Cheap standby flights from AirTran (if you’re 18-22 years old)

I’ve been a member here for awhile but haven’t seen this program mentioned — hope its not a repeat.

AirTran has a program for “students” called AirTran U. If you’re between 18 and 22 years old, you can get on standby for a flight for $69 (+tax) one way.

There are a few exceptions and cons to this:
-No checked luggage, only one carry-on and one personal item
-No guarantees — you show up 2 hours ahead of time, tell them you want on the flight, and go from there (Note: You can check if the flight has filled up ahead of time on AirTran’s site)
-The $69 is for “one segment” or a non-stop flight. It is extra if you make a stop somewhere.
-There are some days blacked out, so keep an eye out.
-Only people between 18 and 22 years old can participate. You don’t have to be a student, though. They only ask for ID for age purposes.

I am currently out of the state on an internship and have family and friends I would like to visit — my main “destination” has two flights going to it from my local airport daily, and there are always between 10-20 seats available on each flight. I managed to get on one without any trouble on Friday, but it was canceled due to weather. The second flight likely filled up and I wouldn’t have been able to get a seat, but it was delayed for a long time anyway. But everything up until the cancellation worked just as they said. I got my boarding pass right away at the counter, went through security, and took my seat while I waited for the flight to board.

There are risks involved, but if you are flexible and they have a non-stop route with regularly scheduled flights, this might work out well for you :)