If you commute on SWA ....

[airlinepilot]

Not so fast Irishav8r

Sorry Fellas! This whole conversation needs to be on the SWAPA forum; not here.

Actually maybe it is good it's here. Look at MalteseX posting above. It is good material and feedback to let us know what our agents are telling the offline Jumpseaters. Just got a SWAPA email saying they are trying to work with the company on these issues.

 

[328dude]

I agree

 

[lifeguard]

Captain should be able to make the call...its his aircraft, not the gate agents.

Actually, the CASS system makes the call. Meeting the captain is just a formality. It's true the captain is in command of the aircaraft but the aircraft itself belongs to the company, not the captain. he does not own it.

 

[MJG]

Can someone give me 2 good, valid reasons wht it is NECASSARY to have the captains permission to J/S?
Besides tradition. The gate agents have all the technology to check out a J/S before they board.

One reason that sticks out in the top of my head would be purely for safety reasons. I guess I'm not saying it's "necessary" to "get the Capts permission" to jumpseat these days but as a Captain, I need to know if there is a jumpseater in the back or not. That knowledge is critical if a "situation" were to arise in the back during flight. In fact it's part of my departure briefings if we have an extra pilot, an "asset", in the back to help us out on the flight. So the little traditional "meet and greet" that usually proceeds a pilot on a jumpseat, is for more than just "permission" to ride along.

In my recent experience since the whole CASS thing has taken over, more and more pilots that jumpseat, just take a seat in the back as they are rightfully instructed to do so. It's only after the flight I find out that we had a jumpseater in back. The FA's don't know if the guy is non-reving or jumpseating so they don't usually bother to tell us about him/her.

Kinda leaves you with that "would have been nice to know" sorta feeling.

For that reason, at my airline, I still prefer to have guys stick their head in and tell me they're riding in the back even though they are no longer required to do so.

 

[bravodude]

Finally somone who gets it.

I am sorry dude but you really are a piece of work. Look at your own company and then tell me that is the best way to go. you are right it should be us against them and that will get us really far. It will get us exactlly were you are nowhere with pilots leaving for Vrgin America and every other airline. Boy i guess i need to take your advice.

 

[Irishav8r]

I was referring to our own guys and the issue of pre-boarding.

 

[Bill Nelson]

Can someone give me 2 good, valid reasons wht it is NECASSARY to have the captains permission to J/S?
Besides tradition. The gate agents have all the technology to check out a J/S before they board.

1 reason is all that is needed, SCABS.

 

[OPNLguy]

If I have to sit up front to get a revenue or nonrev passenger on, I will do it. I don't think it is being a sap, rather either A) keeping my job secure by allowing people who pay to fly the seat they bought, or B) living by the Golden Rule. If it were my wife, parent, buddy, etc. trying to get that seat I would hope someone would do the same. What goes around comes around.

Did the same for a pilot for another airline. I had one of the jumpseats (dispatcher route check) and they were full in the back, so his choices were the cockpit jumpseat or nothing. I took the 4th (open), the guy got to where he needed to be, and I had to do an extra round-trip somewhere to get my time in, but BFD. What goes around comes around, and maybe that other airline pilot will pull a thorn out of my paw, or that of another dispatcher some day...

 

[puddlejumper101]

Guys and gals...as much as I disagree with this decision, I also think this is because something bigger is coming. It might get fixed again to the old way, but first they have to make an announcement about something they have up their sleeve that involves boarding. Lot's of changes going on so before we burn the house down over this, give it a few weeks because this is just one of many things CHANGING as we speak...and not all bad either. Remember...supervisors signed a letter of confidentiality a couple of months ago and the announcement as to what it is...will be out in less than 48 hours. Give it a chance...look just my humble opinion but SWA has too much going on to purposely SCREW pilots...it's not the way they operate...and I bet this is all tied to something we have not been informed about. Once all the changes have taken place...then we can complain, but I think we are all trigger happy. If SWA's plan was to screw the pilot group, they would have done it long time ago. Guys...what we have here no one else in the industry has...trust me. SWA has too much at stake to piss of it's pilots...honestly what scares me is some of our guys are starting to act like AA pilots (no offense to AA pilots). That whole burn the house down ALPA mentality does not work...trust me, I lived it.

 

[Whataburger]

...honestly what scares me is some of our guys are starting to act like AA pilots (no offense to AA pilots). That whole burn the house down ALPA mentality does not work...trust me, I lived it.

It's the extremely vocal small minority of guys/gals.
PS. alpa blows.

 

[GuppyWN]

I don't want to "burn the house down" at all. What I want is a little preferential treatment from my company. You know, the one I bust my ass for every day. All I want is a seat in the back without worrying that my bag will be with me when I get to work.

Gup

 

[jke406]

Cracks me up. On every other thread about every other airline, you get the "usual suspect" SWA guys busting in on their high horses, droning on about how "my company would never do that" and "thank goodness I work somewhere where this would never happen." You're still blue collar workers, same as everyone else here. It might be time to wake up, especially with your contract negotiations and the erosion of some of your cost advantages, possibly making it much less cushy over there. I, for one, am enjoying the spectacle.

FWIW, I'm also hoping you get a gigantic raise.

 

[OPECJet]

Call me old school, but I don't care who or what's name is on the aircraft registration. When a captain signs his name to the logbook, it's his friggin airplane. A jumpseater should have the courtesy to introduce himself and ask for a ride. Thankfully most pilots get this.

As far as DH'ing in the jumpseat, I still feel that seat belongs to the captain. If he asks me to ride up there to get another revenue on, I will. If he wants me in the back so he can get someone commuting on the airplane, I sit in the back.

As far as the new procedure at Southwest, I think I will do as the rest of the pilots who may ride on you guys will do. Follow your company's procedure by boarding when I am called, and then introduce myself to the crew to ask for a ride.

Best of luck over there in getting the procedure changed to whatever best suites your operation.

 

[328dude]

I don't want to "burn the house down" at all. What I want is a little preferential treatment from my company. You know, the one I bust my ass for every day. All I want is a seat in the back without worrying that my bag will be with me when I get to work.

Gup

Exactly. Wonder if the company will re-think this when the commuting guys check in late cause they have to go to baggage claim or worse, call off the trip cause their bag is missing.

 

[328dude]

Cracks me up. On every other thread about every other airline, you get the "usual suspect" SWA guys busting in on their high horses, droning on about how "my company would never do that" and "thank goodness I work somewhere where this would never happen." You're still blue collar workers, same as everyone else here. It might be time to wake up, especially with your contract negotiations and the erosion of some of your cost advantages, possibly making it much less cushy over there. I, for one, am enjoying the spectacle.

FWIW, I'm also hoping you get a gigantic raise.

You also beat your dieck like it owes you money.