1. If it's a bargaining tool to deny to put pressure on United, I get it.
2. If it's a concern over violating the manual, yeah, that too but it's IMHO noise level as I understand it because the FAA in the end doesn't care about the jumpseat use. There's probably tons of little broken rules every day.
3. I also get that United is aligning it's policy KIND OF with regard to Endeavor etc. since XJT etc. are partially owned or exclusive. I say kind of because we don't have a flow, are partially owned, etc.
4. I figure this will be over pretty quickly or forgotten.