UAL Capt in DEN- December 2010

[PBRstreetgang]

clr4theapch,

Just curious. Do you have any experience flying a passenger jet in the US that weighs >100k lbs?

Thanks

Heck,
A 50 seat CRJ from Bentonville weighs that much on any given day, heck the infants weigh the FAA 195lb adult average, the parents scrape both sides of the MCD, and the beverage cart is smeared with lard sweat from one pass. The overwhelming scent of bacon grease will actually waft forward to the front of the plane!
Tons of fun!
PBR

 

[C-150ETOPS]

PBR,

That's some funny sheet.

I can smell it now, along with the stale bad breath of just smoked cigarettes mixed with the rotten remains of unchewed pork rinds trapped between the 12 remaining teeth :laugh:

 

[homerjdispatch]

Heck,
A 50 seat CRJ from Bentonville weighs that much on any given day, heck the infants weigh the FAA 195lb adult average, the parents scrape both sides of the MCD, and the beverage cart is smeared with lard sweat from one pass. The overwhelming scent of bacon grease will actually waft forward to the front of the plane!
Tons of fun!
PBR

Thanksgiving at your home????

 

[Fubijaakr]

And if both of these comments are true I have a feeling that ALPA and some others are about to eat crow. There is only one good reason for a LEO to say that to a pilot who is packing if you know what I mean.

That would explain a lot about the whole altercation.

 

[clr4theapch]

And to answer the question, if I have flown anything over 100K lbs.. NO... been up front alot though, and have my fair share of hours in the pointy end.. however, my point was simple.. based on THIS report and the way it was reported HERE.. I think 2 professionals should have much better self control.. safety, stress, passaenger perception, on and on... this sould have been a none event.. there are may other ways to have handled this.. heck just drop the bag in the FWD hold.. it could have been sent up to the jet way as soon as they blocked in at the dest...

Where is the captain's authority start?? I have asked many this week.. and they all stay at the cabin door.. is the CSR being a jerk.. probably.. but was this worth all this??

JMHO...

 

[LXApilot]

A quick story about PIC authority at UAL...

I was at the commuter airlines at the time my father was on his retirement trip at United and I had gone along to ride OMC for the last two days. Had flown in the night before IAD-SFO and spent a great night out with Dad, the First Officer and some Flight Attendants he had known throughout his career. Next morning we went to airport where we were supposed to fly SFO to HNL with a stop in SAN.

I was OMC and the flight was full. Just before the agent closed out the flight a United First Officer came into the cockpit and looks at me; points his finger into my face and says "who do you fly for?"

I say "Republic Airways."

He laughs and says "I thought so... you're outta here. This is my jumpseat."

I was pretty polite with the guy and apologized but said that I was riding with my Dad on his retirement flight and that he'd probably want to discuss it with him. The F/O responded: "I don't want to hear your sob stories. United crew-members have priority on the jumpseat."

My Father turned around in his seat and got the guys attention. He explained that he already had a jumpseater and although I wasn't a UAL pilot there were "special circumstances" and that the F/O would need to take the next flight. My Father explained that this was his retirement flight and he had already made his decision regarding OMCs on the flight. He was pretty stern but he wasn't rude.. just matter of fact... even told him to have a good day.

The F/O leaves the cockpit without another word... we didn't think much of it other than a "hey hope that guy gets where he's going", etc. A few moments later the CSR comes up in the cockpit and confronts me telling me that I have no authority to tell a United crewmember who can sit in the cockpit. I explain that I wasn't telling the UAL F/O what OMC policy was at his own airline. The CSR then tells me that I will have to get off of the flight because I was being bumped by a UAL crewmember.

My Father intervened and explains to the CSR that he has ultimate authority regarding jumpseaters and that he was using "Captains authority" regarding who would sit on the cockpit jumpseat. He politely asked the CSR to close out the flight and that he was through discussing this situation.

The CSR leaves and within a few moments comes back into the cockpit again telling me I had to go. Not wanting to cause a problem I start to collect my bag and head out of the cockpit to resolve the situation. As I'm getting out of my seat the agent informs us that zone control had made the call regarding who would be sitting in the cockpit jumpseat and that the UAL crewmember would be accommodated instead of me.

My father, who was becoming a little perturbed, explained to the agent a little more forcefully that he makes the decisions regarding jumpseaters; not the agent or zone control; and that he had already made a decision to accommodate me. He then asked the agent to leave and "close the door."

So the agent leaves the cockpit... then a call comes in from the F/A's in back. "Hey guys- that pilot is back and he's really angry."

As soon as the flight attendants words are spoken the original United F/O comes into the cockpit- walks past me and leans over the pedestal. He glares at the F/O on our flight and then sticks his right hand out and pokes my father in the chest with his finger as he launches into a tirade. "You know what?" he says. "I'm glad you are retiring... our pilot group is better without ***holes like you. You don't deserve to wear this uniform." etc.

He then admits that "if I go to the flight office with this; I know who they're going to back.. but it's Christmas Eve and I've got two little girls at home waiting for their Dad and I was furloughed by this company and that's why I'm riding in this cockpit and your son is staying here."

