AV888RRR

I was trying to fly on a SkyWest flight that had several open seats, but the Captain denied boarding because they were about to close and didn't want to wait for my bag to be gate checked. They left the gate 20 mins after all this happened. This isn't the first time I've had this happen although the first time I was denied the actual cockpit jumpseat. Yes, the CA has absolute discretion as to who gets to occupy the jumpseat, but this lack of respect for a fellow pilot trying to get home is unacceptable.

I've always made sure we've got everyone onboard that we could possibly take on my flights even if it means occupying all available jumpseats for eligible non-revs. Even when I was weight restricted, I've always coordinated with Dispatch to get different fuel numbers to accommodate the jumpseater saying I'm not pushing without him/her onboard. Come on guys, it's really not that hard. I've never left a jumpseater behind, cockpit or cabin jumpseat. Taking a jumpseater to me, and to a lot of pilots, is more important than departing on time or tankering fuel. You can still arrive on time/early. It takes less than 5 mins to accommodate.

Don't leave anyone behind.

hawk21

Sounds like an isolated incident. Every captain I have flown with has gone above and beyond to get commuters on board. Don't blame the airline. Blame the few individuals that act this way.

SMACFUM

I call BS on this post. Only 1 post history. But I'll bite and engage in some discussion.

I HIGHLY doubt the reason you were denied was solely because the CA didn't want to wait for your bag. That simply doesn't pass the sniff test, there has to be more to the story.

Yeah, generally speaking in this industry giving co-works ultimatums such as "I'm not pushing with/without xxx" won't get you very far with anybody, and will often yield results opposite to those that you desire.

Sometimes the numbers just don't work, especially on the -200. I will do everything within my power to get any and all JS on board. However, I will not compromise safety margins by burning down to MINTO before launching into questionable WX or other marginal conditions just to accommodate YOU. I'll do my best, but again I will only go so far. Sorry, no Sorry

No, it doesn't always take less than 5 min. Again, especially on a nose heavy -200. It's easy to get into a feed-back loop of overweight vs too forward CG that can't be resolved without fudging (falsifying) the numbers.

StlLifer

I don't believe the post for a second. If there were 20 open seats there would be room in the overhead or onboard somewhere. Chances are the captain would grab the bag and run it down to the cargo compartment himself.

I could definitely believe that the gate agent might stop the boarding because she was too lazy or worried about the flight being delayed.

Check Complete

I'm guessing this is all you..........

rickair7777

Likely more to the story. You can gate check a bag after you shut the door and drop the brake, late bags arrive all the time.

But ask your JS coordinator to call the OO JS coordinator, who will find out what happened. Maybe you'll get an explanation, or on the chance it's needed the CA will get calibrated by the coordinator. Presumably you're not on one of the "no-fly lists"?

blackhawk88

I rely solely on SkyWest to get me to/from work, and I agree that most CAs were very accommodating. However, I've also been denied jumpseat by a couple of your Captains.

In one case, I was sent down the jetway and the CA told me no because they were going to be over by a few hundred lbs over MTOW with me and the ballast. However, the crew was still going to be well over MinTO. I also fly CRJs, so based on my limited knowledge of the situation that day, the extra fuel could be burned off if you taxi out with both engines and APU running. However, I'm only saying it, again, based on my very limited knowledge for that particular situation. I ended up two legging it back home and ended up getting home 6+ hours later.

Another instance was in MSP, and this situation resembles somewhat closely to the original post. I arrived at the gate as they were about to close, 10 mins before departure. The gate agent said the CA has specifically told him to not let jumpseaters on. I asked if there were open seats, and he said there were still two open seats. I asked if he could go down and ask the CA again because I'm afraid he misunderstood the CA's instruction has not letting actual FDJs on because it's a CRJ 200 flight for a 2+ hr trip with an alternate. He came back saying the same thing, Captain said no jumpseaters.

Anyway, that's based on my limited experience flying on you guys for the past few months. I agree most of your CAs have been accommodating and I'll definitely return the favor to all your flight crew for all the rides you've given me.

gojo

I think these rare occasions occur on all airlines. But I too was denied in MSP. The flight was delayed waiting for a reserve FO to come from home. A new time was posted to accommodate the reserve call out and report time. I arrived back at the gate about a half hour before the new delayed departure time and was surprised to find out they were already done boarding. The gate agent said the FO got there early. Anyway, the Captain refused to reopen the door even though there were several open seats. The flight was already late so that was not the issue. And the door had only been closed for a couple of minutes. It sucks. But like I said, these situations are rare. I’m a 13 year commuter, and I only get burned once or twice a year

Shadre Reevis

The last jump-seat denial rant I saw, the guy was talking all sorts of trash about the unaccommodating captain and how much BS he had to deal with and this-and-that. What the ranter forgot to mention upfront was how he showed at the last minute to ride up front in his JEANS, and the captain refused to wait for him to go change clothes and gate-check his bag.

Funny how those tiny details are omitted until you dig a little deeper. Fuels my skepticism.

Cefiro

As a commuter, I hate reading threads like this. Hopefully there were extenuating circumstances. I'll do whatever I can to help a fellow commuter out and like to think the majority of our Captains will do the same.