Mainline Jumpseaters

[Lancair]

Does everyone else have problems with their mainline partners when it comes to jumpseating? I commute on United every week to work. They make a grand production out of when I show up since we are becoming Independance Air. I get the good cop bad cop (Can they still ride on us?) routine. Then when I get to the cockpit it starts all over again with the crew. I'm always polite and introduce myself to the cabin crew first then hand all my paper work to the captain. This gets the grand inspection taking a look at everything. I've even been asked for my ALPA card. This if fine that's what the papers are there for and by all means please take a look at it.

So now I'm at work getting ready to fly my first leg of the day. Up comes 2 United pilots because we take as many jumpseaters as open seats. They hand over their ID's and boarding cards. When asked for their license and medicals they made such a fuss about having to show us. I'm just so tired of the attitude. It's as if because they're mainline pilots they don't have to operate under the same guidlines. This happens all the time to me.

This wasn't even on an Express flight but an Indy flight because who ever took that route over was delayed 2 hours. Maybe it's just me but I'm tired of their treatment of us. Is it August 3rd. yet?

 

[sleepy]

You can do something about it if you want to. You are the Captain, right?

 

[Lancair]

Sorry to say I'm not a Captain just another know it all FO.

 

[rptrain]

You can do something about it if you want to. You are the Captain, right?

yes, that's the ticket. just go ahead and start a jumpseat war so that we all can share in the misery.

Lancair, I know you're venting frustrations, but take the high road. Also remember that bad jumpseat etiquitte is not limited to one pilot group. I've jumpseated on over 20 airlines on our list, and the only one to ever deny me is ACA... twice! The worst part is that I work for them! On the other hand, United has always been very accomodating and never turned me down.

PS: my ALPA jumpseat handbook says that a medical is not required to jumpseat. By all means look at it if you feel the need for more credentials to verify, but it's perfectly acceptable to supply an ID and pilot certificate only.

 

[Lancair]

I'm not trying to start a jumpseat war. It's just that it bothers me that mainline guys feel like the own us and can come and go as they please. I have never been rude to a jumpseater and I've always been polite when I ride to and from work. I'm really going to be hurting in a few weeks when I can't sit up front. You're right I'm frustred and looking for an outlet to vent. Just looking to be treated the way I treat them that's all. Maybe it's just you remember the bad experiences more than the good. Anyone is welcome up front as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Does everyone else have problems with their mainline partners when it comes to jumpseating?

I work for ASA...have jumpseated on DAL many times and had their pilots on my flights. Not once has anybody been less than professional.

Sorry to hear of your misfortunes.

 

[porra]

Last week I was trying to get out of YUL on a jumpseat with mesa and was told by the capt. that "Mesa does not take any jumpseat"!!$#@ I know the capt has the last saying on that but lets be professional. If you have a weight problem or if just simply you don't want anybody sitting in the cockpit jumpseat just say so. I'll say thank you and try the next flight, but don't come up with a BS story.

 

[FL000]

I work for ASA...have jumpseated on DAL many times and had their pilots on my flights. Not once has anybody been less than professional.

Ditto. Not only professional, but most of the time above and beyond.

 

[dispatchguy]

Last week I was trying to get out of YUL on a jumpseat with mesa and was told by the capt. that "Mesa does not take any jumpseat"!!$#@

In fairness to YV (I cant believe I said that), isnt everyone restricted from jumpseating from international destinations (even transborder flights), to the US?

 

[strega7]

PS: my ALPA jumpseat handbook says that a medical is not required to jumpseat. By all means look at it if you feel the need for more credentials to verify, but it's perfectly acceptable to supply an ID and pilot certificate only.

According to the latest TSA directive we got (SkyWest) a medical is now required for identifing jumpseaters. If need be I can probably find the actual text. I don't think the APLA handbook has the final say anymore.

Fly Safe.

 

[crashpad]

Lancar, to answer your question: Everybody has problems jumpseating. If you do it alot, you going to occassionally have bad experiences. However, this kind of streess is self-induced and how you look at it can vastly change how it effects you...a lot or a little, your choice.

I see two bright sides to your situation:
1) Tally-up how many times you get the seat vs. times denied. Yep, almost everytime you get where you're going, albeit with an occassional side order of complimentary crapola.
2) You're working for Indy Air, you will be flying Airbus and subserviant to no one!

Don't you feel better now? I know I do!

 

[rptrain]

According to the latest TSA directive we got (SkyWest) a medical is now required for identifing jumpseaters. If need be I can probably find the actual text. I don't think the APLA handbook has the final say anymore.

