CJC Trips Over Dollar, Saves Penny

[Leroy Smith]

So you would rather kick off a soldier? Sit your butt in the jumpseat...shake the soldier's hand..and thank him for his service. Sometimes you just have to do what is right.

Quoted for truthiness.

I appreciate the captain's motives, but I would ride side-saddle on a 757 transconn before I would bump a guy trying to get home for his 2 weeks. Or trade my non-rev first class seat for a middle in the last row. Every time.

I never served, but I appreciate the fact that the easiest job over there is probably tougher than my worst day here. Every hour of his/her time home is a big deal, they may not have a next time...

 

[CFI2766]

WTF?

There are "jackasses everywhere"? You should tell USA Today and have them put it on tomorrow's front page. I'm glad you are letting the world know!

I stand by my original statement. Now more than ever.

There is jackassery everywhere. Even in the airline business. This doesn't make me ashamed to be an airline pilot.

I think that everyone could agree that this wasn't handled well. The servicemember should have been sent home, and the jumpseater should have been paid. If I were the jumpseater, I wouldn't have let it get that far. Take the jumpseat, sit in the lav even, but get the flight done. Not a good idea to make this an incident. The j/s guy wasn't going to win this one, even if he did get paid for the jumpseat.

It's worth noting that the captain probably wouldn't have been put in this position if he had been treated well in the past.

ps. I always thought Flo was kinda hot in that show, waaaaaay back in the day. Well, I was like 8 at the time, though....

 

[SiuDude]

This story is nowhere in the AP database, and the word "Sergeant" is misspelled.

 

[Snaab]

Brain Factory sets the bar even lower...jeez. Bottom line: dude in j'seat should be properly paid, and the serviceman should've had his seat- PERIOD.

 

[MusicMan]

Brain Factory sets the bar even lower...jeez. Bottom line: dude in j'seat should be properly paid, and the serviceman should've had his seat- PERIOD.

According to their contract, he was properly paid. Maybe if they had voted ALPA in he would have been paid 100% deadhead pay and none of this would have been an issue!

 

[Indy319FA]

Colgan Air avoided paying the crewmember $10.50 for the flight, but in the process delayed the flight for 33 passengers, paid $20 in food vouchers, $159 for one night in a hotel, and perhaps most egregiously, delayed the homecoming of a United States Serviceman.

If this is true, this should read Colgan Air saved $10.50 and US Airways had to spend $20 in vouchers and $159 for a room. Also, since this guy had a confirmed ticket and was denied boarding he is owed $400 in Denied Boarding Compensation (since he did not arrive within 2 hours of his scheduled arrival).

I kinda doubt the accuracy of the story because there is no mention of a station agent soliciting volunteers, which is required by law. Also you always try and get a volunteer because they are much easier to deal with than someone who has been denied boarding involuntarily. Airlines will always try and get volunteers because when you have involuntaries it gets reported to DOT. When I was a CSA at NWA I had an overbooked flight at Christmas and had to get 3 volunteers off the last flight of the day. Started the bidding at $200, and finally ended up giving each of them $700 in free tickets. Also, if you involuntarily deny someone they can ask for their DBC in cash instead of tickets, while you can compensate volunteers with tickets or any other compensation that is agreed to.

 

[great cornholio]

I'll be the first one to agree that the J/S should not be used for positive space deadheading, but there are exceptions and this thing called karma. Remember the pre-CASS days? There were plenty of times when I would sit in the jumpseat because the jumpseater wasn't allowed up front, and have had guys do the same for me. Or there is a non-rev trying to get on that otherwise wouldn't get on if you didn't take the jumpseat. It is very rare to take the jumpseat to get a revenue pax on, but in this case I would have done it. This guy got screwed he is fighting for our freedom, and unfortunately it sounds like this capt used that freedom to be and azz and keep this guy away from home one more night.

 

[kf4amu]

I'll take the JS to get nonrev's on...but not revenue passengers.

Also I would sit in the lav the whole trip to let a soldier get home. How arrogant. If it was anybody else but a soldier I would sympathise...this is just dumb.

 

[dispatchguy]

When I was at UALs pilot crew desk, in order to prevent an oversale, I could ask a crewmember to DH in the jumpseat, HOWEVER, he had to be legal (8 in 24 and all that jazz).

Straight from the UAL FOM:

Occasionally, Customer Service may relocate deadheading pilots who have reservations into cockpit jump seats in order to allow additional revenue passengers to be boarded. Should such a request be made, the pilot is required to move to the jump seat, unless it would cause an illegality under Section 5-C-2 of the Agreement. As always, the pilot shares with the Company the responsibility to monitor his own legality. Illegalities can be created only when a pilot is deadheading to fly a flight in the same duty period. If a legality problem is suspected, the pilot must contact OPBCM, since only CM can require that the pilot remain in the cabin.

 

[samballs]

yeah, I don't think AP covered this story. It sounds like it was written by someone at Colgan.

I appreciate what soldiers do for us, but they don't deserve special treatment on airplanes just because they are in the military.

Booking must-ride is crew-scheduling's problem and the CA shouldn't have to be the bad guy.

The deadheading crewmember should not be compelled to sit in the jumpseat.

Come on, you have to be kidding? You should thank these guys every day, they're doing something you don't have the balls to do..