i could be wrong, but in most cases you take your seat in coach, and either wait for a FA who knows you are a jumper, or ask them specifically if you can sit in FC. Personally, i would not go out of my way to ask an FA to sit up there unless its your own airline.

 

This is a great post, I was actually looking for something like this.

My question is, do you pay to JS? Other than the international fee I mean. How does it work usually? You go to the ticket counter and list there or you do at the gate? How do you pass security?

 

No, you don't pay to JS. I believe that AirTran used to give the first JS'er a pass for free then charged each additional rider. I think they got rid of this though. In general, yes, you just show up at the gate and request a JS pass.

Some airlines are more appreciative if you list first, makes it easier.

Some want you to check in at the gate, most just go to the ticket counter, and it can vary by station.

 

dojet

Thanks for the info, once I'm online and start traveling I'm sure I'll have a question for you. Great info helps me understand it all a little better.

 

So, if that's free technically you never have to spend the money on a ticket and just jumpseat...is that true? Again, technically.

How do you pass security with no boarding pass?

 

You should not need a boarding pass if you have a crew ID but if you run into a problem you can ask the tix agents for a dummy BP to get through security.

Can you explain why you are so adamant about this POLICY? I've jumpseated on many different airlines both foreign and domestic and have never worried about this policy. Who cares if I drink with dinner? I certainly don't care about the opinion of some ALPA manual writer. I would agree that you should not drink in uniform (although why this is not a problem for military pilots I'll never know) but if you are not in uniform and flying a ling flight to Europe or Asia then why not?

My best Jumpseat flights ever were on TWA and Pan Am across the pond to London. I always got first class and enjoyed the caviar/vodka and wine with dinner. No problem.

What? You say as an additional crew member (ACM) I should be ready to "take over" in case all the pilots are incapacitated or something? Yeah, that's realistic.

The only reason not to drink is if you are a loud/sloppy/obnoxious drunk. In that case you probably don't know it so a blanket rule is the best policy. In my case, I am able to maintain a certain decorum so if I ever jumpseat again and am offer a drink, I'll be happy to partake.

Other than the drinking part, Dojet, your posts about jumpseating are spot on. Thank you for putting so much effort into writing them.

 

mike734 I think dojetdriver was talking about the cockpit JS.

 

No he wasn't. That's why he said this topic has been endlessly debated. There are many guys out there that think you should not drink if seated in the back. If I'm wrong, good.

 

I don't expect to drink and wouldn't even ask. However, if the CA offered it up unsolicited, I may take him up on the offer especially on a flt across the pond.

 

Well, do whatever you want then. Personally, I'd never want to be in that position.

But let's just take an example that may or may not have happened. Two guys are JS'ing on an offline carrier, neither in uniform. One guy in first, the other is the physical JS. You ever ride up front in this situation? The FA's come up to serve the meals. The CA asks the FA "how's the other JS'er doing back there". The FA responds with "oh, he's fine. I gave him a beer and he went right to sleep"

That CA is the JS chair for the airline, how pleased do you think he is with that offline JS'er? How well did that JS'er represent his company? If that guy decides to write a letter to the OTHER company's JS rep, what do you think it would say?

Like I said, do whatever you want.