It's not hard but the conversation needs to have "captain authority." So the Captain might as well do it if the FO brings it up. I'm not sure we have "rank" at Delta, just responsibility for operations and boarding falls under the gate agent. The parking brake falls under the captain so they have the ultimate responsibility/power.

 

there is no “rank” in that way.

 

Eh, it doesn't matter which pilot does it. I make the walk 90% of the time, and I had a trip a year or so ago where my FO obviously noticed that I'd make the walk. I hadn't done it yet this leg and he was getting up to use the lav and said "want me to go check if there are any jumpseaters up top?" I said hell yeah thanks bro! Pretty sure the gate agent probably didn't even notice he wasn't the captain.

 

I think we need an SOP for this.

 

Unless the Captain is busy doing other Capt stuff in the cockpit, or briefing the FA's or all that other stuff Captains do. If I had time I'd gladly do it, if the FO wasn't busy, I've got no problem with him doing it. As a 28 year commuter I was always happy when -somebody- did it, FO or Captain.

I'll retell this story about who controls the flight. Back around 1989 one cold February morning at 6am in BOS we were on a 767 getting ready to go to SLC, a 5hr leg. The A FA comes up and offers us coffee and says, "We're 15 meals short in first class." I (FO) immediately get on the radio to ops and tell them, and it's around 30 minutes from push.

About 5 minutes before push the A comes up front and says the meals haven't arrived yet. Captain tells me to call ops and tell them we're not leaving without them. A few minutes later the agent comes with the final paperwork and the Captain says, "We're waiting for 15 FC meals." Agent says, "Nope, you're going without them." Captain says, "No, we're not." Agent says, "Captain, until you push back, this is MY flight, and I say you're going without them!" He then turns, leaves the cockpit and shuts the boarding door, pulls the jetway off. Tug driver calls and asks if we're ready to push.

Captain looks at me and says, "Tell the tug driver to push us back 10 feet and stop."

As we push back I see the agent standing in the jetway with his arms folded and a smug smile across his face. Then we stop. The Captain unlocks his window, rolls it open and yells to the agent, "Is it my flight now?"

Agent smiles and says, "Yes Captain, it's your flight now!"

Captain yells, "Ok, thanks!" Then he rolls his window shut, looks at me and says, "Tell the tug to pull us back into the gate."

So I do and he does and the Captain sets the parking brake and the agent brings the jetway up and the Captain yells to the FA to disarm the doors and they do. The boarding door is opened and the irate agent bursts into the cockpit and says loudly, "What's the problem?!"

The Captain very calmly says, "MY flight is short 15 first class meals and we're not going without them."

I was laughing right in the agent's face and his face was red as he stormed out but you know what? 15 minutes later we had our 15 first class meals!

The captain was a senior LCA and not going to be pushed around by a gate agent, and this all happened long before the D-10 nonsense was invented. He never got huffy or even raised his voice, because he knew he was going to win that argument. I feel the same way about getting non-revs and JS on.

 

Not if you don't assert yourself.

 

Could work fine. I'm just not willing to put the FO in an awkward position, but if they volunteer, absolutely! And they have my full backing. Probies, possibly having to do it myself anyway or tone keep me in that mode.

 

Corporal Captain was a rank on M*A*S*H just like Sergeant Major but an officer. What is the rank hierarchy at Delta? I can't find it in the FOM or anywhere for that matter.

 

this isn’t the military. the first officer has no supervisory rank over a gate agent. we all work together within our own duties. treating people as your coworker instead of a subordinate will yield far better results

 

https://youtu.be/ca3IQdfuWTQ?feature=shared

respect…my…authority