Jumpseat Question?
 

Could someone explain to me what it means for an airline to be a CASS participant.

Thanks

It a nutshell, it means that your picture and employment status is checked on a national database that is updated 3 times daily. You check in for a jumpseat, they check your picture, you get to jump up front if there are no seats in back. It allows offline carriers jumpseat access which has been gone since 9/11. It's not perfect, but better then nothing.

Not all airlines participate.

More to the point...what does it mean to be a non-cass participant: You cannot jumpseat on any carrier except your own or certain codeshares (like a major partner). This probably includes cabin as well as cockpit.

In plain english: No CASS = you are scr*wed.

Unless things have changed in the past 12 months (since I was able to jumpseat), I never previously had an issue jumpseating offline while working for a non-cass airline. Just means that you can't ride in the cockpit. I would imagine that just about every unionized carrier out there that has established jumpseat agreements have protocols for allowing non-participating pilots into seats in the cabin.

I think that when they went to the mandatory CASS database photo requirement a few months ago, it may have precluded no-cass (hence no photo) pilots from JS-ing period. We are still in a transition period period from, and several carriers are having problems. I haven't done it offline in a while so not 100% sure. Anyone?

....Not true.

Is there some list of CASS participating airlines somewhere?

I just used DAL to get to ATL last weekend - They use the CASS database you mentioned and I am not CASS - I got to ride in the back as usual but they did want to see my passport for the number - So Non-Cass is ok just bring the pasport from now on (which is a CASS requirement anyway).
- BCD

Airlinepilotcentral.info I believe has a list.