MaydayMark

I know this link is a bit off topic but it's still a good reminder for everyone ...


http://www.airlinepilotcentral.com/r...060707118.html

kronan

It's so totally deductible off your taxes. (Provided you have enough itemized deductions)

Transportation between your residence and your Tax Home are not deductible. But, travel to/from the Field totally deductible. As are tips, dry cleaning, meals exceeding the std amount, cabs, rental cars, etc.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p463.pdf


And, R1200RT, don't think I've met you but the fact that BC thinks you're a good guy is more than enough of a thumbs up for me.

Again, you didn't do anything illegal or unethical (since you gave the JB Capt the background info on your situation). But, you did something that I wouldn't do and haven't done.

Your location was in no way a result of any personal vacation, meeting friends, etc. And you weren't commuting from your home to your domicile to start a trip. Instead you were jumping from the field on a trip back to your domicile-something that every airline occasionally does and every airline buys a ticket for.

You have said that you went on the same two flights that were scheduled by the company, just more expensive. But, you have no way of knowing what the actual revenue breakdown was. JB's ticket price could have been the same on each day, and the NW/Delta price was the one that increased dramatically in that combination.
Airline ticket prices aren't determined by any logical standards. Best demonstration is that I occasionally wind up connecting through Memphis and winding up on the same flight from Memphis for a lower cost. So, two segments cost less than just the one flight from Memphis. How goofy is that.

You asked for an opinion. And you got one. Doesn't make it wrong. Just makes it different than yours.

What FedEx options did you have to get home early?

kronan

R1200RT,
never mind on the FedEx schedule. Took a look and the flight schedules to the PR have dramatically changed since I last flew down there so I know it wan't an option for you.

But, wanted to take a look at JBs fares, and I will admit that I in no way know what they were when you were checking into your options....but, let's assume you were flying from BQN to MCO and connecting to NW there. JBs fares for this weekend are 160$.
Still, some $$ out of your pocket, but not as much.

FYI-One way from MCO-MEM on NW this weekend is 130.

Maybe, with a little bit of research, you could have wound up with a guaranteed seat and avoided having BC tell you that you were wrong.

R1200RT

BC no longer thinks I am wrong. And like you said he is a smart guy(who said that?). I hate to see you wasting your personal funds, but if that makes you feel better I'm sure they'll take your money. Last Saturday the NW fare was $440 through corporate travel. In 14ish years of commuting I've never spent one cent of my personal money on a deadhead and never plan to.

Get with BC when you are in town and we'll have lunch and talk it out, but I'm done with APC for now. Later

Sniper

If you cancel your ticket and jumpseat on the same flight to build your bank, but you did it out of ignorance, therefore "unmaliciously", it's still ok? I disagree. Intent does not excuse action, it just mitigates it.

So, if the ticket agent (who usually knows nothing about jumpseating) and the PIC agree it's ok, it's ok? Again, I disagree. The PIC could be a non-commuter, or could be the jumpseat chairman for the airline.

What about if you have a ticket on the next flight, but you get in early. You cancel the ticket on the next flight, bank it, and jumpseat home. Still ok?

RO is on these boards. Hopefully, he'll respond internally.

To me, it's a grey area, though 'R1200RT' certainly didn't try to violate the protocol, and certainly made more than a reasonable effort to stay within compliance. I wish more pilots would do this.

Adlerdriver

1200RT,
I think the more pure Fedex (no pax/other carrier flying in a past life) guys you ask, the more affirmation of your actions you’ll get. Get some more opinions from outside the purple world and I’ll bet you’ll find many more folks who might question your plan. Salty’s a UPS guy (pretty sure) and seems to have a raised eyebrow about your jump seating. Several UPS guys in my guard unit and I have discussed this exact scenario. They seem to be much less liberal about this. I guess it depends a little on the culture of your specific airline. The problem is that offline jumpseating mixes two different airline cultures and the one who owns the jumpseat understandably takes precedence. United’s policy of no crew movement on the JS is to protect their own pilots and so a scheduled DH taking the JS doesn’t stiff one of their own trying to get to/from work. Strict application of that policy to our crew movements would definitely minimize our options on United but their rules/interpretations are what ultimately matter –not what we decided is okay in our world.

We have an interesting culture here at Fedex when it comes to commuting. Unique things like our travel bank, jumpseat kingdom in MEM, reserved jumpseats, minimal off-line pilots on our JS, paid DH with a choice of carriers, etc. have allowed us significant flexibility in commuting. However, they also allow us to make choices others may find objectionable. Some objections may come up as a result of not understanding things like our travel bank(like thinking we keep extra $$ - which we don't). Others may be legit. It’s unlikely we would ever hear those objections unless we get called on it on some random encounter or the wrong person takes special notice. Since most of us won’t hear any different, lack of criticism quickly cements our actions into the “approved” category. We all discuss it, trade stories within our purple world and decide what’s acceptable from within the vacuum we created.

