Captains! PLEASE preflight your jumpseats!

[Screaming_Emu]

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.

Isn't it funny that in this industry the less you do, the more you get paid?

I just had a moment of my own today where I was absolutely flabbergasted that I make so much less than the left see when 10 minutes after takeoff from DC the captain looked down at the city of Baltimore and asked "Is that New York City?"

 

[Cptnchia]

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.

Typhoonpilot

Well, there's a reason that airline no longer exists. The pilots there didn't much care about each other, let alone outsiders. Unfortunately they may be the nail to the AA hammer.

 

[CFIscare]

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.

Not to justify anything, but at Envoy, the captain can potentially be extremely busy. Whenever there has been an issue historically, the airline's answer has always been to add another document check/checklist item/etc. Combine this with extremely short turn times leads to a busy time prior to departure.

 

[typhoonpilot]

Well, there's a reason that airline no longer exists. The pilots there didn't much care about each other, let alone outsiders. Unfortunately they may be the nail to the AA hammer.

Are you kidding me? Both USAir and Piedmont were two of the best airlines to jumpseat on back in the day. For you younger guys, there was a long period of time that nobody could jumpseat on DAL and a few others because their jumpseats were not open to offline pilots!!! In the 80s and early 90s if you asked any pilot who the best airlines to jumpseat on were, the answer inevitably would include Piedmont, USAir, or SWA.


TP

 

[ZapBrannigan]

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.

Don't agree with your claim that commuting pilots "decide" to live out of base, but this paragraph made me LOL!

Seriously though, bases close, pilots get displaced, furloughed, their airlines go out of business. When you're new you can't afford to move right away. There are lots of reasons to commute but the biggest one is that this industry sucks and at some point you owe your family some stability. I will move to domicile as soon as I'm sure that I'm not going to get displaced.

But that's like saying "you're safe from furlough if you have 20% of the pilots junior to you". We both know that's not true, don't we?

 

[Cptnchia]

Are you kidding me? Both USAir and Piedmont were two of the best airlines to jumpseat on back in the day. For you younger guys, there was a long period of time that nobody could jumpseat on DAL and a few others because their jumpseats were not open to offline pilots!!! In the 80s and early 90s if you asked any pilot who the best airlines to jumpseat on were, the answer inevitably would include Piedmont, USAir, or SWA.


TP

A- I'm not a young guy. Been in this business for a long time.
B- Not what I was talking about. They were a good airline to jump on, DESPITE the fact that there was animosity between the various merged pilot groups, which continues today. Hell, there is even animosity amongst just the east group with regards to USAPA. I live in a town with a heavy population of old Piedmonters (ILM,) from way back before the merger, and all they do is still complain about it. Maybe it's just old men grousing, but it seems to be endemic to the culture there.

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Don't agree with your claim that commuting pilots "decide" to live out of base, but this paragraph made me LOL!

Seriously though, bases close, pilots get displaced, furloughed, their airlines go out of business. When you're new you can't afford to move right away. There are lots of reasons to commute but the biggest one is that this industry sucks and at some point you owe your family some stability. I will move to domicile as soon as I'm sure that I'm not going to get displaced.

I used to think that, but with the ASA mobile crew base, not even ATL is safe.

 

[falconvalley]

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.

Okay ready for incoming


Typhoonpilot

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it feels like maybe you've been out of the game for a while. Years ago, commuting was way easier. Now, gate agents own that gate door. If a crewmember does not check on a turn, a rogue gate agent can make your first commute after a closed base not happen. This isn't McDonalds, where you can live in just about anywhere and have the same job. Every time the economy cycles post-Dereg, we get these massive shifts in airline base structure. While a lot of people are fortunate enough to choose a big base at their airline and live comfortably nearby, this just isn't economical for others, especially when their company changed everything up and moved them from Honolulu to NYC (this actually happened). I'm not buying that as airline crewmembers, we all fit into the "you choose to commute" mold. It's not that simple. The airlines really ARE unique and the "privilege" of commuting exits for a reason. Without good reason, you know as well as I do, that commuting support (Nonrev, Jumpseat, Clauses) would be the first to go.

 

[Kingairer]

A- I'm not a young guy. Been in this business for a long time.
B- Not what I was talking about. They were a good airline to jump on, DESPITE the fact that there was animosity between the various merged pilot groups, which continues today. Hell, there is even animosity amongst just the east group with regards to USAPA. I live in a town with a heavy population of old Piedmonters (ILM,) from way back before the merger, and all they do is still complain about it. Maybe it's just old men grousing, but it seems to be endemic to the culture there.

Morale is pretty good now with not many negative Nancy's. Still some east vs west stuff and I'm sure there will be some aa vs us stuff later on. I'd say its small talk instead of a company full of bitter people.

 

[skyw82]

I don't understand...why didn't she just re-list you right there?

If it's American, they have this stupid listing policy where you have to call a number and do something. It's so lame.

I don't know why in this day and age we can't have a system where an oal pilot can't list himself on a flight as a jumpseat.

 

[derg]

Also note the details and name of the gate agent and file a report with your jumpseat rep.

Solid advice.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

If it's American, they have this stupid listing policy where you have to call a number and do something. It's so lame.

I don't know why in this day and age we can't have a system where an oal pilot can't list himself on a flight as a jumpseat.

You can list for American's jumpseat on MyIDTravel.com

And yes, I was listed for the flight.

 

[wildfreightess]

Often, it's easy for the jumpseater who's already shaken hands with you at the gate to slip by without saying anything during the boarding process because a seat has opened up in the back after all. I've tried to make it a habit to ask the gate agent after the load report shows up if the jumpseater made it on. I do forget sometimes, when weird stuff happens and we get busy. I later just assume he/she made it on, and that's always been the case. That said, I'd feel terrible if I left someone behind.

 

[Kingairer]

AA is terrible for jumpseating. I'm hoping they can adopt the USAir way of doing it, but getting them to chAAnge is unlikely.

 

[B767]

AA is terrible for jumpseating. I'm hoping they can adopt the USAir way of doing it, but getting them to chAAnge is unlikely.

They convert the U.S. side to captains giving the take off PA because, well, FO's don't know how to make PA's and the captain has nothing better to do while taxiing than give a PA?

 

[wheelsup]

They convert the U.S. side to captains giving the take off PA because, well, FO's don't know how to make PA's and the captain has nothing better to do while taxiing than give a PA?

They did that under the "adopt and go" merger policy to get it done ASAP. I think almost all of us fully expect to go back to the way Airways was doing things after the SOC is had in spring of next year.

 

[Kingairer]

That's what they tell you so you don't put up as much of a fight. I don't think we're going back.

 

[wheelsup]

Ha probably true.

I'm good either way, less for me to do.

 

[rjmore]

Ahhhh.....free jumpseats, I miss those! Now I'm either full fare or a ZED fare getting on behind the buddy pass riders. My airline will never offer to reciprocate and being dern foreign airline pilots we can't into CASS. If you see me at the United gates in LAX weeping as the first year ramper's buddy pass rider gets the last seat to IAH, say hello!

 

[poser765]

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.

I think that is all anyone is really expecting. Sure if you can make the walk to see if someone may be up there that's great, but I'm not going to be offended if I miss a jumpseat because the crew didn't come up. However, if the crew knows there is a JSer waiting up there, it's pretty bad form not to make sure they get on.