I fully understand the complaint about payload optimization. They put that label on a flight and it’s an excuse. The better captains I’ve worked with are proactive and figure out early if a jumpseater is trying to get on. Many times we can take them once we know the numbers. “Payload Optimized” is an easy excuse to tell someone no. If all parties involved would put in some effort we can, in many cases, still get a fellow pilot home.