Before you all get any more worked up, the original response to the request may in fact have been correct. I 've worked many charters where company pilots were the only ones allowed on the jumpseat. Can't remember the reason but it's best to let the system work and get the official answer before villifying anyone.

Talking with their (AA) agents they told me that they have to pay $50 to get a first class seat when they non-rev.

I fly for AA and although it's been several years since I've been on the line (currently on an extended Mil Leave), I recall my captains always trying to get jumpseaters a seat in first class if it was available. I'm sorry that you and others on this thread have been dissed by AA, but I guarantee it is not a policy or conspiracy on our part.

Now our gate agents are a different story--always undermanned and stressed out--and sometimes not too friendly. They will typically print you a coach seat boarding pass not out of spite but to leave 1st class available until the last moment. You can either just accept what they have given you or descretely inquire about 1st class if it is not initially offered to you by the crew. Especially if you are in uniform, crews like to have "help" if needed towards the front of the plane...

Again, sorry for the poor welcome/service you received on our jumpseat...please don't penalize my AA brethren out of hand for it as I hope it is not the norm...

All employees of AA--whether pilots or baggage throwers--have to pay a fee to non-rev in first or business class. The fee ranges from around $22 for a short hop domestic flight to maybe $125 for a long-range international flight. We even pay a non-rev fee for domestic coach during our first 5 years of service--they start at $11 per leg, but as a young commuter those fees would add up...

That's sometimes why you may see AA non-revs flooding the back of a flight while first class may still have availability. I would think that would bode well for jumpseaters getting 1st class as you don't pay for it...so I hope you do!

why is it that flight attendants never check in with the guys/gals up front? They go straight to their seat.....

Generally they have no idea what's going on up there... Also, chances are they're pass-riding not jumpseating... There's really no good reason to have them checking in...

Haven't flown domestic for awhile now, but when I did, most CAs would always offer a first class seat if it was open. If they didn't, I would prompt them.

Irish Tiger, sorry your experience was so bad on us. Perhaps you should stick to Delta so that they can always cater to your desires while bumming a free ride. In the meantime, if you ever j/s on one of my flights, you can be sure I will do everything I can (within my F/O capabilities) to get you your first class seat.

73

Well, aside from the first class seat issue, I do try to take Delta whenever possible. I just feel more welcome with them. The F/A's are nicer, the gate agents (well, most of them - I am here in Atlanta) are nicer, but the pilots are about the same as every other carrier. I do find the pilots at DAL are typically a bit more inviting and talkative than most carriers. I remember one flight on AA. It was full I had one of the very last seats in coach. I boarded last (at the gates request). There was no more overhead space for my bag. I noticed there was a ton of room in the F/A's forward closet (only one bag and one jacket was in there), and I politely and quietly asked if it would be alright to put my bag in there. All she said was "Nope!" So I had to check it. That's a perfect example of what I mean when I say the F/A's are nicer at other carriers.

With AA, it's more of a "Oh, welcome aboard, now sit down, shut up and be seen and not heard."

I feel like I've done something wrong when I JS on AA, even though I try to be as nice and thankful as possible. The first class seat isn't an issue, but I have always thought it was odd that I was never offered it. I certainly don't feel that it is a right for us to sit up there, but I do feel it's one of those unwritten rules - sort of when possible, sure take an empty seat.

On this particular flight, there were no other employees (in uniform) commuting, so I probably would have accepted it. I have been on other AA flights where there were 2-4 flight attendants traveling in uniform. Had they offered it to me on those flights, I most likely would have declined the offer because I wouldn't feel right sitting up there while AA flight attendants are in coach.

But, AA73, I know that there are plenty of good people at AA, and I may not have ridden with a lot of them. I'm sure in my career, I will run across some pretty fantastic AA crews. I will of course continue to offer any AA employee commuting on my flights anything we have on board (I was really just joking when I said I'd put them next to the lav :p). I'm sorry if I've come across as disrespectful towards your company, I really didn't mean it that way... I was just trying to voice a few frustrations. I understand I have a lot to learn in this business, but that's why people like you and I can have conversations like this. :)

Understood, no worries. You're always welcome. Sorry about our company culture, we are all on a holy mission to try and change it. It will take time. Take care man.
73

I also had one of the best and one of the worst experiences jumpseating on AA out of London. Coach was full, but first was wide-open. The gate agent told me she couldn't print me a boarding pass for first, the computer would not let her. But, she could sign me up for the cockpit j/s and we'd go talk to the Captain. (Long before 09/11). So, down we went. The Captain told me that sorry, it was too long of a flight to have a cockpit jumpseater. The gate agent reminded him that there were a dozen f/c seats open, but he still said no way. It was beyond his control. So, back up we went, and the agent told me to wait until it was gone and she would do everything in her power to find me a seat in the back (by upgrading someone, or a no show, etc). A few minutes before the door closed, she got a call to bring me back down and put me in the cockpit jumpseat.

When we got back down there, the Captain told me to take a seat on the jumpseat, sit there, keep my mouth shut, and don't even think about eating or sleeping. He also told me to thank the F/O who "demanded" that he give me a ride home.

After he went back to sleep, the IRO and the F/O told me the whole story, and apparently they threatened to turn him into both my j/s coordinator and their own as well as to the chief pilot if he left me (because I was a regional guy at the time, even though we were on the AA Int'l list). As it turns out, he commuted weekly on us, and they scared the crap out of him.

The score there was 1 prick of a Captain and 5 for the helpful people (the agent, the other pilots, and the F/A's). Ironically, about 5 months later, he needed a ride with me, in the cockpit, on the last chance he had to get to work. I considered leaving him there, but decided no good could come of that. So, he made it to work. But, I will never forget his face as we taxied out and I turned around and thanked him for the ride home from London. I'm pretty sure he never considered leaving a j/s behind again... :D