Fly Safe.

i would be interested in a reference. if not the actual text (for security reasons), then a directive number or something. i've not been made aware of any such requirement by my airline, but would like to know if i'm misinformed.

 

[dondk]

I may be wrong but I also agree that TSA has some funky rules about Jumpseating out of Canada. Although.. I do think it is the actual jumpseat and not a cabin jumpseat. It has to do that they (TSA) cannot verify your credentials before the flight.

On a side note, in our OP's I thought I read that COEX has a embargo on all jumpseater's in and or out of Canada.. If a COEX guy/gal can confirm this, that would explain why a MESA guy denied the J/S.


To answer the mainline/regional difference in J/S behavior.. it can be summed up easily.. Some people are just a$$'s.. regardless of whom they work for.. You get some regional dudes that give the same or similar attitude to other regional dudes and mainline guys get on other mainline guys nerves. You know the people I am talking about.. usually they same person you'd rather not spend a month with, less a 3 day trip with.

 

[rvsm410]

Medical Required To J/s??? Not

According to the latest TSA directive we got (SkyWest) a medical is now required for identifing jumpseaters. If need be I can probably find the actual text. I don't think the APLA handbook has the final say anymore.

Fly Safe.

You say a medical is required to jumpseat? If that were so, then most of us dispatchers would be eliminated from j/s. first we are not required to have medicals to perform our dispatch duties, 2) many of us like me used to be pilots and lost our medicals so now we dispatch instead.....again, how does a medical even play into the qualifications to J/S? If we have the license and the Verifiable airline ID, then what else does anyone need and why if the need more?

As far as the lastest REGS go, dispatchers still have the yearly requirement to do FAM flights and reccurrent training flights, though some could be done in a sim, but not all.

 

[English]

Some company flight manuals specify that a medical certificate is required of flight crewmembers jumpseating.

 

[bogberto]

Porra: if you're with an ALPA carrier, please have your Jumpseat Chair contact the Mesa Jumpseat Chair to clear that up. We have open jumpseat policy and the only snag I can see is getting you into the U.S. from Canada, but if (as mentioned before) you're in the back, I wouldn't think it's a problem.

 

[Russ]

Its funny to see the changes with the UA guys. Won't even give you the head nod in the terminal, but eager to talk to bag a free ride.

As to jumping on DAL I have had great times with the excepion of one guy. Unfortunately I kept getting him. Short little Captain with a mullet. That was how we was described to me and it was a perfect fit when I met him the first time. Within a minute you knew he flew tomcats in the Navy. He had a serious dislike of regionals and that I found out at about minute two. He had the gaul to ask me why I didn't join the military if I wanted to fly airplanes. He thought regionals should only fly piston aircraft. I hope he is nicer to his FO's than to jumpseaters.

"You can do something about it if you want to. You are the Captain, right?"

That fight is not going to get you anywhere you want to be after the coordinators start talking to each other.

 

[Vortilon]

Russ,

Sorry to hear about your mullet encounter! Sounds like you were a victim of the a$$hole per thousand ratio. Everybody has em.

I agree the jumpseat is no place to be political but I can understand how some of the UAL folks might not have warm fuzzy feelings towards Indy Air pilots. Both carriers are in a real-life fight for their lives, especially at IAD. If this were the early 80s right after deregulation there'd be a lot more than dirty looks going on.

 

[J32driver]

I had a UAL guy give up his jumpseat about 2 years ago so that I could get home. He said he'd make sure I was able to get on and then he took the next flight. Certainly doesn't happen often, but they aren't all bad.

I was bumming a ride from another UAL crew a couple of weeks ago, the FO was bit ching to the Captain about how a previous captain had denied the Jumpseat to an Indy guy. Both were pis sed that the Indy guy got denied. Again... they aren't all bad. Just a couple bad apples like every company.

 

[higherflyer]

I've had jumpseaters from virtually all majors, LCC's and regionals on board and have yet to have anyone show up with an attitude. I have jumpseated on virtually all as well and have never received an attitude from anyone in the front office (lots of attitude from some gate agents, but those stories are for a separate thread).
I make a point of ensuring that whoever is onboard knows they are welcome no matter who they are and who they fly for. We all have to get to and from work somehow. Some have to fly to get there and if we can make it easier for our fellow pilots, we can make it better for all of us. To those who want to make a statement by giving a rider a hard time or denying him/her a seat: don't; you will only $crew it up for all of us.