Xjrstreetcar

It seems to be understood that an operator building pairings starting in base and ending in outstations with the expectation that a pilot will use their jumpseat priviliges to get back to base, rather than buying a ticket on an OAL, would be violating jumpseat agreements, and most likely their CBA. And Pilots would put the status quo in jeopardy if they colluded with the operator by cancelling OAL tickets and jumpseated back to base on the same flight as well. Being released from duty and jumping on a different flight to base or home seems to be accepted in practice as part of the privilege, as long the operator leaves it at the discretion of the pilot and the pilot is not being compensated additionally for the decision to bypass the DH.

Would it be a violation to collude with an operator by doing the reverse; accepting a premium pairing starting in an outstation, the pilot's home, and ending in base with the expectation that the pilot will use jumpseat privileges to return home, rather than purchasing an OAL ticket or scheduling a DH on their own metal? Definitely could add efficiency to an operation on the backs of competitors.

BeechedJet

Those are two completely different things.

rickair7777

If you're saving your employer coin by jumping and not using or not scheduling an obviously necessary DHD to the same location, then that's a clear violation.

If you're jumping for your convenience, that's allowed. That includes taking a flight that gets you home earlier IMO.

Likewise some employers allow you to skip a scheduled DHD and bank the credit for future positive space commutes of your convenience. That's OK to IMO.

And it really only matters offline. On your own metal you can do what you want, but it's a party foul to leave another jumper behind by abdicating a PS seat to sit in the JS for the benefit of the company. I might do it for nonrevs IF I'm certain there are no pilots (junior or offline) who need the jump. I don't give up PS for revenue pax.

Wholesale institutional JS abuse does not seem to occur in 121. I've only ever seen it from 135/135.5 types whose company "encourages" them to use the JS privileges to repo themselves to a plane.

I have denied them flat out. They often don't even have a JS agreement or CASS and are just bluffing for a cabin seat. Had one guy insist they had an agreement even though it wasn't on my list so I tried to get hold of our JS coord... he picked up and before I finished my sentence he interrupted to tell me that we had cancelled that agreement for, you guessed it, abusing the privilege for biz travel.

Remember if you give those guys a free ride you're just helping their employer undercut YOUR airline for premium pax.

I honestly don't like giving free rides to any non-121 because it's next to impossible to get a reciprocal benefit from them (yes, I even tried a few times). But if they have an agreement, so be it as long as it's not abuse.

Xjrstreetcar

I'd say in compliance even if OAL. The OAL still gets most of the benefit, just at a later date, and the pilot's operator is not profiting from the arrangement.

rickair7777

Yeah as long as the pilot banks the credit, not the employer.

Qotsaautopilot

1. This is compliant with the restrictions of the CBA and you putting yourself on the Y list. You are not colluding. They cannot bypass the X list in base to save money by assigning a Y list at an outstation of course within the restrictions of the CBA.

2. The pairing has to get you back to domicile just like any other pairing. So even if you started at your outstation home after a fake DH was built from the domicile the pairing still must end in the domicile and you’re still a commuter meaning you’re on your own to get home after the pairing. If the pairing ended with a DH back to base and you chose to be released and jumpseat to your home at an outstation it on you. We don’t have a provision in our CBA for them to positive space you to your home to an outstation if you choose to be released.

3. The front end Fake DH from domicile to your outstation home for you to work the premium Y list pairing is where the point of contention was. Pairing still technically started at the domicile but the company was building the fake DH as one minute of credit. It was the association’s stance that the full value of the fake DH would be built into the pairing and the pilot credited for it at the premium rate. We went to arbitration and lost remember. So the pairing starts in the domicile and the one minute fake DH to your home stands. And the pairing ends in the domicile where it started just like any other pairing.

All is compliant within the CBA and there is no colluding with the company about it. The pairing is still a domicile pairing. It’s not an outstation pairing, you just happens to pick it up when it came through your home at the outstation.

RustyChain

Doesn't seem that complicated. If it helps me, it's fine. If it helps the company but doesn't help me, not fine.

Xjrstreetcar

Thanks for the explanation