There’s definitely lots of grey areas here. Too many scenarios to make any attempt at a comprehensive “do’s and don’t” list. However, I think you’re already seeing that many here disagree with your actions in the scenario you posted.

You had a ticket on JB and NWA and you cancelled it. You then used one of those company’s jumpseat to fly the EXACT city pair you cancelled. The fact that it was one day earlier doesn’t matter. If you didn’t use their jumpseat, they would have gotten paid. That’s pretty black and white. Not acceptable. The opinion of the pilot flying you doesn’t matter, nor does the opinion of the ticket agent. Remember, those are the same ticket agents who have asked our guys (and other carrier’s pilots) to take the jumpseat when we have a ticket so they can get another revenue pax on the same plane. The opinion that matters is the carrier’s JS committee and their management.

This should go without saying but here’s a good rule of thumb:

If you have a ticket booked on a carrier and you cancel it, you shouldn’t jumpseat on that carrier between the same city pair. It amazes me that some people posting here would consider taking an earlier or later flight on the same carrier/same city pair using the jumpseat. This Fedex created concept of a “free agent” once you deviate is just that – something we created. Get the wrong Captain or airline official looking at your use of the jumpseat and you won’t get too far into your “free agent” explanation before they’re on the phone to someone who controls our jumpseat agreement.
Remember, you did start this post asking for opinions. Hopefully, you’ll consider them all.

FDXLAG

So for you the moral objection is if you actually had a ticket reserved. What if the next Capt or company objects if you had a trip scheduled in your line before you canceled it by deviating. After all in some esoteric way you are costing his company money by deviating and not taking the scheduled Deadhead. Why, he11s be11s, his company can make even more money by refusing you the jumpseat and making you buy a ticket to Mem to pickup the scheduled pairing.

I don't take offline jumpseats often. But when I do I am trying to stay within my bank and trying to get to work, get home, or maybe someday trying to take a vaction. I do not care what global travel has booked for me or when they booked it. That is between me and FOX (the rat ba$tard). If that is not correct well then put it in writing. Till then happy trails to all.

Adlerdriver

Quote:

Originally Posted by FDXLAG

So for you the moral objection is if you actually had a ticket reserved. What if the next Capt or company objects if you had a trip scheduled in your line before you canceled it by deviating. After all in some esoteric way you are costing his company money by deviating and not taking the scheduled Deadhead.

It's not MY moral objection. Actually, morality has nothing to do with it. It's just common sense. If your use of the jumpseat on an airline denies that same airline revenue because you had a ticket for the same city pair, you're misusing the jumpseat. We're not talking about future projected income that you negate an airline via deviations. We get refundable tickets for a reason. Plans change for us just like any other passenger. You're really reaching with that. Let's stay in the reality ballpark here.

He cancelled a ticket on an airline and then used the jumpseat on that same airline to move between the same city pair for which the ticket was purchased. There's a paper trail there and someone who cared at that airline could come to our jumpseat committee with a legitimate complaint.

That doesn’t need to be put into writing. It’s inherent in every jumpseat agreement. This exerpt is directly from the ALPA jumpseat policy.

Never, under any circumstances, jumpseat on a flight off line in which you hold a revenue ticket. And never, ever, let a gate agent "talk you in to" riding the jumpseat instead of using your ticket on the flight. To do so, violates ALPA policy, most airlines' jumpseat policies and industry protocol. It may immediately jeopardize your reciprocal agreement between the two carriers.

Do you really think the passenger carrier is going to split hairs and give us a pass because the guy jumpseated 24 hours earlier than his original ticket? I would submit that’s not the intent of the above restriction. We need to avoid any hint of impropriety and sliding your plans a day, then jumpseating on the same airline is wayyyy too questionable, IMO. Definitely not worth risking our jumpseat agreement with any carrier.

Either jumpseat on Fedex, take the scheduled DH or pick another airline to get where you really want to go when you really want to get there. It ain't rocket science.

Busboy

Not to mention that the ticketed seat was held until the day before it was cancelled. Giving them no chance to sell that seat, just so he could J/S 1 day earlier.

FDXLAG

So it sounds like he didn't jumpseat on a flight where he had a revenue ticket. He is happy, ALPA is happy, I am happy. You are not happy.

Again I say, anytime we deviate we are theoretically costing said carrier moolah.

As far as waiting till the last minute to cancel, that sucks but it does protect his bottom line.