Great idea, but if you've checked baggage, this is probably asking for trouble. In my experience it's very easy for the person to get on a different flight, but it takes an act of $DEITY to get your bags to do the same.

In my younger days of frequent fling, I subscribed to OAG (Official Airlines Guide) and always carried their carrier schedule-book with me. ....Ya' never knew when a re-booking was needed at the last minute...

My bad: fling = flying. Not that I never had a few of those, too (but nowhere near as many as I wanted...)

Often times a flight with a connection costs less. Purchase that flight. Then check the schedules and show up for a direct flight and go standby. You can usually get on. If you fly enough, make sure to fly with one airline so you get preferred status. This will put you close to #1 on the standby list every time, greatly increasing your chances of getting on the flight (not to mention getting you more legroom in the exit rows).

I just have a few bookmarks in my blackberry. It takes a few seconds longer to load of course, but it's handy.

Also, if there is any chance that I might have to go standby, I fedex my checked bag from the business center at the hotel. This gives me a ton of flexibility at the airport. Often a compassionate attitude toward terminal staff along with the "I don't have any checked bags, it would be easy to put me on that plane" make walking onto the next flight a breeze.

Another tip: pack a couple of granola bars in your go-pack. You get a remarkable advantage just constantly being seen by the people who make standby decisions.

@comopuedeser: Not sure what routes you are talking about, but usually, an airline will not be flying both nonstop routes and routes with stops...except if you're flying hub to hub to begin with (and then, usually the direct is slightly lower to begin with, due to taxes).
I looked for many flights last year NYC-SEA, and on CO, the prices were very different ($100 on a $200 ticket) for JFK/LGA-IAH-SEA and EWR-SEA (direct was more). I wouldn't want to risk showing up at the wrong airport to hope for a different flight.
The only flights I could see your plan working on involve routes (on CO) like IAH-EWR-LGW/CDG, that are also served direct as IAH-LGW/CDG...and routes like that aren't too common.

@beavis88: Continental solved the problem of needing an act of god to get my baggage on a different flight last week by not allowing me on the flight either without my baggage. My flight was delayed 4 hours. The previous flight delayed 3. I could've been on that previous flight (not full) except my baggage had already been unavoidably checked.

@crnk:

It's actually very typical to have direct and indirect service. NYC-SFO, for example. United flies that route nonstop, via Chicago, via Washington, and via Denver.

Um, can't you just look at the departure screen when you get to the airport? I have done this countless times to get on earlier flights.

@crnk: There are many different routes where this is the case. It frequently happens to me flying to/from ORD, DFW, CLT, EZE, SFO, NYC, DCA, and all sorts of others.

@JustAGuy2: You are absolutely correct. Direct and Indirect is commonplace today especially due to multiple possibilities for arrival at your destination with carriers that have multiple hubs.

i am not sure that airlines will rebook you on alternate routes because of delays. I could be mistaken, but in m experience (even as a corporate traveller) the only time UAL or AA has agreed to rebook me on an alternate route is when the original flight was cancelled, not just delayed. going standby on an earlier flight is always a good options esp. if you have frequent flier status, however as my last week's trip serves to remind me, make sure to retain your boarding pass stubs as UAL proceeded to suspend my ticket because they thought i didn't board my flight (I had taken standby on another UAL flight and even though the miles were credited to my account for that flight, their system hit a snag and suspended my ticket. 2 hours of arguing on the phone finally got the ticket reinstated, they actually wanted me to go to the airport with printouts proving that i had taken a standby flight, and there was no way i was leaving this till the last minute and argue with the ticket agent at the airport before my flight.)

I agree and echo the point in a different way -- get to know what airports are hubs for the airline that you're traveling. That way, you'll know exactly which flights to look at first, and which ones have the possibility of routing you home or to your destination. Then you won't waste your time looking at connections that seem to be sooner, but cannot get you to your destination. For example, trying to fly San Jose to the East Coast with United? You'd do well to consider all possibilities going through LAX, DEN, ORD, and IAD to maximize your chances. And you may suggest these to any agent who helps you -- sometimes they only think to consider the first choices offered by the computer.

Also, be a different, and more helpful passenger in a long line of unhappy people. This will make you happier, and many agents happier to help you.

The point about automated kiosks is good too. Many people are unaware that they are setup to fix your misconnected itinerary, but they are. And since people don't know this, they will wait in a long line in front of a real agent instead of going to the computer, which could get them a seat if they had not waited in line. Also, like the article says, "jump lines" by using your phone to call the airline's reservation line. They can help you as well, instead of you just standing around in a line.

@DaveTyranham: Any chance of sharing some of those links for the other Blackberry users in the audience? Thanks!