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. 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??
....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 . 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??