Travel Voucher, then list for jumpseat?
 

Scenario is you work for airline A, assigned positive space deadhead on airline B. This is a paid customer ticket as far as airline B is concerned. Would it be against any jumpseat agreement to give up your seat for a travel voucher, then list for the jumpseat?

Seems like it’s a win across the board as everyone gets what they want, but I had this scenario come up and wasn’t sure if it violated anything, so I passed.

Consider if you have potential duty responsibility upon arrival (reserve assignment window, drug test).

But I'd probably check company policy first, it's possible they have language about "ownership" of pos space tickets, ie you if it gets cashed in then they want the cash back. Although in this case I'd think the ticket is still valid and unused and they can cash it out if they want (there's an exchange process between airlines, and that's opaque to us). The voucher was for your inconvenience, it did not negate the ticket.

Probably enough of a grey area that if anyone had an issue they'd just tell you not to do it again, but there's a slight risk that if your company spun it as theft you could get in big trouble.

Not worth it.

I’d say if the company paid for a seat, take the seat and don’t mess with it.

Also, you need to double, triple, and quadruple check that no one else needed that Jumpseat. The seat you freed up could go to a revenue standby and a commuter running up at the last second could get left behind.

I almost lost the jumpseat on my own metal when someone with a positive space dh pulled a stunt like that. On the other hand, I've taken the j/s on a dh before to get a commuting FA on, but you need to be damn sure there isn't another jumpseat rider trying to get on before you make that deal. I wouldn't ride up front to get more revenue on, only to help out another crewmember.

From ALPA jumpseat guide:
Be polite and courteous to gate agents. Remember that they do not get the same benefits of riding on other carriers, but never, ever let them talk you into taking the jumpseat or becoming a jumpseater on a flight for which you are ticketed no matter how nicely they ask or what type of favor you may think you are doing them. They may even offer you vouchers, but this practice has resulted in lost reciprocal jumpseat agreements.

This.

OP, ask your j/s chair. I’m sure they will tell you to never j/s on a flight you have a paid ticket on.

All good input guys, thanks!

you absolutely can not Jumpseat on another carrier in furtherance of your company’s business. Jumpseat is personal travel only.

That's true, but you could argue that you were furthering your *own* business by taking the voucher. He was still entitled to a later pos space seat if he wanted to wait.

I've used the JS to get home in a more convenient manner than waiting for a company DHD. That's my business.

Actually making some money in the process may muddy the waters. And also union policy as referenced above.

I don't think anybody got hurt, everybody got where they were going and got what they paid for. Assuming no other JSer got left behind.

This is fine. The problem is if you take a jumpseat on the same exact flight you hold a positive space revenue ticket for.

I think you’re referring to the very much prohibited practice of purchasing a ticket, then canceling it and non-revving on the same flight, thereby reserving a seat for yourself. I would not put these two in the same category because in my scenario the reservation never gets canceled and the airline still gets paid for the seat. Still a murky gray area and probably best to leave it be. At the very least it potentially screws over another last minute jumpseater.

Within what timeframe is this not acceptable? Obviously if you cancel a PS ticket an hour before the flight this rightfully would raise anger, but what about 3 days, or a week prior? What exactly is the acceptable time cutoff?

I’ve done this once a while back. There was an issue with seating and a whole family was about to get off the flight because one of them wasn’t gonna have a seat. I was already in my seat and as the FA frantically walked by as they were trying to figure it out I told her I would take the jumpseat so they could get the family on. I told her as long as it was ok with the captain I would do it. I had no intention of using the voucher and only wanted to help this family start their vacation with positivity. It worked out and the only “benifit” I got was a ice cream Sunday and great conversations with the crew. The voucher went in the trash at some point. The grey area of it was something I didn’t want to deal with. (There was nobody else wanting the jumpseat)

Is it a win for OAL jumpseat guy commuting to work/home who does not get a jump seat because you wanted to game the system?


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