glasspilot

To All:

I'm an AA pilot, former TWA. Been commuting since '88. Show up early (sometimes hard if you're running from a connecting flight) and look for the Capt. If he is into doing the right thing (the vast majority) he'll make sure you get on. If the agent starts the "there's not enough time" thing any Captain worth his salt will take the delay to get everyone on.

AA is now doing this 35 minute turn thing which puts even more pressure on the agents, so everyone have fun!

Glasspilot

XtremeF150

35 minute turns huh.....sounds tough.....I guess our agents that turn a small prop in 5 - 10 minutes with a fuel top off and throwing the bags themselves would be extremely agitated. The truth though, I think these agents are the nicest I have ever ran into. I have had them actually drive me an hour away to make another connection if I was bumped by one of those on a power trip. I guess thats only my experience's though. Good luck

calcapt

Looks like you finally discovered the answer. You have to get word to the crew that you are there. Ideally, you would want to intercept the captain or FO as he/she arrives at the gate and introduce yourself. If by some chance you miss the crew, get creative and ask a boarding employee or perhaps a flight attendant that runs for a coffee to inform the captain that you are there. Once the crew knows, 90 percent of your trouble is over unless you get a jerk captain. I get approached regularly in the boarding area from jumpseaters looking for a ride. Once credentials are checked and the CASS stuff is complete, I simply look at the gate agents and say: "They're good to go". Gate agents will never determine who gets my jumpseat as long as I am aware of the request. I don't close the door until my jumpseat guest(s) are comfortably accomadated. I think most good captains like glasspilot use the same philosophy, at least I hope so!

Freight Dog

I have jumpseated a lot with A'A, and have found that introducing myself to the captain while he/she's at the gate has enabled me ride every time-- even out of DFW.

fireman0174

Being retired, I'm out of the jumpseat thing, both in the getting and the giving.

When I was still working, anyone from a carrier other than mine would be denied the jumpseat if they were in the all-airlines scab book I always carried with me. I would be polite, and offer the individual an opportunity to prove that he was not the same person that I found in the book, but I was strict about it.

Cleared4Tkeoff

This happened to me when I was at the commuters. The USAir Captain looked at my ID and turned to his left and grabbed a tattered list from his kitbag and looked down to the B's... He saw a last name and a first initial that matched mine and said (verbatim), "United Airlines scabs aren't welcome on my plane, is this you"? Then he pointed to the list. I looked at it, and sure enough I saw my name!

Luckily for me I was applying with the Majors at the time and I had my application stuff with me in my bag. After showing him my drivers license and copies of my high school and college diplomas, he saw I was in the 10th grade during the UAL strike... After I convinced him I wasn't named after my Father (He didn't want a scab's kid on the jumpseat either), he laughed and said I was the most prepared jumpseater he'd ever seen! He was a great guy and I had terrific time all the way to CLT!

Ever since then though, I've carried a photo copy of my high school diploma with me wherever I go...

Murph

fireman0174

Great story.