Best Jumpseat

[acaTerry]

I got an idea from a thread I started on the MAJORS board.
What, who, when, how was your best time as a J/Ser?
Time for something not angry here.

 

[chperplt]

On a 75 shortly after all the U furloughs. The FO was a 75 captain in his previous life and the captain was a 76 international captain before. The FO was a great guy but the captain had issues.

We're on the visual approach to runway 19L in LAS. We were left up high for traffic and had to slam dunk it in. The FO was the PF and had the spoilers out. The FO starts calling for flaps this and that, and the captain starts screaming at the guy. "You still have the spoilers out you stupid S. O. B." "You know you can't put flaps out with the spoilers extended." This went on until we were about on the ground. Not a word was said during the taxi in, and I very quietly said thanks for the ride and ran out of there.

 

[starvingcfi]

hahaha.

"ahem. (whisper) i think that guy just called your wife a whore. SEE YA!" (run)

that's gotta be the most uncomfortable situation to be in. what an a$$hole.

 

[lazy8s]

I'll bite....

Jumped on UAL 3 weeks ago, was warmly greeted by the CA with a few lighthearted smart a$$ comments, the FO piped up with his own and I naturally threw them a few of my own back. CA said to grab a "good seat" and enjoy the ride. If the ride was bad the FO was to balme.

The CA came back to personally welcome those of us in first class and brief us on the flight before departure, something I thought was a nice touch for those actually paying out the nose for this kind of service.

The "A" FA was great, served a meal, wine and fresh cookies along with a movie instead of the stupid "short subject" video was supposed to be played.
Starbucks coffee was also served of course.

I've jumped on UAL many times and had good and bad experiences. This was the first flight I'd been on where I was taken care of so well all the way around.

 

[flybrowntails]

Years ago-when I was working for a small part 135 freight company. Jumped on DHL from CVG to Brussels on the 8. The guys were great--it was a memorable experience.

 

[NEDude]

A few good experiences up front.

I was in a CAL 737 a few months ago and the captain spent about half the flight showing me the ins and outs of the FMS and what all it could do.

A buch of other good experiences as well. Very few bad.

 

[dispatchguy]

UAL on a B737-300 DFWORD the Friday before 9/11.

Crew was extremely upbeat, captain was about to go on Family Leave for the birth of his first son, the F/O was great, and the lead F/A gave me a first class meal...

The sunday before 9/11 I was on an ATA B737-NG MDWDFW, and the crew spent a good 60 mins showing me their FMCS...

 

[cargoflyr69]

I've enoyed every ride I've EVER had on Midwest Express (now Midwest Airlines) All seats are first-class sized and leather. With the new 717's the ride is whisper-quiet. Since I'm an offline guy, I've never had the pleasure of being upfront, but all the crews have been extremely helpful and polite. Oh, Gotta love the warm chocolate chip cookies!

 

[acaTerry]

I won't say the whens wheres and names (to protect the guy) was on a UAL 777. Crusty old type of CA. I got to the gate and see a guy from AIr Cheese, NWA, myself and a more senior ACA guy than me. "Well, I guess I go home tomorrow" I thought. The guy let us ALL on. I guess he was a day before retirement or something b/c this was WAY against UAL policy. Had a kid on his knee in the cockpit (prior to flight of course), reminded me of what it was like when I was a kid. This was the kind of guy that makes kids want to be pilots.
Then to boot, I read my copy of Flying magazine (I think it was that one) and Barry Schiff's article was on his retirement day with a recollection of his years as an airline pilot. Classiest article I ever read in any magazine. What a ride home. Sure made it feel good to be a flier that day.
AWA has also always been GREAT

 

[Patriot328]

Any JS experience that got my arse back home was a good one to me.

