I've only done it once, and it was years ago. I called for days before i finally got a hold of a ticket agent for a charter flight from POP to Stockholm, Sweden. I was trying to get back to work in Norway. They told me they couldn't guarantee a seat but that i was welcome to come to the POP airport and do stand-by while everyone boarded. (They said i would need to pay cash for the flight if a seat was available)
So, i drove up from Bonao and met the ticket agent and waited. And then I waited some more.
Holy hell, i did not realize how long it takes to board a big plane that completely sold out. Only after everyone had boarded and they did a "final" seat count--where they also made a final boarding call for a Swedish passenger who did not show up, only then did they sell me the last seat/ticket on the plane. (This was one of those charter planes where all of the bathrooms are all downstairs on a separate floor of the plane--below the passengers).
The funny thing was that after they sold me the ticket and i showed them my passport, they realized i couldn't board the flight without some sort of E.U ID. The reason being was because (i never fully understood why?) it was a charter flight directly to Sweden and since i did not start the flight from Sweden, i was somehow required to prove that i lived in an E.U country. Luckily i had my Norwegian ID on me, and only after i showed it to them did they let me board the flight. I never quite understood why i would not be able to board with an American Passport? But there was reason explained to me that i never fully grasped. Anyway, it all worked out. Not sure if they do that anymore, and especially on a one-way Charter flight returning back to Europe. That's probably a weird way to do it unless you live in Europe.
PS: Arrugula, are you Paul, my buddy from Cabarete?