Delta jumpseat policy question

[Headfake14]

Hey guys...regarding departure time and the jumpseat...

Isn't there a cutoff of about 15mins prior to departure when you are ensured the JS if noone else is there?

I was on a 757 jumpseat JFK-ATL. We became super delayed for gate/boarding slow. I was sitting on the JS for about 30mins while they were sorting out the mess. THEN...I was removed for a DL pilot who showed up.

I missed the next flight...which left while we were still at the gate...which I could've gotten on...no j'seater on that one either. I barely made the last flight out only 30mins after I was removed.

Don't get me wrong here fellas, just trying to sort out what happened. I appreciate the rides twice a week. But in my short 12 year career of being an airline pilot...this was the first time I was removed after departure time.

 

[FmrFreightDog]

If the delay resulted in a change to the posted departure time then I believe the new cutoff is 15 prior to that. Example: 4:30 flight. You get the seat at 4:15 and board. Then there's a mechanical and they change the departure to 5:15. DL guy can still bump you up until 5:00

 

[BuckMurdock1]

I'm not a Delta pilot, but commute on them almost exclusively at least 8 legs/mo. The way I understand the policy to be: if a DL/DC pilot (j/s reserved or not) pilot shows up 20 min prior to originally scheduled departure, they can bump offliners off. Inside 20 prior...should be yours, and quite often I'm told to board right at that mark (presumably because the gate agent figures the seat is now mine).

I could be wrong, however-- hopefully a DL pilot will jump on and confirm.

In any case, I would report this to your jumpseat chairperson with as many specifics (flt #, gate agents name, etc) as possible. Your situation certainly sounds like the seat should've been yours.

 

[BuckMurdock1]

If the delay resulted in a change to the posted departure time then I believe the new cutoff is 15 prior to that. Example: 4:30 flight. You get the seat at 4:15 and board. Then there's a mechanical and they change the departure to 5:15. DL guy can still bump you up until 5:00

Someone posted before I could hit 'submit'. Disregard what I said...and good for me to know too.

 

[PuffDriver]

I'm not a Delta pilot, but commute on them almost exclusively at least 8 legs/mo. The way I understand the policy to be: if a DL/DC pilot (j/s reserved or not) pilot shows up 20 min prior to originally scheduled departure, they can bump offliners off. Inside 20 prior...should be yours, and quite often I'm told to board right at that mark (presumably because the gate agent figures the seat is now mine).

I could be wrong, however-- hopefully a DL pilot will jump on and confirm.

In any case, I would report this to your jumpseat chairperson with as many specifics (flt #, gate agents name, etc) as possible. Your situation certainly sounds like the seat should've been yours.

Delta pilots can bump up until flight closeout--as it should be.

 

[ASA_DFW]

Straight from the FOM. The note at the bottom probably applied to you.


If the person holding the reservation has not arrived by 15 minutes before scheduled departure, the jumpseat will be awarded in the following order:

• Groups A thru B-1 in priority order.
• Groups B- 2 thru F on a first-come-first-served basis.
• Groups G thru I in priority order on a first-come-first-served basis.

Note: In the event of a delayed flight, the reservation will be held until 15 minutes prior to the revised departure time.

 

[andyd]

In addition, it also states that Delta Pilots can bump up to close out of the flight as long as doing so does not delay a flight. The reservation expiring at the 15 min mark frees up the seat for another DAL pilot to take the seat over any other oal pilot. Ie: Pilot xyz has the j/s reserved, but doesn't make it for whatever reason. An oal or DCI pilot gets the j/s at 14 min prior. I show up just as the agent is closing out the flight and get the j/s and you get pulled. For what it's worth, since we can now get our numbers after pushing...the agents are supposed to be closing out the flights 10 min prior in order to expedite the process....so if you're in the j/s and the agent brings the closeout down...it's YOURS. Up until that time....it's any DAL pilot who needs it.

 

[Floatplane]

If it's your own airline you should be able to bump any offline J.S. anytime without delaying the flight. It sucks when it happens, but it's the way it is. Commuting sucks!

 

[andyd]

Agreed! I commute transcon since being displaced 18 mos ago, RIGHT after moving to the left coast upon being based there...oh well....11 years to go!