I've never had a bad experience so to speak, but I think the best experiences I've had in general have been on the USAir shuttles back and forth from DCA to LGA. Some of the nicest people in the business. One time the flight was full so myself and another guy were sittin up front (back when you could actually do that). Apparently they were overweight for the flight and needed to pull 5 people off (don't remember why, over fueled maybe?). The other JSer and I were of course sweating bullets (as this was the last flight out that night) because we're the lowest on the totem pole. The CA just says "close the cockpit door and keep quiet". The agents pulled 5 non-revs off and we got to stay! woohoo! I know it sux for the people that got pulled, but I guess all is fair in love, war, and Jumpseating...

I used to pass out on that 38 minute flight after doing a killer 4day. Everytime I woke up there would be a big bottle of water for me to take and a snack to eat. The FAs were first class all the way.

The DAL shuttle people were just as nice.. great guys n girls always willing to take care of you.

Thanx!

 

[cathal]

here's a funny one. i'm taking united from ord to mem a few days after xmas 2000, and i'm very happy to have found a seat, i'd already been turned away by nwa and aa. they guys were great to me, so to repay them, about halfway to mem i fart. SBD all the way fo, with a disgusted look on his face, asks the capt "did you fart?" "no, it wasn't me." then he ask me, and i've got a huge, but apologetic, smirk. so the fo starts talking about this captain who's a notorious farter. he says one time he asked the farter what he does when flying with the women, and his reply was "hell, i fart break 'em right away. we darn near lost it.
i kinda miss being in other people's cockpits and having them in mine. makes me sick to leave them, and be left with the empty seat in there.

 

[SmackYourPappy]

Coming back on DAL 767 from Vienna to ATL about 3 years ago. It was the crusty CA's next to last trip before retirement and the FAs had a *special* treat for him. We were in cruise somewhere over Iceland or so, and the FA chimed up after dinner asking if the crew wanted their fresh baked cookies. They said Sure- bring em up. Then the FA came in with the hot fresh cookies and kinda smiled and asked if we wanted some whipped cream on them. The FO and I said no, but the captain said *Of Course.* A few minutes later the FA comes back with a spoon in hand and another FA comes behind her into the cockpit and closes the door. The first one says to the captain *I have a spoon but you'll have to get the cream* and to that the captain turns around to find the whipped cream all over the bare 32Cs of the second FA, who turned to face him with her shirt open and whipped cream all over her tits and cleavage. Needless to say- I think the CA almost had a heart attack and the FO & I's jaws hit the floor so hard that I'm sure it was heard in coach!

Probably the best JS I've ever been on, and it sure played a big part in my choice as DAL being the place to work. Too bad it'll be a while now.....

 

[RyanB727]

In 1995 I was an intern with United and I was assigned to LAX Flight Ops. We were allowed to jumpseat (on UAL only) but it was supposed to only be "for educational purposes." (going to tour the MX in base in SFO, visiting the training center in DEN, etc). My boss in LAX allowed me a little more liberal use of the jumpseat so on the weekends I would occasionally make little day trips just for the heck of it.

One weekend I decided to go out to HNL just to say I had been to Hawaii. I jumped up to SFO and then got on a 747 out from SFO-HNL. The captain offered me a seat in the back but there was no WAY I was going to pass up sitting up front in a 747! (hey, I was 21 and that kind of stuff was still cool). The captain spent a good deal of time showing me all about the INS and explaining the ins and outs of overwater navigation. Asked for my camera and took pictures out his window as we were making the approach into HNL. He was renting a car anyway when we got there and he even offered me a ride to the hotel.

To this day that is the best jumpseat expereince I have ever had.

 

[Mookie]

Not my story, but a friends:

He was sitting in the cockpit j/s on an rj, waiting for the last pax to board and bullshaiting with the crew. a gorgeous blonde walks out of the gate and up to the plane, and both the captain and fo come unglued practically licking the windows. After some very appropriate remarks, the hottie gets on board, turns to the cockpit...and kisses my friend on the cheek and says "see ya, honey when we get to Santa Barbara. Hope the ride up there isn't too bad." ...true story