Seniority based jumpseating only sounds good to those who've never experienced being able to book a jumpseat and not worry about it again.

I prefer having the option to book it whenever I want. Plans change all the time. If I’m senior enough to get it, great. If not, oh well. Also, there’s no reason to stress about getting to work. Even if you’re a new hire, unless you’re missing trips because you’re doing something dumb.

Agree. Seniority based jumpseat award works fine. Need to “get to work”? Buy a ticket to arrive the day prior and get a hotel room. You make plenty of money, and are commuting by choice. Then there is no stress.

Unless of course you commute from a station that only has 2 direct flights a day, that dropped to 1 during Covid and was 4 pre-Covid. Nothing inconvenient about having a backup 10 hours later. I know seniority rules and commuting is a choice.

Correct. Buy a ticket on a flight the day prior and get a hotel room. Problem solved.

I suspect you are just the type of pilot that is super senior and waltzes up to the gatehouse 15 minutes prior and says, "Here I am, I know I'm not listed but the jumpseat is mine, mine, mine".

That’s how the seniority system works.

I fail to see what is stressful about that scenario. If you make it or don't, if you are playing by the rules, there's no stress. Why would someone wait 10 hours for a direct flight? Nowadays you can see the loads on every airline. Flights cancelling due to a weather event seem to have a much bigger impact on people's commutes than the dreaded "#1 guy showing up 5 minutes before boarding" scenario that people like to use as an example.

What app do you use to see every flight’s loads? Thanks.

Staff Traveler... works great

https://stafftraveler.com/