The Great Jumpseat War of 2019

What happened to the universal JC attitude of "they pay me to fly how they want, so I follow the rules.." and "...I wear the hat because the books say so".

I highlighted the carbonated drink portion of the FOM to show that sometimes you can do things against it in the interest of safety. It’s far riskier to bring a full open can and try to sit down with it (in terms of spilling), than when already seated and opening a can.

dude!!! I think I know who caused this!!
Is this a legacy AK thing?

Yeah I believe it is a legacy AK thing. I don't recall this being in the VX manuals.

I have a guess as to what happened. Some guy took a can in the flight deck that was previously shaken/dropped, and once he opened it in/around the vicinity of flight instruments, the coke fizzled out and fell on said panel(s). Just a guess.
 
I highlighted the carbonated drink portion of the FOM to show that sometimes you can do things against it in the interest of safety. It’s far riskier to bring a full open can and try to sit down with it (in terms of spilling), than when already seated and opening a can.



Yeah I believe it is a legacy AK thing. I don't recall this being in the VX manuals.

I have a guess as to what happened. Some guy took a can in the flight deck that was previously shaken/dropped, and once he opened it in/around the vicinity of flight instruments, the coke fizzled out and fell on said panel(s). Just a guess.

That line in the FOM screams of a story somewhere.

It reminds me of something that happened to me earlier this year. I was deadheading in seat 1B, just starting the day with a clean, freshly ironed uniform shirt. Toward the end of the flight the FA is putting away the carbonated beverage cans in the one of the bottom drawers in the front galley. All of a sudden, boom.

It happened too fast to see the liquid cloud engulf the front galley, ceiling, and mostly myself. Like a rain shadow of a Pacific Northwest mountain, so was I to the paying passengers to my left and behind me. They were for the most part spared any negative effects save for the shock of the loud noise and the surreal scene of brown liquid dripping amongst them and their belongings.

The FA and I went into action. This was a no time threat as the Diet Coke on the ceiling was dribbling closer to the spot above their heads. We grabbed all the napkins and started wiping the ceiling, seat backs, armrests, etc. with great haste, under the watch of the confused but somewhat thankful, approving faces of United 1k passengers amongst us.

I later changed into my used uniform shirt in the rear lav of the 175 we were working after a walk through the Chicago terminal, reflecting on the fact that I earned my pay that day and that my training kicked in when it was needed most. Pinned the wings on my shirt, straightened my tie, and prepared to take 76 passengers to a city whose name I don’t recall but probably has a nice Hampton Inn near its airport with free breakfast starting 10 minutes after the morning van time.
 
I wish we’d just dropped United’s JS priority to the bottom of the stack and left it there.

The fear, I think, is that we’d just take whoever the GA gave us, or the GA would drive off other jumpseaters, but I feel like things went sideways when people started threatening certificate action for taking a UAL jumpseater.

But for as long as I’ve been following the airlines, jumpseating has been expressly a privilege, a professional courtesy between pilot groups, at the captain’s discretion. At my previous job, I always found a way to make it work to get anybody on. Now we have another airline wanting to change the jumpseat priority on our metal in a non-trivial way.

UAL MEC’s story is that we didn’t attend the jumpseat meeting; ours is that we weren’t invited.

I have seen stuff from both SAPA and the UAL MEC that is verifiably false. Both groups have used scare tactics and bullying rather than mutual discussion and working together.

This all stinks.
 
Except SAPA’s “scare tactics” are only scaring it’s pilot group. UAL MEC isn’t scared of anything. As others have said, they make one call to the company and BOOM! just like that they are now positive space. International pilot? Probably make them a must ride and kick off a paying pax if it’s the last flight that they can get on.

SAPA saying enforcement action based on ignoring FOM? I’d love to see the FAA take certificate action against a pilot for having a green lunch bag instead of a “black suitcase” or for a pilot doing a turn with a backpack. I’m in the camp that SAPA done messed up.

EDIT: oh yea! There was this gem. Your FOM says you can’t chew gum in uniform. FAA going to take someone’s certs away for that?
 
Yeah the thing I thought wouldn't happen happened and now the regulatory leg to stand on I had to ignore this insanity seems like it'll disappear.

So I guess I'll update my logbook, throw them apps out there and see y'all on the blacklist.

@Derg Now THAT'S a tight leash! Holy cow! :eek:

I mean, there used to be a time when chewing gum was considered rude....

And anyway it doesn't say in uniform, it says in uniform in view of the public. And that's not in our FOM either.
 
EDIT: oh yea! There was this gem. Your FOM says you can’t chew gum in uniform. FAA going to take someone’s certs away for that?

USAir used to have "underwear police".

Actually, the story was that it was "they were checking for the proper 'foundation garments' to ensure the uniform was worn correctly".
 
I suggest the skywest pilots do whatever keeps your job since you don't have a union. However if you can get a CP or someone higher than you to say "yeah stick him the jumpseat" do it and play dumb. :)

IBT should be smarter than this, but continually shown to be just the opposite. IBT pilots have a union, I'd be putting united guys on the plane and asking afterwards if you can get a letter of rec just in case you get someone giving you a meeting over it.

World keeps spinning, gives hope this will all get fixed and skywest and republic will learn they're place (rabble rabble rabble) or whatever.
 
So I guess I'll update my logbook, throw them apps out there and see y'all on the blacklist.
No self-respecting professional should put another pilot in a position where their choice is between FOM compliance and professional advancement.

No self-respecting professional should put up with the crap that is SAPA, either.

[neutral nation supervisory commission intensifies]
 
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