Would YOU sit in the FA jumpseat if you had to?

Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

....So yesterday was my last day of my 2 day trip that ended in MSP (Im based in MEM). Well, scheduling had me deadheading back to MEM but since I was off, I just wanted to commute back to MCO. So I find the NWA flight going to MCO and its completely full, just great. As I look around I notice that I'm the only pilot (so far) thats trying to get on (BTW it was a 757 so only 1 jumpseat).

A couple minutes roll by and a NWA captain strolls up to the gate and fills out a jumpseat form as well. So at this point I'm thinking to myself that If there aren't any open seats, I'm not going to make this flight. What I didn't know was that the NWA pilots can sit in the FA jumpseat if the flight is full. I can't because I work for Mesaba.

Time passed by and as expected to the flight is completely full. Now once everyone boarded, the gate agent calls over the NWA captain and kindly explains and points out to him that I was trying to get on that flight also, and that if he were to sit in the FA jumpseat that I would be able to get on as well.

Guess it wasn't my day because the captain said that the FA jumpseat wasn't comfortable and that he didn't want to sit back there (and I'm standing right there!). Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed (and pissed). Now, I know that I'm a low timer newbie regional FO :whatever:. BUT if it were me I would have sit in the FA jumpseat if I had to if there were another pilot trying to get home KNOWING that the next flight doesn't get there till midnight, without a doubt. I know that MSP to MCO is around 2hrs 45 mins but I would have made the sacrifice for my fellow pilot. To me, any seat is a good seat as long as you're going home.

....So I end up having to go through MEM and the connecting flight was 2 hours late leaving MEM to MCO. So instead of getting home at 7:30pm I got home at 1:00 am, fantastic!......I remembered his name BTW :rolleyes:. So that brings me to the question, in the same situation what you guys do?

Did you honestly think you would have had any chance with your request, especially on a 2.45 hour flight asking a NWA CA of all possible pilots. Did he have those rancher style mustaches? What's the deal with Mesaba, aren't you guys basically NW? Why couldn't you sit on the fa seat??
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

Guess it wasn't my day because the [NWA] captain said that the FA jumpseat wasn't comfortable and that he didn't want to sit back there (and I'm standing right there!).

He probably wanted DOH as well. :D

I would've taken the seat and let you sit up front.
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

Did you honestly think you would have had any chance with your request, especially on a 2.45 hour flight asking a NWA CA of all possible pilots.

Lots of NWA Captains have helped me out by sitting on the FA jumpseat so I could get home. It's not an NWA thing, it's an individual ######bag thing. This guy was just an ass. Not all NWA pilots are.
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

I'm not a jumpseat expert, so I'll just say that from a life experience angle I find it works really well if I always assume that the other guy isn't going to be looking out for me, and is just going to do what's best for himself. Then, in 90% of the cases when the guy does the right thing I'm pleasantly suprised and grateful, and the other 10% I just have an "oh well" attitude and move on to Plan B.

No sense letting someone else being a jerk affect my attitude. Life's too short to get worked up about things that I can't control.

Likewise in the opposite scenario, when I do something above-and-beyond for someone else, I don't get worked up if they aren't appreciative. It's nice if they are, but the satisfaction that I get from helping other people is in the act itself, not in their reaction to it.
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

I've booted freight to get a guy on the plane, and you could strap me to the wing if it would do the same (ok, maybe not really). That said, the guy probably has a story of his own. It might even be a powerful one. Maybe he has a herniated disk. Maybe his 5 year old daughter is going in for chemo and he wants to sit in the cockpit so he can be alone with his thoughts. Granted, the scenarios where he's not being a dick are extremely unlikely, but they're possible. It all depends on how you choose to view it. My experience has been (and I'm at least as guilty as everyone else of getting PO'd about other people's thoughtlessness and self-importance) that it's more pleasant to view things through the prism of "maybe the world isn't out to get me and everyone isn't an •" than the very tempting alternative.

I'm not saying the guy isn't a jerk. He probably is, and probably deserves all of the scorn and ridicule that will be heaped upon him in this thread. But for you, it might be best to try to think about it as though he might not be. Try to live the golden rule and you can't go wrong. If you spend your time worrying about what other people are thinking or feeling, I predict that you'll be very angry and unhappy.

PS. It probably won't take much digging, if you're so inclined, to show that I'm a hypocrite on this issue. I admit it. But my experience with being affronted and angry all the time hasn't been a pleasant one, and I predict that your's won't be either.
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

I would ride in the overhead bin if I knew it would help someone get home.

