Continental and CASS

[HalinTexas]

I was talking to an Alaska guy the other night trying to commute home. He told me that CAL does NOT have CASS capability outside of its hubs. Is this true?

He's had particular difficulty in LAX trying to get to IAH.

I might need a CAL jumpseat soon, and I'm looking to not waste time if the JS isn't available.

 

[minrest]

He's wrong.

 

[pianoman]

I thought there was something about some of the stations not having the new computers- there was difficulty in using the system with the old "green screen" Commodore 64's..... maybe they fixed it now.

 

[tie1on]

it has been fixed

 

[maxcackel]

It has not been fixed. There are stations that have the "green" screens that can not view your picture for cass. I found this out in the last couple of weeks out of PBI and SAT. They say there are a lot of others but I don't have a list though I wish I did had one.

 

[HighSpeed]

I find it hit or miss..... they have to enter everything exactly correct... Some stations ATL (and I think LAS) only certain computers will work....

 

[Palomino]

CASS has been tempermental. it's been so bad sometimes that our own CAL pilots can't ride cockpit j/s because CASS won't cooperate for one or more reasons. pretty silly considering that we can verify employment and staffing position via any computer throughout the system.

doesn't make sense to me...but i don't fly a desk so i don't have the wisdom i suppose.

fwiw...i've had very few problems with it. keep in mind that a lot of agents are still fuzzy on the use of CASS. if they seem frustrated by it i would kindly suggest that a co-worker provide advice on its use. i watched an agent try for 20 minutes to clear a Southwest guy on a CAL flight one day. pilot was very patient and agent finally got the verification via CASS.

too bad they just can scan a passport and send you on your way...

 

[RJAA]

Yes there was been problems lately. Some have called SOCC for help trying to get our own employees on the JS but typically if the station is having issues there is nothing we can do to issue the CASS authorization printout which is now required without exceptions even if you are an authorized Continental employee. Sad to say it's kinda SOL if the computer/program is down. I have had troubles myself.

 

[whymeworry?]

This is what happens when the TSA runs our cockpits.

If you research the one even that brought about CASS, it's pathetic that we can't make exceptions when the system is down. Basically it was a fired Pt 135 guy who was jumpseating a couple of weeks after 9/11. He bragged abotu his free travel to an undercover FBI agent in FC. They called the FAA and our system came under attack... because of one guy.

CASS at CAL and other airlines has been on the fritz on an off for months. The system is breaking down and the companies don't care since they lose nothing because of it. Simply put, you have to be CASS approved at the gate or the PIC of the flight could get violated. With the stakes of the game (and it is a game) being so high, Captains are forced to deny access without the necessary paperwork.

What we need to do is have ALPA NATIONAL pass a decree that says if a pilot cannot get on the jumpseat due to a cass failure then he will not be held accountable for now showing up to work. Watch how quickly the system gets fixed when that happens.

 

[Palomino]

This is what happens when the TSA runs our cockpits.

What we need to do is have ALPA NATIONAL pass a decree that says if a pilot cannot get on the jumpseat due to a cass failure then he will not be held accountable for now showing up to work. Watch how quickly the system gets fixed when that happens.

i fully agree. when 60% of your pilot group commutes and you can't get them to work because of a gov't-sponsored P.O.S. computer system...we shouldn't be penalized for it.

 

[BID]

Is this the way it is done at every airline? CASS must be approved before you can sit in the actual, at your own airline?

I thought CASS was developed for "other airline" actual jumpseat, not your own?

 

[bearcat]

There are only a FEW stations that cannot look at the picture and are therefore not CASS. Most of the problems are operator specific for they don't know what the heck they are doing. The other day I almost didn't get on the jumpseat when a FA got the FA jumpseat. Pretty funny. I was going to laugh when I had to call the CPO and tell them I couldn't get to work because of the agent.

 

[MaxForwardSpeed]

I know MSP doesn't have the capablility of looking in CASS... makes for a fun commute...

 

[CommuterHell]

MCO and RDU do not have the capability

 

[Uniform Shop]

MCO does have it because I just had a UAL pilot in the cockpit two days ago.

Hope this gets fixed at the other stations.

 

[ATRedneck]

One of the biggest CASS problems at CAL is that many of the gate agents are clueless and could care less about figuring it out. Let's face it, CAL agents aren't exactly the friendliest in the business. Some show everything from contempt to outright hostility to CAL nonrevs, much less OAL JSers.

We had a Comair guy on the jumpseat yesterday IAH-LGA. He missed the JFK flight because the gate agent left her give-a-crap at home.

 

[SimHo]

TSA controlling CAL jumpseat

This talk about TSA controlling the CAL jumpseat is all BS. If it was really a TSA requirement all airlines using CASS would have to do the same procedure. NO ONE ELSE is having to do it. It's just another way for CAL management to control their whimpy captains. The captains there are afraid to do what is right, they always do only what they are told.

 

[SimHo]

TSA controlling CAL jumpseat

This talk about TSA controlling the CAL jumpseat is all BS. If it was really a TSA requirement all airlines using CASS would have to do the same procedure. NO ONE ELSE is having to do it. It's just another way for CAL management to control their whimpy captains. The captains there are afraid to do what is right, they always do only what they are told.

 

[Scrapdog]

This talk about TSA controlling the CAL jumpseat is all BS. If it was really a TSA requirement all airlines using CASS would have to do the same procedure. NO ONE ELSE is having to do it. It's just another way for CAL management to control their whimpy captains. The captains there are afraid to do what is right, they always do only what they are told.

Wow dude, you just opened a can of worms on that one. I'm sure you're "tough" though right?

Hey pot, kettle's calling...

 

[SeaSlam]

I was just denied the jumpseat on an LAX-CLE flight on Sept 6th, 2007. The agent told me she deals with this issue every day. I found it hard to believe that CO is unable to take any jumpseaters out of LAX but 3 other agents confirmed the first agents story. They blamed the "green screen" coputers also.

 

[igneousy2]

A friend of mine couldn't get out of LAX on CAL just 2 weeks ago - it is well known amongst commuters that you cannot ride in the cockpit out of LAX on CAL.

I have never been an advocate of JS wars between pilots, however, it does not seem to be a high priority for the CAL pilots as it has been an on-going problem at LAX for a LONG time and yet it does not get fixed. I think it is a low priority for CAL pilots as it does not effect them. Their pilots continue to be able to jumpseat out of LAX no problem, however we cannot get recipricol benefits.

It has been one year since the picture requirement came into effect, this should not be taking so long. You cannot tell me that at the entire CAL operation at LAX there is not ONE computer that is capable of displaying a JPG file.

Part of me is thinking that the only way this is going to get fixed is if CAL pilots start getting denied out of LAX also. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. If you are a CAL pilot - please call your jumpseat committee to get this resolved.

Later