Thank You CHQ CA for 'Making the Walk'

[BrownStreak]

BTW....please DO beat on the window if you think it'll get our attention! Almost all of us will come inside if we see anyone in a uniform waiving at us. I have no problem telling them to put you on or we can sit there until they do!

 

[taters]

I used to be a gate agent for CHQ in college...there is no "time limit" on closing a flight in DECS but they preferred 5 min not 12 and if the plane was still parked you should always get a jumseater on if Cap says OK.....sounds like that agent at the podium needs to trade in his badge for a TSA uniform..and be given a "swirley" in the lav

 

[CA1900]

... our agents at US Air Express are total @ssholes to jumpseaters.

Boy, that's the truth. I remember trying to jump on one of my own (prior) company's 1900s a few years back out of BOS (Allegheny ran the station). There was no physical jump, so it's just available passenger seats. There were several seats open, but after I checked in for the jumpseat and was walking away, she got on the PA and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, if there's anyone in the gate area already here for our 3pm flight who'd like to go out earlier, we have several seats open on our 1pm flight if you'd like to go out earlier."

Filled it right up and left me sitting, with a smug little look on her face. :angryfire

 

[crj567]

Since when did they start having jumpseats on lav trucks, dickhead?
:laugh::laugh::laugh:
And only captains can make that call, BTW!

Yep-

Just show up, and we will see.

 

[Scope out RJ's]

Yep-

Just show up, and we will see.

Hey tough guy, I told you Wendy's employees and lav truck drivers don't have that responsibility. Besides, you'll be too busy---->:crying::crying::crying:!

 

[Kugelblitz]

It would take them ½ the effort to just list someone and get them on. The temper tantrum probably made this take three times longer than it had to. I hate it, but part of my ritual before departing the gate is to go have a look in the gate area because our agents at US Air Express are total @ssholes to jumpseaters. You pay trash, you get trash that acts the part. I feel like the landlord of a trailer park dealing with these agents lately.

This unmentionable piece of dog-doo agent that I was referring to spent easily 8 minutes jawing at me, and trying to tell me such things as 'I cannot go up to the window and look at the captain'- that one really got to me. When the captain showed up it took about one minute to get me listed. This isn't about company policies, this is about a sadist being a sadist. I have seen this guy in action before and he once turned on me after making pleasant conversation for no apparent reason. Clearly there are issues here that adversly affect us non-revs and jumpseaters.

One of the confounding things that I have experienced in life, as I am sure many of you have, are those people who seek employment in areas just to be hateful to others. I had no less than 3 teachers during my primary education that clearly ,on reflection, simply didn't like children. I have seen many gate agents that I am quite sure simply took the job to be asinine or punitive to others, and cower behind company policy to excuse their behaviour. This was surely the case.

Again, as I emphasized in the original post, we must safegaurd this privilege by ensuring no jumpseaters are left behind in the boarding area. The captain signs the release, the captain is responsible for the airplane, plain and simple. If a captain can take a passenger off that the agents puts on due to flight attendant complaints or being intoxicated, then the same captain can put someone on the gate agent would rather leave behind. The agent nor the gate supervisor signed the release, the captain did. We must never let ourselves forget that.

 

[aewanabe]

Presumably this was an AA-coded flight. I find one of the problems with AA in general is jealousy of our J/S priviliges since they have to pay to ride on their own metal (or at least did about 10 years ago)... Kudos to you and the CA for standing up for yourself.

 

[ground stop]

tried the aa jumpseat line once and it was not open till 9am like you said. went up to the gate agent in ord and asked so be listed. she told me that some of her co-workers would literally have told me to f-off. i had chocolate with me so i was able to bribe her to list me though, all the while being oh so gracious for her help.

 

[Jorgy50]

I just had a most horrendous commuting event that was rescued by a Captain who stood up for his fellow airman and did the right thing. I am most grateful and wanted to express that here and pass on a cautionary situation at the AA gates in EWR and also a call to all of us everywhere to defend the jumpseat.