Seriously.


I've been there done that (tho not ridden in the overhead lol), and nothing in this world makes someone want to go postal more than watching their ride home push off the gate without them.

I agree 100% And yeah I was pretty heated as you can imagine. But hey its all good now.......:D

A seat is a seat.

To choose a 'better' seat which results in bumping another crewmember trying to get home to their life and family is just rude.

I can't say I wouldn't wish I got the more choice seat, but in the end if we don't look out for each other, who will?

Thats what I'm talking about, good point. I'd try to help out ANY crew member if I could.


Did you honestly think you would have had any chance with your request, especially on a 2.45 hour flight asking a NWA CA of all possible pilots. Did he have those rancher style mustaches? What's the deal with Mesaba, aren't you guys basically NW? Why couldn't you sit on the fa seat??

You know I was thinking to myself the same thing to be honest. We were both right there before boarding and the guy didn't even look at me. I would have said hi, but he seemed like he didn't want to talk so.....hey, I don't know......

Oh and as far as I know we couldn't sit in the FA jumpseat, but I just had another fellow JC Mesaba pilot PM me and tell me that we could so we'll see about that.

He probably wanted DOH as well. :D

I would've taken the seat and let you sit up front.

Thanks a lot, like I said earlier so would I

Lots of NWA Captains have helped me out by sitting on the FA jumpseat so I could get home. It's not an NWA thing, it's an individual ######bag thing. This guy was just an ass. Not all NWA pilots are.

Thats true, just about all of the NWA guys are really nice. I'm sure there are a few jerks everywhere...
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

i would love to know what the difference is between the js in a 73 or the fa seat in a 73. the js wasnt all the comfortable when i had to ride on it.
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

F/A jumpseats are pretty much on par with the "comfort" (if you really wanna use that term to describe a jumpseat) of a flight deck jumpseat.

The biggest difference would probably have to be the "double" jumpseats at some F/A stations. The seats are fairly narrow, and you're going to be arm-to-arm & hip-to-hip with the other person sharing the seat with you. If either occupant is (or goodness forbid BOTH are) a bit on the "plump" side, it can be a tight squeeze.
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

F/A jumpseats are pretty much on par with the "comfort" (if you really wanna use that term to describe a jumpseat) of a flight deck jumpseat.

The biggest difference would probably have to be the "double" jumpseats at some F/A stations. The seats are fairly narrow, and you're going to be arm-to-arm & hip-to-hip with the other person sharing the seat with you. If either occupant is (or goodness forbid BOTH are) a bit on the "plump" side, it can be a tight squeeze.

I can't believe some pilots haven't embraced the possibility of the double FA jumpseat. They might get sat next to somebody interesting. ;)
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

Lots of NWA Captains have helped me out by sitting on the FA jumpseat so I could get home. It's not an NWA thing, it's an individual ######bag thing. This guy was just an ass. Not all NWA pilots are.

Yup, in my experiences NW pilots have been awesome when I go talk to them about riding with them. Actually every single one I've talked to has asked about how things are going with ASA, how long I've been there, etc. Really some classy guys. Especially the guys flying internationally.

But yeah, the guy who refused to ride in it to get you on is a Dbag. I've had a couple Trannies help me out by doing that before. If they weren't jumpseating I'd buy them a beer and have the FA take it to them....or I gues since they're in the galley they could just get it themselves. :p
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

If I was jumpseating home, and if by sitting in the FA J/S another pilot could catch a ride. . .yes. . .I'd suck it up and sit in the FA J/S.
 
Re: Would YOU sit in the FA jumpsat if you had to?

i would in a heartbeat! there are some cute fa out there.
 
You know every airline has their 10%!!!!

Sorry to hear that happened. I would have taken the FA seat without thinking. The only time I've refused to take a jumpseat (and thus left a nonrev pax behind) was when I was on vacation, planned on pass riding, and had a couple drinks in the president's club before the flight. The gate agent asked me and I refused because I wasn't compliant but I went over to the pilot (whose airline wasn't CASS approved) and explained the situation. I felt really bad about it.
 
Smooth,

What I would do is email your Jumpseat Coordinator and explain to them the situation. They probably have a working relationship with the NWA Jumpseat people and MAYBE a reminder can be sent out on how we all need to work together to make sure our fellow pilots make it home, etc.

Once again, I have had awesome experiences jumping on NWA. They really went above and beyond. Just maybe a guy was having a bad day.
 
Back
Top