Preboarding Jumpseaters on SWA

[Crucianpilot]

I was jumpseating the other day and was preboarded. After taking the exit row seat a/c right( lots of leg room), flight attendant told me I could not sit there since I preboarded. I acknowledged her and took another seat, no problem. Just curious though, I know the briefing card does reiterate what she said but that was the first time I was asked to move in 9 yrs of commuting. Is this just an isolated request or are they enforcing this rule? Seems they would like to have crewmembers in the emergency exit row. Any thoughts?

 

[northstar]

I was jumpseating the other day and was preboarded. After taking the exit row seat a/c right( lots of leg room), flight attendant told me I could not sit there since I preboarded. I acknowledged her and took another seat, no problem. Just curious though, I know the briefing card does reiterate what she said but that was the first time I was asked to move in 9 yrs of commuting. Is this just an isolated request or are they enforcing this rule? Seems they would like to have crewmembers in the emergency exit row. Any thoughts?

Don't be a jerk. First of all, you shouldn't preboard if you have a letter boarding pass. Second, the flight attd moved you, because he/she like myself believes a paying customer should have the comfort of the leg room or the exit row. I'm sorry if I am coming off hostile. It's almost like someone expecting free drinks just cause they flash their badge. Please extend the exit row to revenue pax and not be selfish on the free ride.

 

[81Horse]

Silly! They don't want crewmembers in those seats -- not if there's extra leg room; those seats are for real pa$$engers.

Oh, wait -- maybe I'm thinking about Northwest.

 

[BobbyB]

The simple (and correct) answer is: SWA Policy is that no pre-board passenger may sit in the exit row seat, neither company employee nor paying passenger. If you general board with your A B or C card and an exit row seat is open, have at it.

 

[Afterprop]

The first time I pre-boarded SWA as a "jump seater / non-revenue" one of the SWA pilots who I was talking with, and jumpseating home as well, pulled me aside. "Sit in the latter portion of the a/c, and don't take an emergency exit row seat since we pre-boarded." He mentioned some FAA rule about pre-boards not being allowed to sit in an exit row seat. I appreciated him explaining to me some of nuances of the "rules" so to speak. Small price to pay for the privilege of riding, AND pre-boarding. Don't abuse the privilege. And always thank the good captain at the other end for the ride and hospitality.
Cheers,
'Props

 

[TR4A]

I was jumpseating the other day and was preboarded.

I would like to apologize for the rude comment from what appears to be a SW pilot (northstar) because he was being a "jerk".

We as crew members use to sit in the overwing exits (OWE) before the lounge seating, facing seats, was installed. When the lounges were installed we were told not to sit there. Now the lounges have been removed and no preboarders are allowed to sit there. We even have had a FAA guy try to sit in the OWE seats and the F/A told him no.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

Don't be a jerk. First of all, you shouldn't preboard if you have a letter boarding pass. Second, the flight attd moved you, because he/she like myself believes a paying customer should have the comfort of the leg room or the exit row. I'm sorry if I am coming off hostile. It's almost like someone expecting free drinks just cause they flash their badge. Please extend the exit row to revenue pax and not be selfish on the free ride.

No you're not sorry.

 

[FlyBarneyJets]

The vast majority of pre-boarders at SWA are either families with small children or medical pre-boards, which facts automatically make them unable to occupy exit row seats. We were having issues (I'm told) with people who were telling our gate agents they needed to pre-board for various medical reasons, only to have themselves be miraculously healed by the time they got down the jetway and into the exit row seats.

Also, we've apparently had some complaint letters from some of our customers who've boarded at the front of the "A" group after getting up early, getting to the airport early, and getting checked in early to get the good seats...only to find uniformed or non-reving crewmembers sitting in the seats they were after. Can't say I blame them for being upset to find that the prime seats on our 737s were taken even before they arrived.

I was moved by a very friendly SWA FA on my ride to DAL for the interview a few years back. I'd been taken down the jetway by the Captain and introduced to everyone onboard as an "interviewee" before even the preboarders came down. I had no idea at the time that the company liked to save those rows for paying customers. Ever since, I've sat in the last third of the airplane.

Best thing you can do is say, "Oops. Sorry. I didn't know. I'll sit wherever you want me to sit."

Other than that, we're pretty much always happy to have the jumpseaters!

 

[canyonblue737]

Don't be a jerk.

Yeah northstar, don't be one. Givin us SWA guys a bad name.

Now that said, the simple truth is the rule changed about 12 months ago and is strongly being enforced by management and FAA supervision. Even SWA employees can't preboard and take those seats mainly because of passenger complaints that those prime seats are constantly occupied by preboarding non-rev employees.

We and you are encouraged to take the row just aft or forward of an emergency exit row to help us in the event of an emergency and forgive the inability to take the extra leg room and allow us to make it up to you via preboarding jumpseaters, a rarity in the industry at this point.

 

[northstar]

Yeah northstar, don't be one. Givin us SWA guys a bad name.

Now that said, the simple truth is the rule changed about 12 months ago and is strongly being enforced by management and FAA supervision. Even SWA employees can't preboard and take those seats mainly because of passenger complaints that those prime seats are constantly occupied by preboarding non-rev employees.

We and you are encouraged to take the row just aft or forward of an emergency exit row to help us in the event of an emergency and forgive the inability to take the extra leg room and allow us to make it up to you via preboarding jumpseaters, a rarity in the industry at this point.

I'd like to apologize to crucian. I did come off like a jerk. It looked like your first post was everything but common sense. I thought you were flaming our open seat policy. I took it the wrong way.