Interesting jumpseat experience

staplegun

staplegun

Well-Known Member
So, I'm going to work on Friday.

Southern-Jets has rotated some CRJ's into the ORD-ATL mix lately - I'm not happy about it since it makes commuting that much harder for me, and everyone knows it's all about me! :rolleyes:

It's really killing the former ORD based flight attendants because now there is no jumpseat for them to get on...

I'm never sure which airline it's going to be, but I end up standing by for the jumpseat on a Skywest flight.

(As an interesting aside I met SkyWest's Pilot Director- Central Region. He walked up in civvies after I had checked in for the jumpseat and I saw his crew ID and queried him if he was after the J/S. He said no, he had a confirmed seat in the back. So I introduced myself and we had a chat. He was very interested in how his crews had been treating me as a commuter as he said that was a company priority to make commuting a good experience... One of the things he said which jumped out at me was that SkyWest was fat by about 500 pilots, but that there were no current plans to furlough...)

Of course every seat was taken in the back so I wait until boarding is almost through and walk down to introduce myself to the crew and ask permission to jumpseat. The Captain asked for all of my stuff - license & medical - and perused them quite closely. I tell him I will be up front since every seat is taken. "OK," he says. No introduction of who he is or what his name is or anything...

The flight attendants were great and helped me stow my carry-on etc. and chatted with me while the last few pax got on. Then I hit the head and went up to the cockpit.

I ask the pilots, "Can I get you anything while I'm standing here?"

Captain says, "No. Are you familiar with the aircraft?"

I say, "Yes," and intoduce myself to the first officer and shake his hand and proceed to pull out the jumpseat and sit down.


For the next 2 & 1/2 hours neither one of them so much as looks at me or says a word to me...


Enroute, for 2+ hours, the captain & f/o exchange exactly 4 sentences of non-operational talk.

In ATL, when we're at the gate and blocked in I stand up, stow the jumpseat and ask permission to open the cockpit door. I say, "Thank you very much for the ride, nice job," and stand in the galley until I can retrieve my stuff.



Some observations:

In my 22 years of airline flying, I must have been on hundreds of jump seats, both on-line and off-line. I don't crave attention and am always as courteous and respectful as I can be since I view commuting and the J/S as a privilege...

I have never, in all that time, been treated as though I did not exist before.

The captain needed a primer in personal hygiene...



Comments?



Kevin
 
Captain is a toolbag and thinks his crap doesn't stink.

You NEVER know who that person is in your jumpseat, be professional, be polite, and treat them like they will be sitting across from you during your next interview.
 
Not defending the crew nor being critical of you.

Times are tough, especially for those in the regional world, not saying mainline life is peaches and fairy tales, you are bound to run into fellas/crews who are simply at their end and just don't have it them that day.

Just to put it in perspective, I did a lot of jumpseating, not nearly as much as you, in my past and found that, while courteous, all mainline crews were more dismissive to me (the regional guy) while the FAs were always friendly and chatty.
 
Between the economy, airline problems, and personal problems, you never know what is going on in the other guy’s head. It is best to just follow their lead and be as respectful and helpful as possible.
 
staplegun said:
So, I'm going to work on Friday.

Southern-Jets has rotated some CRJ's into the ORD-ATL mix lately - I'm not happy about it since it makes commuting that much harder for me, and everyone knows it's all about me! :rolleyes:

It's really killing the former ORD based flight attendants because now there is no jumpseat for them to get on...

I'm never sure which airline it's going to be, but I end up standing by for the jumpseat on a Skywest flight.

(As an interesting aside I met SkyWest's Pilot Director- Central Region. He walked up in civvies after I had checked in for the jumpseat and I saw his crew ID and queried him if he was after the J/S. He said no, he had a confirmed seat in the back. So I introduced myself and we had a chat. He was very interested in how his crews had been treating me as a commuter as he said that was a company priority to make commuting a good experience... One of the things he said which jumped out at me was that SkyWest was fat by about 500 pilots, but that there were no current plans to furlough...)
Click to expand...

Only comment I have is. . .

