DornierPilot
Doing my part...
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2002
- Posts
- 74
For anyone that is interested, here is a recently published explanation from ALPA Leadership as to why those of us at FedEx are frustrated with the ability to reciprocate jumpseat access. Please let your fellow crewmembers know the truth about this when the subject comes up.
Thanks!
I. CASS and Interline Jumpseats
Let’s say you are a commuter based in Memphis trying to get to MEM in time to pay crash pad bills, do a little clean-up after your buddies and get adequate rest before your trip. Let’s say that, for whatever convenience it serves, you want to use a jumpseat on another airline to get to work. And then let’s say that you are approaching the airport with a little more reservation than the last time because of the "cold" reception that last Captain gave you when you were asking for that ride a couple of weeks back.
Yeah, he gave you the ride. But he also, out of some understandable frustration, wanted to know, from you, "What’s up with FedEx reciprocating?" Well, this is what’s up…
In May of this year the V.P. of Labor Relations wrote a letter to our Negotiating Committee Chair. In it he expressed that…
1) The Company was in negotiations with ARINC concerning the purchase and use of the Cockpit Access Security System (CASS). CASS is a U.S. government approved program for pilots of participating U.S. airlines to use to gain access to the cockpit jumpseats of participating U.S. airlines.
2) The Company was "not certain" how long implementation of CASS would take after those negotiations were done but that, barring "unexpected intervening events", the Company planned on reinstating offline jumpseats by October 1, 2004.
3) It was the Company’s intention to allow offline jumpseaters aft of the hardened doors only, not in the cockpit, despite the intent of CASS.
4) And, additionally, that reinstatement of offline jumpseaters would be contingent on, "… a peaceful and uneventful transition in the reinstatement of personal jumpseats for our own employees."
On June 3, 2004 a response letter was sent by our Negotiating Committee Chair, speaking for the Negotiating Committee and MEC, to the V.P. of Labor Relations. In part, it read, "First of all and most importantly, we view Offline Jumpseats as an integral part of our overall jumpseat program, substantiated by past practice, and Contractually guaranteed. In the era of increased security brought on by our country’s ongoing war effort, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have instituted the Cockpit Access Security System (CASS). The purpose of CASS is to enable airlines to positively identify (on a real-time basis) cockpit crewmembers from other airlines so that they might be granted cockpit access for the purpose of jumpseating. Jumpseating, as you may or may not know, is a long-standing prerequisite of the airline piloting profession. It is an important means by which airline pilots travel to and from work assignments, and furthermore is a professional courtesy, proudly granted by one professional pilot to another. Offline jumpseating is usually a back-up means of travel and therefore most often accomplished with minimal lead time."
As this is written on November 19, the following airlines have CASS in place… UPS, American, American Eagle, Alaska, Northwest, United, Continental and Horizon. Despite a "peaceful" summer of reinstating personal FedEx employee passengers on our aircraft, we still have nothing. We have no CASS and despite the fact that CASS is not a requirement in the industry for offline jumpseaters outside of the cockpits, our management seems intent on dismissing that possibility.
To summarize, offline jumpseats at FedEx have been, 1) contingent on CASS, 2) hostage to "good behavior", and 3) denied in the meantime, outside of the cockpits, because of a corporate philosophy. All of the requirements for "peaceful" personal jumpseats have been met. PIC authority, which some factions of our corporate management have been loathe to acknowledge, has been exercised with discretion and good judgment. If 8 airlines can manage to be in CASS, FedEx Express should be able to do the same.
We know that a pilot jumpseater is not the same as a passenger in the eyes of the regulatory authorities, that being in a positive sense, acknowledging the credentials, screening, background checks and professional status that differentiate airline pilots from other passengers. Unfortunately, our corporate management is of a different mindset, for whatever reason(s).
So, when you ask that Northwest Captain for a ride and he bristles, you can relate some of this to him. We do not have reciprocal offline jumpseats because our management has deemed it so.
Thanks!
I. CASS and Interline Jumpseats
Let’s say you are a commuter based in Memphis trying to get to MEM in time to pay crash pad bills, do a little clean-up after your buddies and get adequate rest before your trip. Let’s say that, for whatever convenience it serves, you want to use a jumpseat on another airline to get to work. And then let’s say that you are approaching the airport with a little more reservation than the last time because of the "cold" reception that last Captain gave you when you were asking for that ride a couple of weeks back.
Yeah, he gave you the ride. But he also, out of some understandable frustration, wanted to know, from you, "What’s up with FedEx reciprocating?" Well, this is what’s up…
In May of this year the V.P. of Labor Relations wrote a letter to our Negotiating Committee Chair. In it he expressed that…
1) The Company was in negotiations with ARINC concerning the purchase and use of the Cockpit Access Security System (CASS). CASS is a U.S. government approved program for pilots of participating U.S. airlines to use to gain access to the cockpit jumpseats of participating U.S. airlines.
2) The Company was "not certain" how long implementation of CASS would take after those negotiations were done but that, barring "unexpected intervening events", the Company planned on reinstating offline jumpseats by October 1, 2004.
3) It was the Company’s intention to allow offline jumpseaters aft of the hardened doors only, not in the cockpit, despite the intent of CASS.
4) And, additionally, that reinstatement of offline jumpseaters would be contingent on, "… a peaceful and uneventful transition in the reinstatement of personal jumpseats for our own employees."
On June 3, 2004 a response letter was sent by our Negotiating Committee Chair, speaking for the Negotiating Committee and MEC, to the V.P. of Labor Relations. In part, it read, "First of all and most importantly, we view Offline Jumpseats as an integral part of our overall jumpseat program, substantiated by past practice, and Contractually guaranteed. In the era of increased security brought on by our country’s ongoing war effort, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have instituted the Cockpit Access Security System (CASS). The purpose of CASS is to enable airlines to positively identify (on a real-time basis) cockpit crewmembers from other airlines so that they might be granted cockpit access for the purpose of jumpseating. Jumpseating, as you may or may not know, is a long-standing prerequisite of the airline piloting profession. It is an important means by which airline pilots travel to and from work assignments, and furthermore is a professional courtesy, proudly granted by one professional pilot to another. Offline jumpseating is usually a back-up means of travel and therefore most often accomplished with minimal lead time."
As this is written on November 19, the following airlines have CASS in place… UPS, American, American Eagle, Alaska, Northwest, United, Continental and Horizon. Despite a "peaceful" summer of reinstating personal FedEx employee passengers on our aircraft, we still have nothing. We have no CASS and despite the fact that CASS is not a requirement in the industry for offline jumpseaters outside of the cockpits, our management seems intent on dismissing that possibility.
To summarize, offline jumpseats at FedEx have been, 1) contingent on CASS, 2) hostage to "good behavior", and 3) denied in the meantime, outside of the cockpits, because of a corporate philosophy. All of the requirements for "peaceful" personal jumpseats have been met. PIC authority, which some factions of our corporate management have been loathe to acknowledge, has been exercised with discretion and good judgment. If 8 airlines can manage to be in CASS, FedEx Express should be able to do the same.
We know that a pilot jumpseater is not the same as a passenger in the eyes of the regulatory authorities, that being in a positive sense, acknowledging the credentials, screening, background checks and professional status that differentiate airline pilots from other passengers. Unfortunately, our corporate management is of a different mindset, for whatever reason(s).
So, when you ask that Northwest Captain for a ride and he bristles, you can relate some of this to him. We do not have reciprocal offline jumpseats because our management has deemed it so.
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