same day earlier flight standby with basic fare
I'm on an afternoon flight tomorrow afternoon, with a 'basic' fare. There are two earlier flights (a 5:30 AM and a 10:10 AM), both with plenty of available seats. I'm going to head to the gate early to see if I can get on one of those earlier flights. My fare doesn't allow for same day changes without a fee.
I've seen posts here stating that as of last year it was easy to jump on an earlier same day flight as long as they have plenty of seats available, but Southwest was going to change the policy (and adherence to the policy) soon.
If I show up to the gate before the earlier flights, how can I maximize my chances that the gate agent puts me on an earlier flight without charging a change fee? Does the gate agent have any discretion? Has anyone had positive or negative experiences when they attempted something similar?