How to Fly Standby on JetBlue

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JetBlue offers two alternatives for standby, both of which are restricted to same-day flight changes only – which means you must have already purchased a JetBlue ticket before requesting standby. You’ll have to fork over a $75 fee regardless of which option you choose, except for certain fare types and passengers with elite status. Option 1, which JetBlue refers to as same-day switch, can be accomplished over the phone. The second option, same-day standby, must be done in-person at the airport prior to your scheduled flight departure. No fare difference applies, meaning that if the new flight you choose is more expensive than your original flight, you won’t have to pay the difference – this is true for either standby option.

Same-Day Switch

JetBlue allows same-day switches for all fare types, beginning at midnight on the day of your scheduled flight. Changes can be made online or through the JetBlue app, except for JetBlue flights on partner airlines, for which you must call JetBlue customer service. You can switch to an earlier or later flight and even change airports if you wish, but you must fly to and from the same cities as your original booking.

If you purchased a refundable fare, there’s no fee for same-day flight switches. If you’re a Mosaic customer, not only is the fee waived, but you can begin switching your flight up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of your flights. All other customers are subject to the $75 flight switch fee. Flights purchased using TrueBlue points are eligible for same-day flight switches.



Same Day Standby

You can standby for JetBlue flights, but only on the same day as your original flights, and only in-person at the airport – you can’t request JetBlue standby online or by phone. Only one person from a multi-passenger reservation needs to be at the airport to request standby, but all passengers from the reservation are required to be at the airport in time to check in for the new flight.

You can request standby on any sold-out JetBlue flights on the same calendar day and the same city pairs as your original flights. Connections can be changed, meaning that passengers with non-stop tickets can request to standby for flights with connections and vice versa, as long as the departure and destination cities remain the same.

JetBlue only offers standby on the same day as the originally scheduled flights, so if the airport you’re flying to or from only has one JetBue flight per day, you’re out of luck. There’s a fee of $75 to standby for JetBlue flights, which is refundable if you end up taking your originally scheduled flight. The fee is waived for Mosaic customers and passengers with refundable fares or Blue Extra fares.

Finally, if you’ve purchased an Even More Space seat and fly standby, you’ll forfeit the seat fee and won’t be able to get a refund. If you paid for Mint and choose to fly standby, you won’t be guaranteed a Mint seat on the new flights and you also won’t be eligible for a refund. Mint customers are subject to the $75 standby fee.

How to Increase Your Chances of Getting a JetBlue StandBy Seat

Like all airlines, JetBlue has a standby priority list. The order of the list is determined primarily by your frequent flyer status and the fare type you purchased (basically, a reflection of how much you paid for the ticket). The more expensive your ticket and the higher your standing with TrueBlue, the better your chances of snagging the standby seat.



  • Some tips on getting a JetBlue standby seat for “non-elite” passengers:
    • If you aren’t a TrueBlue member, join. This will instantly give you a little status boost and you may get the standby seat over someone else who is not a TrueBlue member. Make sure your flights are associated with your frequent flyer number.
    • Consider a more expensive fare type if one is available. Not only will this come with added perks, you’ll also move up on the standby priority list.
    • Arrive at the airport early to request the standby. The earlier you are, the better your chances, as the order that standby is requested also plays a role in determining who gets the standby seat. If you arrive 30 minutes before the flight you wish to take, you’re not going to get it.
    • Ask to standby for an upgrade when you make the standby request from the JetBlue agent. You never know! The nicer and more polite you are to the agent, the better your chances.

JetBlue Employee Travel / Standby

JetBlue offers free employee travel and extends benefits to friends and family via Buddy Passes. See Flying Standby on US and Canada Airlines for more information on Buddy Passes and how to fly standby using one.

For general tips and information in flying standby, please see Flying Standby on US and Canada Airlines



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