Originally Posted by
blakman7
I agree with you bud. I'm not a CA but whenever there is a non-rev on my flight, whether they are gate agents, FA's, rampers or pilots. It doesn't matter. If they see me and say hi, I always ask if they talked to the CA and if they haven't, I turn them right to his/her direction. Non-revving is a privilege and when its taken for granted, you can easily get a one way ticket back to that comfy seat in the gate area. I've had a couple of CA's send people back for just walking past them like they were the visitors and I stood by their decision. Anyone who is getting a free ride should stop by and thank the CA for allowing them to board because you don't have to be a passenger on that aircraft.
If something were to go wrong and the FO or CA happens to pass out, I would be a little more at easy knowing that I had another pilot in the back that I could use for help. Single pilot operations can be done if absolutely necessary but it's no fun.
When you're nonrevving, you're not riding on one of the captain's seats. You're riding on the airline's seat. The captain shouldn't ever be bumping nonrevs because he doesn't like them. As long as they're complying with the nonrev policy of said airline and all the requirements of any other passenger, they should be treated as such. They're not a guest of the captain, they're a guest of the airline.
Nonrevving is part of their employment package. As long as they're complying with the policies and requirements of it, they are entitled to that seat on the airplane. I know of no nonrev policies that require an introduction to the pilots or visit to the cockpit.
I've operated airplanes where we've been carrying dozens of nonrevs. Should I entertain 30-40 introductions from nonrevs when we're 10 minutes prior to push? Theres absolutely no reason for it. If you need a pilot from the back, the FAs are going to be able to find one quick. People wear uniforms, people offhandley mention they're nonrevs to the FAs, and the FAs have paperwork saying who is who.