Cockpit jumpseat award - Date of Hire or Seniority List Number?

[Palomino]

How does your airline award the jumpseat?

Date of Hire?

or

Pilot Seniority List position?


example:
seniority list position
1) 1999 hire
2) 2007 hire
3) 1999 hire

2 cockpit jumpseats available;
who gets the seats?

Also, if you work for a recently merged carrier with an integrated seniority list would you advocate seperate integrated (odd meshing of terms?) pilot priority lists for seperate integrated (there it is again!) metal?

**Please state facts of your airline's jumpseat policy and not opinions.**

 

[eaglesview]

This is about to be an issue at UAL. CO, due to there previous mergers, has always done it by seniority. At UAL we have always done it by DOH even with respect to our Pan Am guys after the Pacific purchase.

You ride in the back based on DOH I think it should be the same up front. This coming from a guy that would do better with our recent SLI if it was based on seniority.

This will be just another example of a clash of culture between UAL and CO. In the end I am sure it will be worked out.

 

[Buzo]

At Delta, we do it first come first serve.

 

[pave driver]

At US Airways we list on the phone 7 days out and it's yours - most aircraft have 2 jumpseats. It tells you on the voice response phone sytem if you're "primary" or "alternate" for one of the 2 jumpseats. Or you can list first come first served at the gate for one of the 2 jumpseats. It shows up as JS (I think) on the non-rev list. 95% of the gate agents just give you one of the first class seats or exit rows when available. You can always ride in the cockpit if you prefer a quick exit even with open seats in the back. All cockpits can hold all 4 pilot roller bags (we don't have flight kits) so that's never a concern when commuting. We have an unlimited js policy so as many pilots jumpseating (OAL included) as there are open seats can ride. We can't sit on a flight attendant jumpseat for some strange reason. One great thing for commuters allows a working pilot who commutes to elect to fly to their home airport (or just get off the plane and stay if they live there) if a jumpseater shows and can fly your leg for you when they commute to work if the jumpseater calls "systems cs" to check their legalities. If a first or last leg of a trip is a deadhead, we can call cs to inform them we will not duty-in in base and will call when we arrive at the outstation airport. The deadheads in our schedules are only listed for pay purposes so they don't care. This all works well and creates zero stress (well, some always stress) getting to and from work for commuters.

 

[waveflyer]

At US Airways we list on the phone 7 days out and it's yours - most aircraft have 2 jumpseats. It tells you on the voice response phone sytem if you're "primary" or "alternate" for one of the 2 jumpseats. Or you can list first come first served at the gate for one of the 2 jumpseats. It shows up as JS on the non-rev list. 95% of the gate agents just give you one of the first class seats or exit rows when available. You can always ride in the cockpit if you prefer a quick exit. All cockpits can hold all 4 pilot roller bags (we don't have flight kits) so that's never a concern when commuting. Works well and creates zero worries getting to and from work for all commuters.

This ^^^ is the best system IMO-
Believe FedEx works the same way

Ours is first come as well at SWA -

Nothing like petty seniority arguments 15 minutes before departure...

 

[SplitBar]

I like 1st come 1st serve like we have at Delta. Once it's booked it's yours and no one can take it away from you.

 

[aa73]

Strict seniority at AA unless it's 20mins prior to departure, at that point it's first come first serve.

Non revs in the back, however, are done strictly by first come first serve. Cant list until 24hrs prior to departure, at which point it becomes a race on the computer to list. .

Unfortunately, it's the same with deadheading: first come first serve. We still have to list for upgrade 24hrs in advance.... Which explains why, on an intl DH, you can have 9 F/As in First and the pilots in coach.

That will hopefully change with the merger. In fact our MOU states all intl DHing will be in Biz for the pilots.

FYi I like aspects of both j/s systems - seniority and fist come first serve. Haven't decided which I like better yet.

 

[Grandpa +65]

This ^^^ is the best system IMO-
Believe FedEx works the same way

Ours is first come as well at SWA -

Nothing like petty seniority arguments 15 minutes before departure...

