Commuting "Etiquette"
 

This is directed mostly at the guys who expect commuting pilots to stop by the cockpit...

My understanding is that as a non-rev, you are being extended a courtesy, and the privilege shouldn't be taken for granted- you are a guest on the Captain's airplane. So far so good.

Why then, is the requirement to "check in" with the operating crew restricted to pilots? I see FA's, and other airline employees travelling every day without stopping at the cockpit, and CA's don't seem to care.

I can't seem to see the logic behind the "selective screening" of non-revs...




unless they're gojet pilots, but I'd like to keep them out of this.

It has nothing to do with non revs as you are the 'airlines' guest and everything to do with jumpseating as you are the Captain's guest. Nonrev refers to the parent company's employees and families (ramper, gate agent, OCC, pilot.......) riding their own airline or regional on the parent company's flights. Usually no need to check in, although sometimes a pilot may say 'hi' as a courtesy. You are a guest of the company as this is part of your compensation.

Jumpseat is asking for a ride on an offline company (Delta on Hawaiian). Must check in as you are a guest of Captain and they have authority as to if you can ride. Jumpseat also refers to riding the actual jumpseat or F/A jumpseat on your own carrier which in case it is obvious why you 'check in'.

non reving.....and jumpseating.....TWO different animals all together

Pretty basic concept. You new to 121?

This could turn into an informative conversation..they don't teach you this etiquette stuff in ground school...

When commuting as a non-rev, I check in when I can, but I won't if it causes the slightest disruption. I usually don't on mainline flights, because overhead space is always tight, and I don't want to lose what space I might have over my seat in row 34 because of taking an extra minute or 2 "asking" for a ride.

If I am using jumpseat privileges (even with a seat in back), its a totally different story.

I never check in as a non rev. Heck half the time commuting to EWR the cal guys seem flabbergasted as to why I check in when I'm jumpseating If they gave me a seat. I always do of course.

Great contribution.

This stuff is never explained to new hires. How about we educate?

To the OP, the response by the previous poster above explains it well.

It's a whole different animal when non revving on F9 though. Check in up front or they get real ****y.

Have never been "required" to check in while using my earned flight bennies on any other carrier.

Jumpseating is a must.

As Eminem stated, "Here's my 10 cents, my 2 cents is free......"

I think your answer depends on what arrangement you are boarding the aircraft under:

"Jumpseater"-Crew member, on or offline, using a reciprocal jump seat agreement, whether seated on actual jumpseat or in cabin seat. Must check in with CA to ask for permission to ride, no matter what. Sometimes notated on paperwork as jumpseater even if provided a seat in the cabin by the gate agent. If CA comes up to the gate podium, I'll try and speak with him/her there to minimize congestion on the airplane during boarding. Recently, I've had the problem of jumpseating flight attendants either A)not stopping up front to introduce themselves and show credentials, or B)coming up front, and informing us that they will be riding with us instead of asking.

"Non-rev"-listed as 'non revenue passenger', does not need to check in. I'll only stop up front if I know the crew or have some reason that I would need to talk to them. Totally non-scientific and statistically insignificant, but they vast majority of crew members boarding the aircraft as 'non revenue passengers' do not come up to speak to us.

Just my take.

Non rev, the benefit I receive in lieu of 'money' on my paycheck...AND, I have a small deduction from my paycheck in order to extend this to my wife. It's a benefit I was promised to lure me to the regional pilot experience that is a total crapshoot as to whether I'll/she'll get to use it or not on any given day. The offer of free travel is enticing, they just never tell you that you'll end up stranded most of the time and eventually will figure out that it's easier (and usually faster) to just drive. I have to beg and grovel to use it now, "thank you sir for allowing me to actually USE the benefit promised to me when I took this job...can I have some more?"

Jumpseat, whole different animal.

My personal opinion is to always stop upfront and say hi. My reasoning is simple, the Captain needs to know who his/her Able Bodied Crewmembers (ACMs) are.

If I am in uniform and non-rev'ing I usually will stick my head up in the cockpit and say hello. And, of course jumpseating it's a requirement to do so. I board last and get off the plane last when jumpseating also, and make an effort to not get in anyone's way or cause any kind of fuss.

Something I never thought I'd read on APC. :D

Non-rev I never checked in.

Jumpseating is easy: Say please, say thank you, be nice to everyone, and if the fecal matter impacts the spinning blades, help the crew in any way possible.

