Aww Albie,
Don't get down before you even hit the merge! I've jumped on every major but Airways and most of the regionals and nationals and I've never had a problem. Sometimes you're told bluntly to "just find seat in the back, welcome aboard." And other times the crew goes out of their way to help you out, stow your bags, get you a first class seat, drink, etc. It just depends. I've yet to encounter a pr-ck yet, but I've only been at it for just under 2 years. Oddly enough, some of the worst experiences I've had were on my own mainline because of the obvious issues that exist between us and them. So much for unity. Some of my best experiences were offline because they tend to treat you like a guest. They want to show off their "product."
Some tips from a non-commuter (but I do travel a lot):
1) always act overly grateful/humble
2) dress accordingly or overdress (worst case is the captain tells you to take the silly tie off)
3) if you can, bring food/candy for the crew. I've found candy works incredibly well with FA's. Especially homebaked goods.
4) ALWAYS thank the whole crew on your way out and wait until all revenue passengers have deplaned, prior to your own deplaning.
5) get down the jetway early if you can. FA's might be willing to stow your bag for you prior to boarding. Very Key!
You'll get comfortable with it over time. I just hope we can get cockpit jumpseat privileges back soon.
-Neal
Looking forward to giving you the Archer ride....too bad you can't reciprocate in your Eagle.
