Alaska Airlines Jumpseat Question
 

Had an interesting thing happen to me on my commute to work the other day. I was jumping from SAN to SEA and was very fortunate to be given a seat in the back. While standing in line to board, the gate agent was nice enough to offer me an open first class seat. When I showed up in the cockpit to ask the Captain if he minded if I ride along he took one look at my boarding pass and said "They gave you a seat in first class? They're not supposed to do that." Then he escorted me back up to the gate agent and told them to take the seat away from me. His reasoning was that their ops manual said they were not allowed to put jumpseaters in first class. The gate agent was dumbfounded (as was I). There were still seats in the back so I was perfectly happy to just get a ride--no big deal. This is just the first time I have been confronted with this.

The Captain was very cordial and said he would let me sit in the cockpit if he had to so I could get to work. He later showed me the passage in the ops manual and said that his chief pilot had been quoted as saying he "would rather have first class empty with jumpseaters in the cockpit than let them sit in the back."

My question is, where is this reasoning coming from? I just don't understand it. Not that I'm trying to steal first class from paying customers, I'm just curious...

While I havent been escorted off the plane to be re-seated, I have been put in the back of the bus with first class wide open. This was with Northwest Airlines. Dont get me wrong, I was very happy to just get a ride but it makes me wonder why some airlines try to accomadate crews in first class while others overlook it. Perhaps its in some carriers OpSpecs not to seat non-rev's in 1st. :rolleyes:

Wow, I just assumed that all crews tried to give a j/s'r a seat in first class if one was available. I have been very thankful that most Capt have offered me a seat in FC if one is open, especially after flying an allnighter. I know if we have a j/s on our flight and seats up front we will offer a seat up front.

I don't like to name names but...

...by chance did his name begin with JJ? (Woops, did I say that out loud?)
:rolleyes:

I commuted from LAX to SEA for 8 months and I never had a problem with AS. They alway did their best to get me on. If there was open FC they gave me a the seat. Generally, great people but just like anywhere there are people that are very anal. Sorry you had a bad expirience.

Sorry to hear about that dude. I would have guessed a FA would have done that prior to a "front ender"? My experience has always been very positive, as far as getting a J/S on AS. But only about 50/50 with getting a first class seat.
...As long as I get the ride though, I don't care where I sit.
Z

Try JS'ing on CAL. I've had the FA tell the CA they are not allowed to put a JS'er in first if it's open.

Let the F/A's try that on one of my flights. You will be seated in 1st if there is an open seat, period.

Thanks, appreciate that. It only happens maybe once a year given where I commute to/from, and that's if it's the first flight out on a Saturday morning. Not even the cart donkeys with 1960's hire dates burning an S3V get a seat up front in most cases.

Your right. Domestically it takes an act of god to see open seats on CAL in first class.

We give the things away like free peanuts. We also became one the first carriers to start upgrading Internationally as well. Friggin brilliant bunch of managers over here.