Anyone know if it's possible to jumpseat to Canada, Austraila, etc... On Continental or any other US carriers?? I am trying to plan some trips without having to use Pass privliages. Thanks
You can go anywhere, just not in the cockpit.
Continental, Delta, US Airways you can list on the phone or at the ticket counter.
Be careful with US Airways though. At least one station in Europe has the procedure of requiring that you paid the departure tax in PHL or CLT and have a receipt with you when you want to leave Europe. This is not how it is done anywhere else at all.
On Delta, make sure you are at the ticket counter to list as a jumpseater two hours prior to departure or earlier. They close it out to jumpseaters and others at that time so get there early. They will have you pay the departure tax there.
On United it is unpredictable sometimes and I no longer use them as a primary means of getting anywhere. They have, or used to have, a rule that said they can only take one offline pilot jumpseater on an international flight. As many United pilots could get on but if there were to be a Southwest pilot and a Delta pilot trying to jumpseat, one of them would not get on. Now, depending on which captain and which gate agent you talk to, this rule no longer exists (and I don't mean they stand there and tell you that with a wink and let you on, I mean that they literally explain how the rule no longer exists). Because it is impossible to predict which of these two types the captain or gate agent will be, you just have to assume that they will only take one offline jumpseater. So, don't make it your primary flight to get home for work on time.
Continental occasionally upgrades a jumpseater to first class internationally if there are seats but it is hit or miss.
Delta seems to be pretty good about it but the JFK cabin crews seem to have a different mentality than the ATL crews and I think that your chance of getting first class are better with a JFK crew as silly as that may sound.
US Airways has been nice to me as a jumpseater every time internationally, which is nice because the seat pitch on the A-330 is insane. You cannot move at all if you are 5'10" or taller. Knees touching the seat in front of you and everything.
The culture at United is very upgrade-friendly for jumpseaters, I've found.
United's number is 1-800-UAL-LIST. The term you want to use is list as an "OMC." You'll speak to someone far away.
Continental, not sure. I've only listed at the ticket counter or the gate. Same with Delta.
US Airways, the number is 1-800-325-9999.
Most US airlines also probably have a jumpseating agreement with Air Canada, which is great because they go to many cities in Europe, Asia, and they also do serve Sydney.
United has never charged me a departure tax yet at all. This even includes a time in Frankfurt where I actually walked up to the Lufthansa/United ticket counter and
asked them how much it was and where I could pay it. They had no idea, so we kept our mouths shut and went to the gate!
The rest have charged it every time.