Captains! PLEASE preflight your jumpseats!

ZapBrannigan

ZapBrannigan

Old enough to have watched Wings live on TV.
Guys, we have to look out for each other. Jumpseaters are just guys trying to get to work or get home.

Today I was trying to get home. Was at the gate an hour early and listed for the flight. Met the Captain and FO at the gate. They checked with the agent who assured them I would get on. FO even came BACK up the jetway to make sure I got on!

When it came time to board the agent told me she couldn't get me in the computer because she couldn't find my listing and that I should go to find a supervisor at another gate down the hall to help. She said I would probably miss that flight.

I refused to go find the supervisor thinking that the crew would come rescue me. Then I watched the E145 push back.

What did the agent tell the crew happened to me? Did she tell them I changed my mind? Surely the Captain could've walked back upstairs to see if I was still hanging around the gate looking like a lost puppy!

Anyhow, I understand the commuting game. No harm no foul. But please Captains, make one last walk upstairs and make sure that your brothers in aviation make it home or to work. It's the difference between dinner with my family or McDonalds alone at DFW.

Thank you.
 
Dexter

Dexter

Hop off there, Blonde Ambition Tour
Had something similar happen to me the other day in DFW as well. Stings a little more when it's your own airline. I've honestly run into it more than a couple times trying to get home on company and always leaves me baffled.
 
typhoonpilot

typhoonpilot

Well-Known Member
ZapBrannigan said:
Anyhow, I understand the commuting game. No harm no foul. But please Captains, make one last walk upstairs and make sure that your brothers in aviation make it home or to work. It's the difference between dinner with my family or McDonalds alone at DFW.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Sorry you had a bad experience, but really?

Like a captain doesn't have anything else to do except go check on a possible jumpseat rider.

I'm all for asking the agent if there are any non-revs or jumpseat riders waiting, but interrupting the pre-flight flow to go check probably isn't real high on the priority list for most captains.


Typhoonpilot
 
Screaming_Emu

Screaming_Emu

Joe Conventional
Even if things are going well, its a damn nice touch.

I was lucky enough to have enough free time to sit at my computer long enough to go to the United FFD open house last month. I'd say the crews that flew me there and back had just as much to do with making me want to work for United as the open house did.

The leg out there was on a 757 and it was full. I had decided I didn't want to take the jumpseat as I didn't want to ride on the captain's shoulder. The next flight was an airbus with seats open. The captain did the walk, saw me sitting and asked if was coming with them. I told him my plan and he told me that it was an international 757 that has a rather comfortable second jumpseat.
 
Dan208B

Dan208B

Well-Known Member
typhoonpilot said:
but interrupting the pre-flight flow to go check probably isn't real high on the priority list for most captains.
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And that's their choice. But if they commute, it should be pretty darn high on their list. I can't tell you how many times a crewmember coming past has saved the day where I wouldn't have gotten on otherwise. Often times, gate agents feel it's something that isn't really in their job description and aren't happy to do it, so if there's any little glitch you're done. A flight crewmember coming by and putting a little more pressure on may make all the difference. I also realize that every situation is different but there are many times where all preflight checks are done and the pilots are just waiting for boarding to finish and numbers to come through. That's a great time to go check. If everything is behind I understand it may be low on their priority list.
 
T-Gates

T-Gates

Well-Known Member
typhoonpilot said:
I'm all for asking the agent if there are any non-revs or jumpseat riders waiting, but interrupting the pre-flight flow to go check probably isn't real high on the priority list for most captains.
Click to expand...
I always just made it part of my routine. I never would shirk my responsibilities, but I would always make a point to get up, stretch my legs, take a gander around the gate area, talk to the gate agent, and head back down to the cockpit. 2-3 minutes tops. With that routine, I've been able to intervene two separate times with an issue with a jumpseater not being accommodated. Once was due to an erroneous weight restriction, and the other was due to an irregular ops day where the agent refused to clear a jumpseater because she was busy.

I won't lie and say I was able to do it 100% of the time, but I would say at least 80% of the time I was able to make the effort. Sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impact.
 
Pilotdude3407

Pilotdude3407

Well-Known Member
I always ask the status of my JSs. If there are seats in the back, I will always ask my FA if the JS got on, if not,I will march up to the top and have a discussion with someone. I try and treat JSs far better than I get treated on a weekly basis. Sorry that had to happen dude...wish I could say I don't know how you feel.
 
Tld

Tld

Waffles Brah.
Unacceptable. They blocked out early too. I continue to be disappointed by the lack of solidarity at the regional level. Sorry that happened to you on our airline... Grow a pair guys, tell the agent/ops/whoever to do their jobs so we can do ours.
 
Cptnchia

Cptnchia

Dissatisfied Customer
typhoonpilot said:
Sorry you had a bad experience, but really?

Like a captain doesn't have anything else to do except go check on a possible jumpseat rider.

I'm all for asking the agent if there are any non-revs or jumpseat riders waiting, but interrupting the pre-flight flow to go check probably isn't real high on the priority list for most captains.


Typhoonpilot
Click to expand...
Maybe at your airline but at mine, the captains don't do diddly. Just ask @Derg. It's not uncommon to finish the preflight 30 minutes prior to push and then just sit around doing nothing. The fat bastards need to go get some exercise.
 
juxtapilot

juxtapilot

Snowflake
Cptnchia said:
Maybe at your airline but at mine, the captains don't do diddly. Just ask @Derg. It's not uncommon to finish the preflight 30 minutes prior to push and then just sit around doing nothing. The fat bastards need to go get some exercise.
Click to expand...
You guys hooked me up a couple weeks ago. I stood in line one early morning in MCI for awhile waiting to ask the agent to list me. I finally got to the front of the line and she said "sorry I'm alone I won't have time to list you." I asked her if she would like to list me after boarding everyone and she said. "No I don't have time."

So I stood in the window (feeling awkward) right under a bright light so the crew could see me. They did and the captain waived--I waived back. He took the hint and came up and rescued me... Told the gate agent that she had plenty of time to list me and to please just do it. As I was boarding she said "well the delay will be on the crew" and let me get on. We pushed 5 early. Awesome crew on that Widget 320 (with 60 open seats BTW).

Some gate agents really don't like pilots. It's just one of the challenges of commuting.
 
upup89

upup89

Well-Known Member
Make the walk. As others have said it takes 2-3 minutes. I try to do it almost every leg. Sorry to hear about your experience Zap.
 
typhoonpilot

typhoonpilot

Well-Known Member
Cptnchia said:
Maybe at your airline but at mine, the captains don't do diddly. Just ask @Derg. It's not uncommon to finish the preflight 30 minutes prior to push and then just sit around doing nothing. The fat bastards need to go get some exercise.
Click to expand...
When I was still flying for a major in the USA it was not very common for a captain to go check on jumpseaters. Zap would know, he worked at the same major for a few years. Ask the agent, yes, but to physically go check at the last minute, no. Sure the crew might see a jumpseater on the way down to the airplane and talk to them at that point, and that would certainly trigger asking the agent or FA to make sure that person got on. That was the standard method.

At my last carrier overseas we were non-stop busy for the last 20 minutes prior to pushback, especially if it was a training flight. There is no chance that time could be taken to get up and go check. Not that we had jumpseaters anyway, so kind of a moot point.

Wasn't aware of the ALPA program, but not really surprised. They'll let ALPA members who are junior rot on furlough for years without lifting one finger to help them get jobs at other ALPA carriers, but when an active pilot who has decided not to live in base needs a ride home they're all over that situation. :sarcasm:

Okay ready for incoming :)


Typhoonpilot
 
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