So Skywest is fat by 500, yet ASA was fat 80 and ASA had to furlough?

What a crock.
 
Its just possible that this crew dynamic wasnt great.

Yes they can get the job done.

But that doesnt mean they have to like each other or chat alot....and that can sometimes lead to a quite ride if there is a jumpseater or not.

At least thats one possibility to the situation.

There are plenty of captains that i cant stand, and i dont waste my breath making "small talk" with them because they do nothing but talk down and belittle everyone around them.

Just my 2 cents
 
Staple,

As someone said, you don't know what was going on there..had nothing to do with you. Maybe you stumbled into a cockpit where His High Eminence and the Loyal Minion were not getting along.

Consider it training by negative example and think how lucky it wasn't YOU in one of those front seats.
 
Kevin,

I totally understand what that feels like. It used to happen to me alot when I'd hand up my ID with the hated regional du jour, and ask for a ride. Occasionally a snide remark about my jet causing the downfall of the industry.

I have noticed a broad change in attitude since I've changed IDs to a company most haven't heard of (usually the "Poor you, being an abused 2nd tier frieght pilot") or intrituge in the equipment.

It's not justified by any means.

Unfortunately it happens more than it should.
 
Maybe not the popular opinion but:

On a personal level, it's really too bad you were all but completely ignored throughout the flight.

On a business level... the pilots have no obligation to entertain the jumpseater or each other whatsoever.

I have rode in the jump on plenty of mainline flights where less than a few words have been exchanged through the duration. On redeyes it's pretty much what you want; daytime flights could go either way. I throw on my earphones if nobody wants to chat, and honestly am just glad to have a ride, considering that's the last possible seat on the plane. I'm okay with it though, since I'd rather sit in silence than talk airline politics... and maybe 30%ish of the time one of the guys/gals lead the conversation that way.

Now I may have a less than completely developed view of the whole thing, considering I'm still pretty much an airline newbie. I will say that whoever rides in the jump if I'm upfront will be treated respectfully and professionally!
 
wow, Ive never sat in a jumpseat but this sounds intense! So we have 3 pilots sitting a pretty confined place for over 2 hours and no one says more than 4 sentences!

...talk about awkward!

I think people like this make thier own lives miserable. Sure the industry sucks, they might not like thier jobs anymore, whatever. buy being rude to collegues, fellow pilots, in that sort of situation is just strange to me. I couldnt imagine flying with people like that, thank god I havent had to yet.
 
Not too surprising. I jumpseated on an NWA 727 once where the crew was from different merger backgrounds. Was cordial in general to me, but up pilot and co had zip to say to each other beyond checklist discipline, while the FE was friendly, but in a cautious, quiet way.
 
staplegun said:
I have never, in all that time, been treated as though I did not exist before.

Comments?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry you had a crappy experience on my airline. I don't think that's normal at all, but in 3.5 short years of commuting I've experienced a number of rides like this. (The worst was a Delta captain who didn't shake my hand or say a *single word* to me for 4 hours after the initial OK...but I'm still thankful he gave me a ride home). I've been in a number of silent cockpits, though, both as a jumpseater and pilot. That's just some people's personality, you know?

The captain needed a primer in personal hygiene...
Click to expand...

Not cool. Although I admit after my 8hr 7min overnight last week I probably wasn't at my freshest.
 
I once sat on a SouthernJets jumpseat all the way from SLC to ATL without the crew saying a single word to me. I figured they were just guys that were mad at ALPA (it was around concessions time), because they asked me when I boarded what I was doing in SLC (Skywest organizing drive). After that, not a single word the whole flight. Gotta say it was a bit awkward. Neither of them read a magazine or anything for 4 hours. Just stared out the windows.
 
Pilots all have bad days....

I was "lucky" enough to travel from SMF-LAS-CMH in the cockpit with 2 different SWA crews yesterday and they were the most enjoyable crews I've ever been up front with. As a commuter for the past 16 months, I've experienced my fair share of "not wanting to talk" at all. It is what it is...I'm just thankful for getting a ride to work for the right price! As the industry goes, so do the moods.
 
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