I look for the AOPA baseball caps or Boeing T-shirts

For new guys, the above is a joke.

Nonrev you don't need to check-in with the crew. Jumpseat- it's required to not only check-in with the crew but ask the captain permission.

Generally - Don't check in if you are a non-rev. Can you imagine the parade of pilots if every non-rev pilot went to the cockpit?

And just to be clear...if you are jumpseating, and the gate agent gives you a boarding pass/seat, you're still jumpseating and should ask for a ride. The gate agent has no authority over jumpseating, only the Captain. On several occasions gate agents will give me a seat and say "no need to check in with the captain" or something similar. Of course, I do anyway. Just another example of the constant strain on capt authority.

I'd prefer nonrevs not stop by. I don't need to know you're back there. Plus, you never know if we're busy with things going on when you poke your head up front and say hi then start talking about your commute, the latest company rumor, etc.

Nothing against the people, I'd just rather not be disturbed.


Jumpseaters on the other hand, are of course, welcome and expected.

A great place for jumpseat etiquette questions is jumpseatinfo.org. Plus there's a TON of related threads here on APC. It's just a search away. One thing I will add is always respect the jumpseat process and captain's authority. Never let a rude, hurried gate agent or FA try and pressure you to sit down without talking to the captain. FA's do this a lot and it goes to show that many of them don't follow the process or show the same professional courtesy when they're getting a free ride.

I agree with you bud. I'm not a CA but whenever there is a non-rev on my flight, whether they are gate agents, FA's, rampers or pilots. It doesn't matter. If they see me and say hi, I always ask if they talked to the CA and if they haven't, I turn them right to his/her direction. Non-revving is a privilege and when its taken for granted, you can easily get a one way ticket back to that comfy seat in the gate area. I've had a couple of CA's send people back for just walking past them like they were the visitors and I stood by their decision. Anyone who is getting a free ride should stop by and thank the CA for allowing them to board because you don't have to be a passenger on that aircraft.

If something were to go wrong and the FO or CA happens to pass out, I would be a little more at easy knowing that I had another pilot in the back that I could use for help. Single pilot operations can be done if absolutely necessary but it's no fun.

When you're nonrevving, you're not riding on one of the captain's seats. You're riding on the airline's seat. The captain shouldn't ever be bumping nonrevs because he doesn't like them. As long as they're complying with the nonrev policy of said airline and all the requirements of any other passenger, they should be treated as such. They're not a guest of the captain, they're a guest of the airline.

Nonrevving is part of their employment package. As long as they're complying with the policies and requirements of it, they are entitled to that seat on the airplane. I know of no nonrev policies that require an introduction to the pilots or visit to the cockpit.


I've operated airplanes where we've been carrying dozens of nonrevs. Should I entertain 30-40 introductions from nonrevs when we're 10 minutes prior to push? Theres absolutely no reason for it. If you need a pilot from the back, the FAs are going to be able to find one quick. People wear uniforms, people offhandley mention they're nonrevs to the FAs, and the FAs have paperwork saying who is who.

I have to disagree with the whole "non revs" checking with the CA.......IF I was in uniform ....maybe...but if I was with my wife or children and certainly not in uniform..... no.... its not required, nor is it nor should it be expected.

Jumpseating is a TOTALLY different animal....I would/will always ask permission from the captain to ride on his aircraft.

Delta changed their policy on this within the last year. In the above scenario you will be considered a "non-rev" and not required to check in with the Captain.

spot on........

Sounds like everybody is in agreement here. Non Rev = no check in. Physical jumpseat = obvious check in.

As long as we're here, an annoyance is when some dude interrupts us reading the checklist and says, "I'm on the jumpseat". Amazing how many times this happens.
I'm not old and bitter yet, and I'm not on a power trip, but isn't it just as easy to ask, "Hey - I'm trying to get to work. Can I use the jumpseat?"

Non reving isn't a free ride. Not ever. I don't care if the airline doesn't charge you it's still not a free ride. For most airlines it cost money, and for those that don't charge their regional partners if any still do this it's still not a free ride. I'm guessing this captain is on a lot of guys no fly list. This is extremely wrong if true.

What? Can this be true? So an AA guy jumpseating on DL, a gate agents are the ones who grant authority? No need to check in with the CA at all? Hard to believe... Anyone else from DL agree?

