Quote:
Originally Posted by aa73
Unfortunately, AA's history of treating OALs better than their own employees runs long and deep. Look forward to seeing it changed.
We've heard this line many times before, though.
After 9/11, pilots of other airlines were told, 'APA pilots are going to take it in the shorts, but we'll be able to get some no cost items taken care of, at least, like our jumpseat policy.'
Then it was 'We're going to fix some of the 'small items', no cost stuff like jumpseating, in this new contract.
If you dig on this forum, you might find AA pilots remarking 'APA has limited negotiating capital - we're not going to waste it on jumpseats'. And they didn't.
The policy hasn't changed, over a decade after everyone else fixed their policies as part of the concessions they took after 9/11. Is jumpseating and commuting the biggest issue to address - nope, we all agree, its not. However . . .
AA now stands out as having the worst jumpseat policies in the industry - literally, the worst:
- They charge their own pilots to jumpseat.
- They limit many pilots to the amount of jumpseats on the aircraft, so, if you show up 2nd, and you're not on the 'unlimited domestic list', that AA plane will push with 100 seats open because a Delta pilot, who's on the unlimited list, checked in 5 seconds before you, and he took the 'one jumpseat'. Had he checked in second, both of you would be on.
- They have a list of only 5-6 airlines that can jumpseat internationally. 100 seats open on that international flight? Too bad, you're not on the list.
- They're the only major mover of commuters who REQUIRES pilots to list for a jumpseat prior to arrival at the gate of departure.
- Their employee culture around jumpseating is HORRIBLE. Where else does a gate agent or a Flight Attendant tell the Captain how the jumpseat is going to work? "Where can I sit, Captain?" is usually replied to with "Ask the Purser/Lead", or "Whatever the seat you were assigned (by the gate agent)". I'm not sure if the Captains just don't know that this isn't standard treatment in the industry, don't care, or are completely neutered. The pilots seem to rarely come up the jetway to check on jumpseaters either.
I know 'aa73' has personally really helped some guys out jumpseating, and been thanked on this forum for doing so. So, while as an individual pilot, he's not the issue, if the US Airways guys think this is just a little thing that can be easily taken care of, you clearly haven't jumpseated on AA lately - lucky you. This has been going on for a LONG time. It seems ingrained in the culture of the gate agents and FA's of AA to question the PIC's authority on these issues, and for the pilot's to demur. These cultural norms have calcified now.
Good luck fixing the policy, and the culture, guys. It'll be a great day when an AA Captain says "
Welcome aboard! We might have an open seats in first. If so, its your's, and enjoy the flight." . . . just like its done at US Airways today.