Of course, this isn't a foolproof plan. I won’t lie to you. There are risks and other mitigating factors that could foul up your plans. If, in the two weeks before your flight, the Rolling Stones announce a free concert in Miami, you probably won’t be able to board standby.
Ruling out a freak event on off-peak travel periods, there are a few ways to improve availability. As the desired date of departure gets closer, keep checking the seating chart of the flight online. If the number of unsold seats diminishes to a half a dozen, call the airline to reserve three seats (even if you only need one). This will take the seats off the market for at least 24 hours.
Let’s say if you get to where you want to go and the return flight becomes full. Go to the airport anyway. There's a chance the flight will have several no-shows, and the agent at the desk could still fit you on the flight. Here’s another situation when manners matter: be patient and calmly explain your situation.
Back to the research: make sure you have snagged the Internet rates of other airlines, and stash your findings in your back pocket so you can pull them out while asking for your redemption. If you do some work to help them, they may put in some extra effort to assist you.
Why should the airlines accommodate you? According to Greenberg, filling an empty coach seat now means that you won’t be on the future flight. At that point, a flight in four months has a greater chance of bringing in potential revenue than an empty seat on a plane leaving in 10 minutes.
The airline can also earn an extra $50 to $100 out of you for changing the ticket. So in the end, the airline should realize that helping you make that bachelor party would benefit both of you in the long run.
Manners, research and persistence will keep you from missing out on the debauchery. Remember to pack your camera.
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