airport, please let me know.

If you like this information please share with your fellow passriders as well as leave a note below and let me know what you think.