ProperMike

This is possibly going to be a polarizing PSA for our pilots, but here we go anyway.

Yesterday I landed in LAS after ferrying an aircraft from MDW. Instead of spending 24 hours in Vegas I wanted to deviate and get home asap as my wife was experiencing pregnancy complications. I found that the morning F9 flight from LAS to ATL was delayed and I had a shot of making it, so I ran from the E gates to the D gates and saw that the aircraft was still there, the jetbridge was still attached and the main cabin door was still open. I begged the station manager to let me on and she explained very nicely that the flight was closed. In an act of desperation I went to the window to wave at the pilots and point to my badge. The captain saw me and the gate agent came up to the door. Thinking I’ve been saved by my fellow F9 pilots, I pulled out my docs for the gate agent but instead he asked if I was a deadheader. What an odd question. I explained that I was taking this flight in lieu of a deadhead tomorrow and that I was listed online for the flight (which had 35 open seats). He went back down to the plane and radioed back that the captain was only allowing one deadheader on who has yet to show. I ask them if I can be that deadheader, to which they asked if I was deadheading. I said no, but I was listed online. They replied I can only board if I’m the deadheader that they’re waiting on. You see where this is going…I never make it onto the flight.

As we enter contract negotiations, every email we get from our union ends with “we’re stronger together” or “in unity” or some other bologna, but our real connectedness is derived from our actions towards each other on the line. I implore each and every person here to go one extra step for our peers and coworkers because you don’t know how much your actions can affect the morale of individuals or the group, both positive and negative, that are just trying to do the job. The company has implemented rules to put us in these situations, where the captain has to push back against the gate agent to get everyone on board. With the flight closed yesterday, the captain could have told the gate agent to quickly fill out a Jumpseat Request Form, sign it, then boot me to a seat in the back. It’s thinking like this that we need to make this job bearable for everyone. I write this partially out of frustration that it happened to me, but more-so because I’m ashamed to work at a company where I know that it must be happening to more people who commute for a living.

So to every pilot here, I say HODOR!

ToddChavez

This should also be a good reminder to everyone, with our light paassenger loads, to make the walk at the normal door closing time. I had a flight with 50 people on it, gate agent closed 30 early. A jumpseater had ran up and was waiting when I checked at the 15 minute cut off.

The gate agents feel empowered now that the company has tried to usurp captain authority over accommodating our passengers. I've found that you don't ask, you politely tell them to get the jumpseater on, making it clear it's not a request.

terryhflyer

So, the captain didn't bother to come up themself? Did a deadhead pilot ever show up?

Shrek

That is UNSAT ...... it will never happen on my airplane.

spooldup

Sounds like the gate agent lied. That sucks and I am sorry it happened. I try to make the walk even if my CA doesn't.

ProperMike

No and No.

Salukipilot4590

...so the captain saw you, in uniform, waving your badge and didn't let you on?

Like they physically acknowledged your existence visually?

Jesus.

ProperMike

I was wearing my Frontier polo and black slacks, which my FO also wore. We packed out shirts and ties just in case they swapped us to fly a revenue flight, then we could toss our uniform shirts on. But otherwise, yes I looked professional, the other captain saw me and sent the gate agent up and things went downhill from there. My frustration lies in how long it took them to figure out whether I was the deadhead or not, they could have gotten me onto the airplane. But I couldn’t be more aggressive because then I’m just wrestling a pig in the mud and the other captain didn’t intervene on my behalf. That’s the portion that we need to do better with, looking out for each other in those moments where as a nonrev pilot you’re at the mercy of the gate agents.

ColdWhiskey

This post adds more to the story than your initial one did.

Your chances of getting the Captain's attention would have been improved I believe if you had been in full Frontier uniform. You say that you had removed your shirt and tie and you were wearing the Frontier polo? I am not even sure what piece of the uniform that is?

It is very possible that the Captain believed you to be a late arriving passenger, and the gate agent did not communicate to the Captain that you were a Frontier pilot. I find it hard to believe that any one of our Captains would not have come up to ensure that you got on if they realized you were one of our own.

If you had been in full Frontier uniform I think the situation would've been different.

ProperMike

This is the polo-rization I mentioned before. If I was in full uniform, would that have helped my case in getting on that flight? I don’t think so. They completely dismissed my presence and my logic of letting me on the airplane. The gate agents knew I was a pilot, the manager knew I was a pilot, and I’m damn sure the captain of the flight knew that I was a pilot because the gate agents all knew I was a listed pilot for the flight when they went back down to tell him the situation. What makes you think the gate agent would tell the captain that I was a passenger if they all knew I was an employee of the airline? Again, are we saying that if commuting or nonreving, we need to do it in full uniform so that you can be positively ID’d by the captain through a window as being a Frontier pilot? Where does it end?