Whether you travel a lot or not, you may be familiar with the phrase “flying standby.” Flying standby is a term the airline industry uses when a traveler wants to travel on a flight with an open seat. Travelers who usually purchase a ticket the day of the flight will usually have to fly standby if there are a limited number of tickets available.

If you find yourself flying standby in the future, there are a few tips you can follow in order to make the trip at the airport a lot easier.

Don’t Check Your Luggage
If you’re flying standby, don’t check in your luggage. Very often an airline will look for people who just have carry-on luggage. If you have checked in luggage, it’s just going to be a bigger hassle for the airliner to find your luggage and throw it on the plane. If you just bring carry-on luggage, you’re going to increase your chances of getting on the flight.

Early Flights Work
If you can get to the airport early, you’ll find that earlier flights are usually easier to get on since many people don’t travel early in the morning. Peak traveling time is in the afternoon, when it is very likely that flights are going to busier compared to the mornings.

Try Calling the Airline’s Customer Service Department
Before you make the trip to the airport, check with the airline and see if there are flights available that you can possibly standby for. Most of the times, the airline will be friendly and give you some flights. If one airline doesn’t have a standby flight available, call other airlines to see if they have possible solutions.

Stay at the Gate
It’s important that you stay near the gate when you’re on the standby list. If you tend to walk away during the time when the flight is about to be boarded, you may find that the employee tried to call your name. Sometimes, you’re not the only one on the list. This is why it’s important that you stay nearby so that if your name is called, you can be there to get on the flight as soon as possible.

These tips should help give you standby success. If you find that the situation is too stressful, always remember that it’s best to be patient. When flights generally board, you will find that most employees are pretty anxious. Always remember to treat others as you want to be treated. Trust me, the employees will keep note of this and will treat you a little nicer than that customer who is acting grumpily. If you keep your head on your shoulders and have a lot of patience, flying standby should be a piece of cake.