To the Mesaba pilot jumpseating MEM-GSO last night

[TA/RA]

Peanukle Jumpseat

Lear is absolutely correct regarding the Pinnacle FOM. A deadheading crewmember is not supposed to be on the jumpseat. I have spoken with the "powers that be" regarding this and I believe it is worded that way so that we cannot be forced onto the seat by a gate agent. We have some agents that will inconvenience a pilot at any opportunity. I was told that I could elect to take the seat and "not to worry about it."

That said, if it gets another person on an already too small airplane I will do it if the Captain agrees to it. I arrived at the gate for a deadhead from TUL to MEM this past week. The gate agent was pretty peeved when he saw two deadhead crewmembers show up. When I was informed that the plane was full, I offered to take the jumpseat. I then saw another pilot that was asking the the jumpseat to commute into MEM. I immediately withdrew my offer and stepped to the side for the gate agent to come up with my crew's seats. As it turns out, Lear was the Captain on this flight. He made sure that the jumpseater got on one way or the other. The boneheaded thing is that the gate agent didn't notice that my FO had been reassigned and we only needed two seats. He bumped three pax and the jumpseater sat in the back.

The next day, we left GNV with a deadheading crewmember on our jumpseat. The cabin was full and he sat up front to avoid bumping someone. In this day and age with our present load factors, we have to work together and take care of each other. I will do anything in my power to get a jumpseater on the airplane. I have commuted in the past and a lot of people did me favors to get me home. I will not forget.

 

[Lear70]

LOL - TA/RA, it doesn't help that the gate agent was like what... 12 years old or something?

They were pretty aggravated when the very first thing I did was sign the jumpseater's form and told them HE was in the jumpseat, period. I was personally a little aggravated they wouldn't let the jumpseater come down to the aircraft; the only way I knew he was up there was that we were early, my F/O was bored, and went into the terminal to poke around and came back down and told me. Sneaky-a*s gate agent... I have no DOUBT they would have TRIED to bump the jumpseater and put one of the deadheading crew on the jumpseat and never said a WORD to me about it.

Rich, I appreciate the offer and will probably take you up on it, I have recurrent in May (if I'm still here). I'll mention the BFC thing, his daughter and my daughter cheer together in a little tween cheer group and he and his wife and I all grew up and went to school since elementary together, same church, etc, so I see him pretty regularly.

See you guys out there, this NWA thing is looking pretty ugly, so good luck to us all!