Tool of the day
#2982
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: B777/CA retired
Posts: 1,483
Are you sure he saw the request? Give me the date and if it was a West guy I will give him grief. That's crap to get denied, I let everyone ride.
#2983
#2987
From my experience, get the the gate early, especially for the red eye to CLT, and hangout so you can catch someone from the crew. Don't count on the gate agents to tell the crew anything!
Good luck!
#2988
I'll second that, my biggest obstacles to jumpseating were always Denver gate agents. One once told me my own airline had a 1 jumpseater rule (never have), one had already signed up (plane was wide open) so I wasn't going. Luckily the CA saw me at the gate.
#2989
Line Holder
Joined APC: Nov 2010
Position: M88B
Posts: 25
I use to commute from DEN to CLT/PHL weekly when I was working for AW and had no problems with the crews what so ever, both east and west. They were always accommodating and did everything they could to get me on and stow my luggage (except for one captain, but that's another story). The gate agents in Denver though are terrible. They're disgruntled, rude (to customers, offline pilots, and even US crews!), and not willing to help a jumpseater at all. I would bet money that the captain didn't even see the request. You have to watch the agents like a hawk and always make sure you're near the ticket counter/gate and pay attention to what they're doing. I've watched an agent stuff my request in her pocket and close the door without even looking at me. Luckily I got the attention of the crew and they made the agent come back up at get me. Her excuse, she didn't want to "deal" with listing me. The captain said her face was priceless when he asked where the js request slip was for the pilot up at the gate.
From my experience, get the the gate early, especially for the red eye to CLT, and hangout so you can catch someone from the crew. Don't count on the gate agents to tell the crew anything!
Good luck!
From my experience, get the the gate early, especially for the red eye to CLT, and hangout so you can catch someone from the crew. Don't count on the gate agents to tell the crew anything!
Good luck!
Denver is a strange paradox. It is a great place to live, with lots of healthy, active, and friendly people. This somehow ends at the airport.
I commuted out of there for several years, and was always perplexed by the culture that permeates the gate agents, regardless of airline (except Southwest and sometimes Frontier), when it came to jumpseaters and non-revs. I have had jumpseats "pocket vetoed", similar to above. I've been told the jumpseat is taken (yet watch the airplane pushback with no jumpseater). The most common tactic (usually by United), was for the agent to tell me to "step aside and I'll get to you in a minute", and then wait until 10 minutes prior and say it's too late.
I have even had my own airline fail to give me a non-rev seat with seats open in the back! (And yes, I took careful notes and presented the info to my Chief Pilot's office)
Moral of the story: If you are jumpseating out of DEN, you really need to get the crew's attention (which is not always possible- if the crew is on a turn and remains on the flightdeck, they are likely looking at a reflection of their own plane in the terminal window, while you are jumping up and down behind the glass waving your arms and making a spectacle of yourself) If you are operating out of Denver, make sure to walk up and take a look around the gatehouse for non-revs.
Again, Denver is a great place to live and play. Away from the airport.
Good luck. (And grab a Que Bueno burrito over on B)
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