Want to travel on miles, but can’t get the dates you want? Show up at the airport anyway! According to John Ewolt at the Star-Tribune, just book any ol’ date to the cities to you want, then just show up at the airport on the dates you actually prefer to travel.

Hard to believe, but Ewolt did it, wrote about it, and possibly just ruined it for the rest of us. The logic is simple: “Buy” the ticket with miles for any date you like. If you get the dates you want, mazel tov! If you don’t, show up on the date you really WANT to be traveling, present your receipt, and ask to be put on that day’s flight. If there is an empty seat on the flight, and they can squeeze you onboard, you’ll pay a ticket-change fee (usually $50 to $100 per change) and get a boarding pass.

Some caveats: The experiment was conducted on Northwest, an airline that is desperate to increase revenue (fees) and reduce liabilities (miles). And there are fees, it’s not a free ride. The experiment was also between cities that aren’t already ridiculously overbooked. No dice on pulling this off on summer vacation travel to Orlando, for example. With planes flying full, this is essentially flying standby, so there will always be a risk.

But is this legit? Apparently so. As long as it’s within the rules of the ticket, it shouldn’t be a problem. The “catch” is that the airline technically isn’t required to give you a seat if the booking class for free tickets is unavailable on the day you show up. Even if there are empty seats on the plane, those seats might not be listed in the computer as free-ticket-eligible. In that case, you’re at the mercy of the airport agent. In other words, it’s a crapshoot.

It’s probably easier to try this scheme for domestic flights, not international; for nonstop flights, not connections; for travelers with elite status, not general members; for individuals, not groups; and for itineraries all on one airline, not partner airlines.

But more importantly: Is it worth it? If you end up spending $50 to $100 *each way* to do this, you’re no longer getting much value for those miles. Sounds like you might have been better off just buying the ticket you wanted, rather than wasting the miles and paying the fees. But it’s an interesting option, nonetheless!

So, anyone want to try this and report back?

(via Consumerist; image)