Question for Delta Pilots regarding jumpseat

[habubuaza]

I was recently denied a jumpseat out of Dublin to Atlanta and I was puzzled because there were like 10 open seats (20 out of Shannon). The CSR told me that there was already a jumpseater, a Delta pilot and that the company only allows one jumseater regardless whether it's mainline or an off line person.

Question: Is the above true, forgive me in advance for my ignorance I didn't know that was your policy.

I was fortunate because the Continental Rep overheard what was happening to me at Delta and told me before I left that there were plenty of seats on the Continental flight to EWR and they would be happy to accomodate me, so I was able to get home.

 

[hr2eternity]

Lazy is the answer

Hey, I have jumpseated on DL many times internationally and by and large, they've been great. However, there have been occasions where the gate agent will say intitially the js is taken only later to find out that it is not. Ultimately, it is the captain who decides so if in doubt, politely ask the agent to ask the captain anyway, since if the js'er is an online guy, he/she can write themselves a pass thereby allowing you to go. Always have them ask the captain. But, despite this, delta is # 1 to js on from my experience. Best.

TH

 

[GogglesPisano]

What hr2eternity said

Hey, I have jumpseated on DL many times internationally and by and large, they've been great. However, there have been occasions where the gate agent will say intitially the js is taken only later to find out that it is not. Ultimately, it is the captain who decides so if in doubt, politely ask the agent to ask the captain anyway, since if the js'er is an online guy, he/she can write themselves a pass thereby allowing you to go. Always have them ask the captain. But, despite this, delta is # 1 to js on from my experience. Best.

TH

 

[JohnQ]

As a DAL guy, I'll chime in. For starters, in any future scenario such as this just politely ask the agent if the captain could ask the current DAL jumpseater if he could use a pass--I've never seen one not willing to do so. For that matter I have frequently had agents have a mistaken impression of just who is using the JS that day--sometimes they list a jumpseater when none exists, and vice versa. Don't assume that the agent necessarily is totally in the loop.


In any case, since you were flying from DUB, all of our international configured aircraft (767ER, 767-400, and 777) have two jumpseats. So if there truly were just one DAL jumpseater, you still could have taken the other one.

DAL's policy, as of today is:

1. Only DAL pilots may actually occupy the cockpit JS.

a. The ONE exception is for DAL connection carriers, and they may only occupy the cockpit JS if all seats in the back are taken.

2. We only allow as many jumpseaters as there are actual physical jumpseats. For the 777, 767-400, 767-200, and the 767-300ERs, that means two JS. All other aircraft only have one.

a. Exception: SWA pilots may now take as many JS as there are open seats in the back. We are still trying to improve this--and we will!-- but working with our mgmt on something as simple as this is torturous.

3. All non-DAL/connection carriers using the JS must sit in the back, AND no DAL jumpseaters may be accounted for in the cockpit JS. i.e. they must pass ride in the back--but it is free, so so what!

4. We are working on getting CASS-certified, and offering unlimited flowback. See above sentence about slowwwww mgmt response.

You are always welcome on a DAL plane if there are seats available.

 

[GogglesPisano]

I've been told on more than one occasion in DUB/SNN that "the jumpseat" (singular) has been taken. I always assumed that if there is a Relief Officer, that counts as one of the two j/s's and thus there is only one remaining.

In any event, when I get on I get the royal treatment and for that I will always be very grateful for DL's policy.

 

[habubuaza]

Well, thanks for the info. I will try again in the future when I have a few days off to go home.

 

[JohnQ]

I've been told on more than one occasion in DUB/SNN that "the jumpseat" (singular) has been taken. I always assumed that if there is a Relief Officer, that counts as one of the two j/s's and thus there is only one remaining.

In any event, when I get on I get the royal treatment and for that I will always be very grateful for DL's policy.

You know, you probably doubt that I am even a DAL pilot, since I forgot about the relief officer! Of course you are correct--one JS will be allocated for the relief pilot on int'l segments (or both JS in the one and only >12 hr flight we have, on the 777 from ATL-Tokyo Narita).

Cheers

 

[Tim47SIP]

Dosent make any sense?

a. Exception: SWA pilots may now take as many JS as there are open seats in the back. We are still trying to improve this--and we will!-- but working with our mgmt on something as simple as this is torturous.

You know, this strikes me as sort of funny as SWA pilots have caused allot of the headaches with the LCC competition. I havn't heard any Delta guys talk good things about them. Why would they be granted this unique oportunity?

 

[flint4xx]

a. Exception: SWA pilots may now take as many JS as there are open seats in the back. We are still trying to improve this--and we will!-- but working with our mgmt on something as simple as this is torturous.

You know, this strikes me as sort of funny as SWA pilots have caused allot of the headaches with the LCC competition. I havn't heard any Delta guys talk good things about them. Why would they be granted this unique oportunity?

Please tell me what the SW pilots did EXACTLY to cause you to make this statement.

 

[DonVerita]

a. Exception: SWA pilots may now take as many JS as there are open seats in the back. We are still trying to improve this--and we will!-- but working with our mgmt on something as simple as this is torturous.

You know, this strikes me as sort of funny as SWA pilots have caused allot of the headaches with the LCC competition. I havn't heard any Delta guys talk good things about them. Why would they be granted this unique oportunity?

Tim,

The SWA pilots, AirTran pilots, jetBlue pilots, etc have not caused headaches to anybody. We only fly the planes. Our responsibility is to safely fly the passengers from point A to point B and extend courteous hospitality to as many of our fellow pilots from other carriers as we can. Let the suits in management worry about stealing passengers from each other.