UAL/SKW Jumpseat Screwup
 

For SKW people...

Apparently UAL has miscoded their computer system to give UAL, Gojet, and TSA pilots priority in SkyWest jumpseats, ahead of SKW pilots.

This is obviously not in accordance with our GOM.

Until this gets resolved favorably, PLEASE do this:

If you have an offline jumpseater, PLEASE go to the gate area and make sure that there is not a SKW pilot hanging around because the gate agent gave OUR jumpseat to another pilot. If this happens, simply explain the situation to the offline pilot and ask him to voluntarily yield to the SKW pilot. If he doesn't yield, I guess you will have to deny him.

All of us commuters will thank you.

For Mesa and Colgan: YOU guys are in even worse shape, UAL has apprently given you LAST priority on your OWN airplanes...behind UAL and ALL other UAX pilots. Might want to look into that...

Yeah, just saw that memo. I wonder why UAL made the change to begin with, and why anyone there thought that it was ok to give UAL mainline, TSA, and Gojet priority over us on OUR OWN AIRPLANES!? Gotta wonder if it's a strong-arm tactic because they want something from us in return to give our own pilots first right at their own jumpseat. This is ridicuolous...

Not too big of a deal.... think our GOM clearly defines jumpseat priority, so they cannot FORCE offliners into our cockpits. We just need to be aware of this so as not to leave one of our own behind.

I realize what the GOM says, however, I think it will be a very big deal. I can't tell you how many times in places like SLC (this place is terribly bad) that I've asked ops, and even the gate agents if there were any jumpseaters standing by and they said no, while in reality there were. Apparently their "load planning" software said that we couldn't take a jumpseater, when in actuality, we could. I've resorted in places like this to actually walk inside on all turns and see who is hanging out around gate. However, must people don't do this. So I'm pretty sure gate agents will just be sending out the jumpseater that their computer says to, without the captain really knowing what's going on. And I would be willing to bet that most captains will just take the jumpseater sent out from the gate area and not go inside to check. I hope this gets resolved soon.....

Yeah, it will be up to our crews to ensure that this does not turn into a big problem...put the word out.

I'll make damn sure my crew knows whats going on...::sigh::

so is the thread title wrong? from what i am reading in all your guys posts is that this was a change that was done on purpose and not a mistake or screw up. so it may be against your agreements with united but they still did it, is that whats going on?

UAL did it. It may have been an administrative mistake or misunderstanding, since there is no obvious reason for the new priority order...

TSA/Blowjet over all other regionals on all UAL/UAX flights.

Then SKW/CHQ above mesa/colgan.

No obvious logic here...nobody is going to follow this priority anyway.

I think the problem is two-fold.

United Express carriers used to use the following priority for the jumpseat: 1) company pilot; 2) Mainline pilot, 3) other United Express pilots based on time of check-in.

United just changed it to be 1) United Pilots; 2) TSA/GoJet pilots, 3) SKW/RAH; 4) Mesa/Colgan. This priority holds for mainline flights as well.

It sucks that they screwed with the priority system at all. I feel that off-line jumpseaters should be time of check in only. United's reservation system, though, goes beyond this...it gives United/TSA/GoJet pilots priority over SKW (and Mesa/RAH/Colgan) on Skywest's own flights. That's jacked up, and completely contrary to our FOM. But at most United stations, they don't care and just do what the computer tells them.

If you work for a United Express carrier, do your best to check in with the captain when it's your own airline. There's going to be a lot of confusion.