Agreed!:beer:

 

[Palomino]

Thanks for the facts and limited opinions.

 

[Bad-Andy]

FYi I like aspects of both j/s systems - seniority and fist come first serve. Haven't decided which I like better yet.

Reserving the jumpseat takes a lot of stress out of commuting, unless you're the number 1 guy in the company -- then you don't have any stress anyways...

 

[Jetjockey]

Living in base takes ALL the stress out of it.

 

[IBNAV8R]

DOH up to 30 minutes prior.

 

[Mercy98]

Jetblue policy is...

Jumpseat, seniority

Cabin seat/non-rev, first come/first serve.

It should be reversed, here's why:

All employees can ride in the cabin and they should all be based on date of hire. There is something to be said for longevity and anyone who is more senior to me should be afforded the chance to ride based on the fact that they have been around longer than me. Whatever they do with the company; the longer you stick around the better benefits you enjoy.

As for the cockpit, a "window of opportunity" (read, like airways/fedex) should give in-house pilots the chance to book a flight to/from home. Some rely on very few flights to get where they need to go and it can be very competitive. That being said, there is piece-of-mind in knowing that you have a ride and cannot be bumped by someone who shows up at the last minute and tries to exercise his seniority (no, it hasn't happened to me). It does take care of that awkward last minute "what's your date-of-hire" q&a that occasionally happens as the station agent is trying to close the cabin door.

Will jB ever change these...probably never.

 

[gearjockey]

That's 'cause in the event JB ever gets a CBA, the PILOTS will decide. I guarantee FCFS will be on the to do list.

 

[ROSWELL41]

Spirit is first to list gets the jumpseat or first come, first serve if no one is listed. You can list at Spirit up to 72 hours prior.

 

[oldxfr8dog]

At Delta, we do it first come first serve.

As it should be!
Well done.

 

[Dizel8]

Listing a week in advance is good, but it completely negates seniority, so if a senior guy is out flying when the window opens, a new hire could get the seat. Not sure that such a great concept, of course views will differ based on seniority

 

[Patriot328]

This is about to be an issue at UAL. CO, due to there previous mergers, has always done it by seniority. At UAL we have always done it by DOH even with respect to our Pan Am guys after the Pacific purchase.

You ride in the back based on DOH I think it should be the same up front. This coming from a guy that would do better with our recent SLI if it was based on seniority.

This will be just another example of a clash of culture between UAL and CO. In the end I am sure it will be worked out.

UAL actually does it by seniority, not DOH. It looks like DOH because UAL hasn't had a merger is almost living memory. Put it this way, with two guys from the same newhire class (DOH) are in line for the j/s, who gets it? The senior one. This move by the UAL MEC to look into changing the policy is nothing more than trying to circumvent seniority for the former UAL guys who are junior to CAL pilots that have more recent DOHs.

 

[slaquer5]

Listing a week in advance is good, but it completely negates seniority, so if a senior guy is out flying when the window opens, a new hire could get the seat. Not sure that such a great concept, of course views will differ based on seniority

Don't leave out the senior UAL pilot who likes to show up 10 minutes to push , and bumps one of his brothers out of the seat. There are more than a few that do this all the time . Now add salt to injury . The said pilots are over 60.

 

[eaglesview]

UAL actually does it by seniority, not DOH. It looks like DOH because UAL hasn't had a merger is almost living memory. Put it this way, with two guys from the same newhire class (DOH) are in line for the j/s, who gets it? The senior one. This move by the UAL MEC to look into changing the policy is nothing more than trying to circumvent seniority for the former UAL guys who are junior to CAL pilots that have more recent DOHs.

Your example of two guys hired in the same class is correct. Under no circumstances will a guy with an earlier DOH be bumped by a pilot with a later DOH. CO does not have this policy I suspect because their seniority list was not in DOH order due to previous mergers.

As I said 2 different cultures....the policy will be worked out....I prefer DOH...again this coming from someone that would be more "senior" using the CO seniority system.

Stop trying to bring drama to a rather mundane topic.