I was flying back from Lima,Peru this past Saturday morning and was able to get to EWR to make the first flight to my hometown on CHQ. I had to get through customs and then go from terminal C to A on the amazingly crappy "Airtrain" and then go back through security to get to the CHQ/AA gate. I managed to do this with 12 minutes to spare before the scheduled departure time. On the way to the gate I attempted to meal list for the flight only to find out that the non-rev help desk doesn't open now until 0900 CST, at least on the weekends. The fact that this first flight on CHQ had seats and knowing the flights were oversold the rest of the day for both my airline and CHQ was weighing heavily on me, and so I really wanted to get on this first flight that was 1/2 full.

As I rounded the corner to the gate I was relieved to see the agent and the knowledge that I had 12 minutes to spare. The gate agent looks at me and says "Sorry, the flight is closed and I can't re-open it" with a rather sadistic smile (I had seen this agent in a similar action before). As he is walking away I said "but the flight doesn't depart for 12 minutes", he just ignores me and walks away. So I did the only thing I could do, I walked to the terminal window and let the flight crew know I was there. I really felt this agent was being asinine and violating the basic principle of not treating others the way he would expect to be treated. And 12 minutes is 12 minutes, it isn't 2 minutes or the last minute.

After a few minutes the agent comes exploding through the now closed gate door and begins to yell at me and tells me, "When I close a flight it is closed, don't you ever go to the window and wave at the cockpit crew!" I don't work for CHQ, and this ***** trying to tell me what I can and cannot do! I found this incredulous. Even if I did work for CHQ, I work for chief pilots, not gate agents, and no gate agent is telling me anything. I told the gate agent that he has no business telling me what I can do or where I can go and his response is "Fine, your not getting on now!" In other words, I didn't sit there and let him yell and cower to him, so I don't get on.

Fortunately, the Captain came up to the podium and quietly stood by while this agent took the LESS THAN 1 MINUTE it took to list me. All the while the agent ranted about getting a delay and losing his job. It should seem obvious that job loss concerns were not the agents motivation in this circumstance from the get-go. As I walked away I still, after all this, thanked the agent (who of course had nothing to say) and was able to get home to see my sons first fall-ball baseball game. (I did convey this need to get to my family earlier but the agent was unconcerned, instead, allowing a 1/2 empty airplane to leave without me, or at least trying to anyway.)

It is only in the last 6 hellish years of my life have I appreciated the privilege of the jumpseat. I used to live in base but now have to commute, being unable both financially and personally to move to the Newark base. I appreciate the privilege that jumpseating is, I have always shown the utmost courtesy and appreciation to both the flight crew and the agents for assisting me in getting to work. I just wanted to emphasize the gem this ability is, how hard our pilots have worked to retain it, especially after 9-11, and our need as a group to safeguard it. This CHQ captain, who by the way ISN'T a commuter himself certainly understood this and again, thank you sir.

If anyone out there has any doubts about a gate agents sincerity, please walk up to the podium and check for yourself. In this case, the agent lied to the captain when asked if there was anyone left to try and get on the airplane. I know this is not always feasible but this jumpseating priveledge is so important to so many of us.

Thanks again to those of you who read this lengthy post. I am interested in any criticisms one may have of my actions and whether I was out of line. I don't believe I was, but then again I am emotionally close the events. Thanks again and happy flying!

Had something similar happen to me today in DFW, but the outcome was different. Trying to get from SLC to ATL, I had to go through DFW. I made it to DFW on American, no problem. I ran to the Delta counter for the next flight to ATL and made it with 12 minutes to spare. I asked the agent if he had room for one more. "Nope, 12 minutes til departure, flight is closed." The door was still open. I started to walk off in disbelief and then turned around and asked him nicely if I could talk to the Captain. His response, "No". I don't jumpseat very often and couldn't believe this guy wouldn't take 30 secs to get me on a half empty airplane or even let me walk down the jetway and talk to the Captain. Waited an hour and a half and made the next flight. Any tips for this situation if you can't see the cockpit to get their attention?

 

[indianboy7]

Any tips for this situation if you can't see the cockpit to get their attention?

Unfortunately there's not much you can do. If you feel the gate agent is being unreasonable, your only other option is to find a CS supervisor and see if they'll help you.