Dad asks the guy to "get out of the cockpit" to which the guy says for my Father to "go **** yourself." So in an interesting twist my Father tells the guy "I think you just made a big mistake... you and me, outside, right now."

The United F/O starts loudly yelling "Oh absolutely! Let's go outside! Let's do it!" and he walks out of the cockpit. Dad runs his seat back and follows him out the door; leaving me and the flight F/O sitting there strapped into our seats listening to the air conditioner noise. It's silent for a few moments.

Then Flight Attendants start coming up front asking what's going on. The F/O asks me to watch the store for a minute and he says he's going back to make sure everything is okay. So now it's just me sitting there.

After about 5 minutes the First Officer comes back up and sits down in his seat and straps in- we're silent for a moment as he is giving the 30 degree stare out the window. He then turns around to me and says "wow."

I ask what all is going on and if I should go back... he then proceeds to tell me the story of what he saw back on the jetway. Apparently the angry F/O was standing on the jetway cursing and punching the side of the aircraft skin which is exposed next to the boarding door. He explains that the angry F/O had asked him to "get with him on this" to which he responded that the last thing he was going to do was side with someone acting so unprofessionally. He further explained that he should think of his family and not be picking a fight with a senior captain on his retirement flight. Apparently the agent had called the San Francisco police down to figure out the situation but was still adamant about the United F/O displacing me on the jumpseat. He claimed that he had the authority to decide who sat in the jumpseat, not the Captain, as it was the gate agent who determines boarding priorities; etc.

Apparently when the police approached my Father and the flight F/O stepped back onboard the aircraft and demanded the door be closed - another CSR who was a bystander during the episode went ahead and closed the aircraft door. The flight F/O returned to the cockpit and told me this story followed by my father who had stopped in the galley to explain what had happened to the Flight Attendants, and get a fresh cup of coffee.

With the incident apparently over we pushed back and went on to SAN and then to HNL. That night out at Duke's we're watching the sun go down when he gets a call from a duty manager regarding the "jumpseat incident". He starts to explain the episode by saying "it's my retirement flight and my son is an airline pilot so he was sitting in the jumpseat." at that the duty manager said "you know what? I'm satisfied hearing that much... have a great retirement and we appreciate all your years here. I think this guy might be out of the job... don't worry about it- you handled it well." and hung up the phone. The next day we went on to SFO and the following day on to IAD.

It was a great and memorable trip but it was marred by this incident. I never figured to see or hear of another professional pilot acting like the First Officer in this incident but I guess I can't explain the mindset of everyone.

CSR, Zone Control, angry First Officers, etc... there is a precedent that must be out there that says that anyone can challenge the Captain on a flight regarding his decisions. I for one am totally behind the Captain having ultimate authority regarding the operation of the aircraft- on the ground and in the air.

I'm not 100% certain regarding the circumstances of this case you mention in DEN but agree that the captain probably could have returned to the cockpit and refused to release the brakes before a resolution was reached. No need to try and get physical- in any way- pushing past someone or otherwise.

 

[Sluggo_63]

A quick story about PIC authority at UAL...

Dude, I don't condone how the first officer acted AT ALL, but you had already spent two nights OMCing with your Dad, had a great time, and it's Christmas Eve and the flights were full... This guy was trying to get home to be with his young daughters for Christmas, and you wanted to have some Mai-Tai's at Dukes.

If I was your Dad, I would have said, "Son, thanks for coming this far, I had a great time, but I've got to get one of my fellow crewmembers home to see his kids for Christmas. If you can catch the next flight to Hawaii, I'll be a Duke's, if not, have a great Christmas and I'll see you when I get back."

I'm not trying to say that the Captain doesn't have full authority over the jumpseat, but I'm saying that he probably could have used that authority for the greater good, not for selfish interests.

 

[clr4theapch]

Good story, thanks for sharing... As a dispatcher, I have had the pleasure of many great Jump Seat flights and getting bumped.. Having full understanding of the situation, I jump right up with a smile on my face and thank the crew for the try...

As a reminder while we are on the topic...

The dispatchers always thank the pilots for keeping us in mind in their contract wording for allowing jumpseating for us, and the occasional rescue from a CSR that does not know we even exist..

In these new times of high loads, commuting dispatchers face very tough situations, in some cases spending most of a day off just trying to get to or from work.. Many companies now require dispatchers to live at the airlines operation city because of missed shifts.. and many have been fired for missing work due to commuting in the past..

So thanks for remembering the occasional dispatcher that needs a ride up front or in the back, please just remember that their job could be on the line if they can't get to work... and that the CSR is our major obstical..

 

[GuppyWN]

I could write a book on United jumpseat stories. Both good and bad.

Gup

 

[clr4theapch]

Sluggo63, though I see your point... this captain most likely accomodated people all his career... and this was the last flight for the rest of his life!.. I think that sentiment overrides any thought of selfishness..

If anything, the airline should not have made is last trip to such a place on a Christmas day, knowing crews would be trying to get home.. I'm sure everyone ( scheduling, dispatch, management) knew his son was comming along in advance of this trip... Retirement flights are pretty well notied by all at operations..