Originally Posted by
tupues
Maybe I’m misunderstanding this entirely. The way I’m used to you have a listing for any seat on the plane, all by seniority order. As a last resort, if the cabin is full, the jumpseat(s) get assigned, again in order of seniority (to people eligible for it). I’ve never heard of people being allowed to double list out of order etc. (and the carriers I’ve worked at are ALPA too) where I am from that’s frowned upon because you block several seats without ever actually using them.
If that’s possible at UA I can get his patronizing stance. He knew he was gonna get a seat in the back and was now offering his Jumpseat to me (even though it’s not even him deciding who gets it ultimately). Yes people can argue that he was doing me a solid, however imho it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. If you get a seat in the cabin you should take it and not mess up the system by listing for the JS only to give it to someone else at the last minute to stand there as a star.
First off, he works at UAL and can take the JS (with captain’s concurrence) with 50 open seats in the back if desired. I’ve commuted hub to hub and when there is a 777,787,or 767 nice, comfy JS available (and those planes have at least 2 and up to 4), I’m taking that over a middle in row 53, unless for some odd reason that would mean leaving behind an offline jumpseater. Plenty of room for baggage, all the coffee and leftover meals one can eat, and shoulder and legroom (sometimes even a bunk is offered) that rivals 1st class. As a 777 captain, I always welcome pilots commuting up front on domestic segments (think Hawaii) over a less comfortable coach option. This allows other non JS qualified employees or family members the opportunity to snag a seat on what is most likely a full flight. At UAL, our standby lists can be pretty long and an offline jumpseater will be at the bottom of that list so if our young mustached pilot (yes- that annoys most of us) made that offer, he was basically letting you know that based on his knowledge of the standby lists, you would be getting on the plane. He could have taken a JS leaving you to battle it out with every other standby passenger (all of which would be ahead of you on the list to take (again, with captain’s approval-which is almost always given) the more comfortable option if it was a 757 or larger.
Any of this sinking in yet? If not, maybe give another airline the opportunity to give you a free ride next time.
PS- when I’m trying to jumpseat on an offline carrier, I always appreciate when one of their pilots recognizes I’m a clueless offline jumpseater and gives me insight as to how they see the flight unfolding and what my chances are. I’m glad he recognized you as an offline jumpseater and offered you some assurance. Mustache or not.