As they say, "you're doing it wrong". Non-reving is a travel benefit afforded to every member of the employee group. It is not jump seating and not at the discretion of the Captain (excluding safety, behavior etc). Stop doing this.

LOL so there's actually pilots out there that care whether rampers or FAs or family member checkin with them? Get a life!

Let some of the air out of your over inflated ego, good grief! Let me know who you are and I will have my wife check in with you anytime she flies non rev (which is one of my employment benefits provided by the company and NOT the captain along with the deduction from my paycheck). I'll have her introduce herself and give you a full rundown of where she's going and where she's been and what she thinks of your stupid fabricated rules. As long as the non revs follow the RULES, what gives you the right to use a company plane for your own power trip? No wonder mainline guys think we're a joke.

ill do you one better. ill send my mile a minute overly curious 7 year old to check in. theyll be leaving 30 late.

Non-Revs don't have to and shouldn't check in with the captain. The last thing I need while sitting up front is the uncle's cousin's brother checking in with me while on a buddy pass. If you do not have pass privileges on my airline or are requesting to ride in the flight deck then that is the only time I want to see the person. Can you imagine if my wife and 3 kids checked in with the captain everywhere they went. I don't give a flip if there are non-revs in back of my plane that have earned the privilege to be there. The non-rev seats don't belong to the captain. They belong to the employee that earned them.

Now of course I am not referring to captains authority in anyway when I say the seats aren't theirs. The captain is responsible for the flight. But unless they want to be disciplined "up to and including termination", as we like to say around here, then they cant deny boarding to non-revs who are following procedures.

You are still traveling on a reciprocal JUMPSEAT agreement. Regardless of your status in the computer, I'd expect to see you in the cockpit before you sat down.

It absolutely isn't true. All gate agents must verify a pilot's ability to access the flight deck. So if you're in CASS, it's their job to check. That being said, even if you are in CASS and flight deck approved, with seats available you MUST sit in the cabin if you are an offline jumpseater.(Delta policy) But you must still check in with the CA. You're still jumpseating, and you still need permission.

It was a valid question. The guy calls himself "senior skipper" and hasnt figured this out??

Non-rev is flying on your company, or parent company aircraft with a seat in the cabin. You 'check-in' with the captain as a courtesy and so they know you are an able crewmember in the event of an emergency.

Jumpseating is flying in the cockpit of any aircraft, or sitting in the cabin of a company other than your own. You must go to the cockpit and ask the captain permission to ride aboard his aircraft. It isnt just 'checking in' like a non-rev situation. Even when it is your own company, you must ask permission from the captain to ride in the cockpit.

It might sound like BS and nit-picky, but this is a benefit that was created by pilots/unions decades ago for our benefit. Pilots in other countries dont have this ability like we do. Show some appreciation for the fact that you can live in XYZ city and commute to ABC base, otherwise you'd be relocating your family every few years when the company shuts down the base.

Completely disagree! Able crew member? What if I'm going on vacation and I want to have a few drinks while non revving? Are the checkin police going to tell me I can't do that either? It's ridiculous for those that think as a non rev pax using my own flight benefits that I've got to get the CA's blessing. Jumpseat is as everyone says but non revving is my perogative.

Absolutely not. I've been on hub to hub flights with 50 non revs on them. Should they all have checked in? Also jumpseating is also flying on your own company as well if u listed for the Jumpseat!! You always ask if your jumpseating even if it's ur own company!!

Completely wrong. A nonrev has flight benefits bestowed by the company. A flight crew has no say in whether or not a nonrev rides unless that nonrev is creating a disturbance. It is compeletly out of line to deny a nonrev from boarding just because they did not speak. You need to look up policies about company rules instead of enforcing your own.

Uh yes, a flight crew (Captain) does have say in who gets on his/her aircraft and who doesn't. If you want to get extreme about it, then even a flight attendant can deny boarding if that person feels unsafe. Of course that is an extreme comparison in relation to this thread but it's there. Believe it or not, out of all of the say that a captain has had stripped from them over the course of time in this industry, it's one of the decisions that a captain still has. What the captain did with that non rev that was hopping a ride could be seen in two ways: right or wrong. I'm not saying that I would've done the same, I'm just saying that based on how the whole situation went down, I can understand why he refused her a ride. Call it what you want. I don't know about your company but companies that I have worked for say nothing about "non rev" policies. Perhaps you should look that up while you're at it.