USAIR Capt denies JS to SWA commuter!

[capt. megadeth]

A captain doesn't need to justify denial. It's just like letting someone ride in your car. You don't have to let a guest in. The captain's jumpseat is his/hers. It's a priviledge and you are a guest of the captain if he/she allows you on.

Later

 

[PCL_128]

A captain doesn't need to justify denial. It's just like letting someone ride in your car. You don't have to let a guest in. The captain's jumpseat is his/hers. It's a priviledge and you are a guest of the captain if he/she allows you on.

Later

Exactly.

 

[igneousy2]

A captain doesn't need to justify denial. It's just like letting someone ride in your car. You don't have to let a guest in. The captain's jumpseat is his/hers. It's a priviledge and you are a guest of the captain if he/she allows you on.

Later

This is absolutely true, however, if a neighbor asks you for a ride to somewhere that you are already going and you tell them no, then they are going to be pissed, and you better not be asking them for any favors anytime soon. You have a right to deny your neighbor a ride, your neighbor has a right to be pissed at you.

Yes - the captain has a right to deny the jumpseat to anyone, but to expect that they not be subject to scrutiny from peers is ridicules.

later

 

[pipejockey]

This guy is obviously the rare exception, if the PIT-PHL Usair commuters find out what his name is they'll probably throw him a blanket party. Southwest helps many commuters get to PHL and back.

Well don't you think southworst owes those pilots a ride since the routes belonged to USAir until they were undercut in typical southworst fashion?

 

[FlyinGuy]

Pipe...I did not realize that this biz was on a first come first serve basis. If that is the case, can you tell me where to drop off my Pan Am app?

 

[pianoman]

Well don't you think southworst owes those pilots a ride since the routes belonged to USAir until they were undercut in typical southworst fashion?

If you mean typical by earning a hell of a lot more as a 737 pilot at Southwest than at USAir, then yes. And no I have no dog in this fight.

 

[slaquer5]

Well don't you think southworst owes those pilots a ride since the routes belonged to USAir until they were undercut in typical southworst fashion?

Bitter little man stop kicking your dog.

 

[LearLove]

Last Friday I was informed by the agent at BWI that the 757 Capt had informed him he didn't want any Southwest pilots in his Jumpseat. The agent told me this as he informed me not to worry because he had a seat in the back (he thought the Capt meant he didn't want them on the flight deck). However after going onboard to say hello and giving the lead FA my ID she entered the flight deck and just behind her was the agent with the final paperwork. I overheard the Capt giving the agent hell and telling him he had usurped his powers as a capt in allowing a JS. The agent came back out and told me to take a seat in the back. I assumed he was relaying this from the Capt. Today I returned to BWI and talked to the agent. He informed me the Capt didn't want any SWA people on his aircraft period. I am posting this not to flame USAIR. They have always been great host. I would like any USAIR commuters who read this to have a little conversation with this Capt(email, letters, phone call, etc) about his past and future actions. I am not posting his name here but will be glad to supply it if you contact me direct via email here.

I was in BWI yesterday and asked 2 agents (one male one female) working my flight about this. Both said they either knew nothing about it or it is untrue. Now of course either of them may not be the agents involved but BWI doesn't have that many agents these days (compared to pre 9/11) so I may/do question the validity of this whole tread.

 

[weasel_lips]

Found this on airlinepilotcentral.com.
It spells it out pretty clearly. Frankly, that SWA person that started this thread pretty much did everything one should NOT do.



http://airlinepilotcentral.com/reso.../jumpseating:_got_etiquette?_20060707118.html

Jumpseating is a professional courtesy among airline pilots, and one of the best benefits of being a pilot. It is used to commute to and from work and for leisure travel.

The captain is the final authority as to who rides and is not to be challenged for any reason. If denied a jumpseat, say "thanks anyway" and try a different flight.

A growing number of airlines have been approved to use the Cockpit Access Security System (CASS) to identify crewmembers and will let them sit in their cockpit if the flight is full. Airlines that have not been CASS approved will let you ride in the passenger cabin only if there is an empty passenger seat. To sit in the cockpit, you must be properly dressed (business casual), and present your airline ID and passport to the gate agent who will verify your identity and employment. Know your own airline's code too, as this must also be input into the CASS system. Some airlines will allow multiple, or "unlimited," jumpseaters, while some only allow the amount of jumpseaters equal to the number of jumpseats in the cockpit.

Presently you may not sit in the cockpit of an airline on international flights. You may only obtain a seat in the passenger cabin. Some airlines will give you a first or business class seat, and some won't. Keep in mind that most airlines who allow jumpseating internationally require that you check-in 75 to 90 minutes prior to departure in order to satisfy TSA requirements.

If you have a question or a problem with jumpseating around the system, contact your own airline's jumpseat coordinator. Be prepared with detailed information such as the date, time, airport, gate, name(s), etc.

Common courtesy is a must while jumpseating. Ask the gate agent when they would like you to board. Upon reaching the airplane, introduce yourself to the lead flight attendant and ask if you may ask the captain for a ride. Never bypass asking the captain, even if the agent gave you a boarding pass with a seat assignment. And don't forget to introduce yourself to the first officer and relief officer (if app.) as well.

If sitting in the cockpit, comply with sterile cockpit rules and offer to help out (monitoring ATC, scanning for traffic, passing beverages, etc). Lastly, give the captain and first officer thanks for the jumpseat ride.

Always be the consummate professional while jumpseating. It is one of the most valuable career benefits we have.

by Brigitte Lakah
UPS 757/767 Captain

 

[Spectre]

Assumed he was relaying this from the Captain?? Uh, what??

I hope I'm mis-interpreting your post (it's certainly possible), but did you really do the Captain end-around and take a seat w/o introducing yourself and asking for a ride? It is indeed HIS jumpseat to give, be it in the front or the back--not the gate agent's.

And it doesn't appear that the Boss even talked to you, so you can't complain to your j/s committee about disrespectful treatment in front of family, employees or passengers. In fact, if he hadn't verbally singled out WN guys, I don't believe you would have any recourse at all.

Look, I'm all for helping to get as many guys home as possible. Just be respectful of the fact that it's the Captain's jumpseat (toolbag status notwithstanding) and only the Captain's and he does not have to give it to anybody.

Actually, I don't think any Captain "owns" a jumpseat. Seats on an airplane belong to the airline. The Captain IS responsible to adhere to his/her company's jumpseat policy. For example, the Captain should make sure the employee is appropriately dressed and he/she is able to assist flight attendants in an emergency if they are riding on a cabin jumpseat.

It is also the Captain's responsibility to deny a jumpseat if aircraft performance (ie. weight and balance) is out of limit for the flight. A good example is when alternate fuel is required. This should be communicated to the jumpseater. If it looks close on the numbers, I usually tell the F/A's to count kids to reduce our weight and we end up taking the jumpseater anyway.

Another new policy we have is we can no longer accept offline jumpseaters in the cockpit if there is one seat open in either the cabin or cabin jumpseat. If the airplane is completely full, then we can accept offline jumpseaters (CASS approved) into the cockpit. Again, the Captain may have had a reason other than he hates WN pilots to deny the cockpit jumpseat.

Lastly, don't confuse jumpseat with a cabin seat in the back. Our gate agents are cleared to allow offline employees a seat if there is one available. At our company, it is NOT required for the Captain to see this employee who has been assigned a regular cabin seat. Since his or her credentials have already been checked by our gate agents, they can just grab a seat. It's a good policy. If I had to see every employee (JetBlue or offline) who was riding on us out of SLC-SFO last week, we'd been 30 minutes late pushing back (121 customers plus 32 employees travelling standby).