kronan

Good Evening,
thought I'd ask the experts for their opinion\advice. Shoot, if you can't turn to the internet for advice you're likely to ignore where can you turn
;-)

Background info is I'm a FedEx pilot and I was traveling home on a Business Select ticket, A03 as a matter of fact.

Gate agent took pity on me, recognized the ALPA lanyard, who knows...in any case she let me meander down to board the plane early. In fact I was the 1st person to board. So, stuck my mellon into the cockpit to see if I knew\recognized the crew. (Retired A-10 guy and a lot, of A-10 guys retired out of Tucson and are domiciled in Phoenix. Same is true for a whole slew of Lawndart drivers)

Normal crew question of are you Jumping-welcome aboard, No I'm ticketed, Business Select #3 as a matter of fact...just in case the Flight Attendants get jumpy is it okay with you if I grab an aisle seat in the Exit row. Sit anywhere you like, thanks for spending the $$ on us.

So, I meander on back, introduce myself to the FA in the Galley-No I'm not Jumpseating. Introduce myself to the FA in the Exit row, walk back to introduce myself to the FA in the Aft cabin as Preboarding commences..no I'm not Jumpseating, Business Select.

Head on back to the Exit row. Regular boarding starts, Woman who's #1 about row 4 and the FA says you can't sit there. What? You pre-boarded...No, I boarded early and I'm the #3 guy (no exit rows taken at this time). If that woman, who's #1 or the guy behind her want to sit here happy to move.

You can't sit there.
Capt told me I can sit anywhere I like but if He tells me to move...then I'll move.

FA meanders away and talks to Numero Uno Senor FA, who goes and talks to the Capt. And comes back and says...per FAA restrictions, you can't sit there. Preboarding people can't sit in an exit row. I'm not a preboarder, I boarded early. I'm the #3 guy. Per FAA guidance you can't sit there, but I know the Capt said you can sit wherever you'd like but the next time you JS just tell them to make you #1 and then it'll be okay.

And I'm thinking, WTF. How many times do I have to say I'm a ticketed passenger. The number 3 guy. Clearly, Clearly not someone who would need preboarding. And, I'd like to think one of the most qualified Pax to actually Sit in an Exit Row in the unlikely event Emergency Evac is actually needed.

In all honesty, on the rare occasions I'm on early I've never had an FA so hardcore on the You can't Sit there mindset after I say I've got the Capts OK. And, had it been anything other than a 3+ hour flight, I would've moved.

But darn it, I paid friggin 500$ in the hopes of a bit more legroom being available...and I pre-board pretty darn frequently on Delta out of my home airport with a Confirmed Exit row seat, and nary a word.

It's Not like I'm trying to Upgrade my C45 boarding pass.

So, what say you APC.
Standing up to the FA a good thing or a bad thing. (Certainly could've gone Ugly)
New hardcore SWA Policy? Or simply an older FA anti-pilot unable to make the mental leap between boarding early as compared to pre-boarding.

PotatoChip

I’ve been C21, flashed a crew badge and sat in the exit row.
I try not to abuse it, but if an agent lets me down early to avoid a middle seat, I’m happy to accept that perk of the job. Never had anyone, FA or CA ever give grief, all have been great.

MudhammedCJ

I would have politely reiterated "I'm a business select paying CUSTOMER. The ops agent directed me to board. I'm NOT a preboarder." If she pushed it after that, I would have moved, then written a letter to the corporate office regarding the specific flight attendant and her illogical actions, and demanded an explanation and refund of the extra payment for business select. Then I would put it (professionally) on twitter or whatever social media you use.

Sorry for the ridiculous treatment. If I would have witnessed that I would have done everything in my power (report to chief etc) to educate the FA that not everyone in a pilot uniform is a jumpseater that can be treated like a second class citizen. I know what it's like. I've had American employees do it to me a few times.

navigatro

This is EXACTLY why I remove and put away my crew ID/lanyard once I clear KCM/security.

It just causes problems and confusion when on a PAID ticket.

WhaleSurfing

Unfortunately some don't understand the pre-board issue. Because SWA doesn't have assigned seating FAR (14 CFR, Part 382.81C) is what is at issue here. Carriers such as SWA, who don't have advanced assignment seating, are required to allow passengers with disabilities, to pre-board and choose the seat(s) that best suit their personal needs. It is taken out of context frequently but technically the Ops Agent shouldn't have let you pre-board before those passengers with disabilities. Their Ops manual specifies this but the intent of the regulation is lost on many at SWA because they don't know the reason behind the rule. If you were to deny someone with a "pre-board disability" to sit in that exit seat then, yes, that's a problem. This issue is brought up frequently but again, no one knows the premise behind the rule.

bitatasg

I learned something on this website today. Amazing!

MudhammedCJ

But that's not this guys problem. It's the company's problem. He didn't do anything wrong.

e6bpilot

Bingo. This was a blatant miscommunication between the ops agent and the FA. If you aren’t a “preboard” ie you did not request to preboard for a disability, you can sit anywhere you want.
Southwest has become so black and white rule oriented in ground ops and inflight that it is negatively impacting their hospitality towards others, and especially our paying customers.
The ops agent was doing him an old school solid by letting him board first. The FAs completely didn’t understand or get that at all. This is a company problem. Open seating is great until it isn’t. We are rapidly approaching the point where the negatives outweigh the positives.
Preboarding is abused across the system and the jetway miracle plus the logjam of wheelchair pax during deplaning is ridiculous. Why? Because preboarders get some of the best seats on the plane. Wheelchair pax should get off the plane last as to not clog up the aisle and jetway when our other high value passengers are trying to get to their meetings and obligations. It’s a logistics issue. Alas, the lawyers write the policies and ground ops and inflight are afraid of their own shadows due to the write up culture in both of those employee groups.

WhaleSurfing

Where did I say he did something wrong? When I referred to “some” not understanding the rule I was referring to SWA employees, not the jumoseater. I pretty much said it’s a communication problem and lack of understanding of the rule for some at SWA.

And I agree 100% with e6b

navigatro

Also you screwed over A-1 and A-2 who were also paying customers, and should have boarded before you.

If you are a paying customer, board at your number. That is the system. Don't use your crew ID to cut in line unless you want to follow the pre-board restrictions.