Can you reserve the JS at UAL?
 

Recently I (not a UA employee) was commuting with UA. As I was waiting for a seat, I was approached by a young pilot (one of them that grows a mustache to look older) who was there waiting along with his GF. He stated that I could have the JS and that he had been advised be the agent that he would be getting a seat in the cabin. This left me confused. Did the guy own the jumpseat i.e. does UA have some sort of reservation system. I understand that if the cabin is full he would get the JS first, but that he offered it to me as though it was his personal seat left me bewildered.

If its full its full, and surely that dude wouldn't have given up his JS offering it to me and I wouldn't have gotten on. It almost seemed as though I should be eternally grateful for the service he did to me... perhaps someone here can enlighten me on his train of thought...

He probably just thought you may not have gotten a seat in the cabin if he had taken the JS.

that doesn’t make sense though?

Many pilots ride the JS to get an extra non revs on.

In his mind he’s is deciding to ride the JS and leave you, or ride the cabin and leave a non rev.

Or he worries about other pilots with better priority in the cabin or JS. If they have separate listing procedures then he can get screwed trying to jockey between the two at the last minute and some just list for the JS and don’t worry about another pilot trying to ride the JS and cancel their JS listing and start over with a cabin listing.

at United you can list for a cabin seat and separately for the jumpseat. Having two PNR for the same flight. On the UA app employees can see where you sit on the list seniority wise or check in wise based on whether mainline or regional is being flown.

so yea, a UA pilot can see if they have the seniority/priority for jumpseat over other pilots.

but in the end you still only get one seat. You’re just listed twice. So it’s not his decision but only a matter of how many seats there are in total including the JS. It’s not like they will keep the JS vacant and not offer it to anyone else if he opts to go and sit in the back.

seems like BS to me and as though he made himself look more important than he was.

Many older dickish commuters didn't bother listing for any seat until last minute and would then only list for the JS because they knew they were senior enough to get it. That forced junior guys to compete for a seat in the cabin against the gen pop rather than the senior guy easily getting a seat in back and leaving the jumpseat for junior commuter.

I'd guess he was just trying to ease your mind that you weren't getting bumped off jumpseat by him, regardless of delivery.

seems like he had priority over you and was just trying to give you some good news about you getting on the flight.

if he was a crusty old guy, than maybe he was a dink. But if he was a young guy just happy to be at a major, then he probably had good intentions.

most everyone here that is post-merger is a good human

Seems like you have a continuing desire to take offense where none was offered.

our pilots should be listing for both the JS and for standby… not sure why we have pilots who think they get to decide where they sit without asking the CA first. On my flights If there are any open seats in the cabin they get filled first by any Jumpseater on the list (mainline or other airline)… if cabin full they are welcome to sit in cockpit.

Seems like he looked at the lists and said “my girlfriend and I are going to get seats in the back. I can take the jumpseat and get the next person on the standby list on, or I can take the cabin seat and leave the jumpseat alone so that a lower priority pilot can get on.” I think you’re probably being a little too sensitive about your position in this. He could have easily taken the JS and left you behind, but he did what a good ALPA pilot does and looked out for his fellow pilot first before he acted.

This a good time to bring up the separate rules on non exclusive carriers. SkyWest and Republic is who lists AND checks in first, does not go by seniority with exception to the normal pecking order of company employees, FAA, etc…

Personally, I hope he wouldn’t have given up the jumpseat in order to bump a United pass rider from a cabin seat. That’s the only scenario where the dude would have gotten left behind.

well no, because then I would have gotten his seat in the back. It’s not like I would have been left behind and the plane would have left with a vacant seat if he hadn’t offered “his” JS.

As the other poster was saying, I’d expect them to fill the cabin first before the JS gets given out by the cpt. Logically, if he takes the JS before the cabin is full then I get his seat in the cabin, and if he offers me the JS and takes the cabin seat then that’s what would have happened anyway. Finally if it’s completely full I wouldn’t have gotten on anyway. It’s not like he will actually sacrifice anything or be exceptionally generous as he actually has no control over this.

I get the confusion, but really not that serious

No, not at all. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything and the guy along with his GF was indeed the VP jumpseat at United. Anyway. Have a good weekend!

That’s not quite it either, but you don’t really need to understand. Just believe.

how do you know you would have gotten his seat in the back? Were you the only other standby? What if there were many senior employees of all stripes that would get a seat before you, and had he taken the jumpseat, you could be left behind? I read this as he was being a solid unionist and looking out for you. Take the kindness without such skepticism.

^this^ people are trying to make this more difficult than it has to be…

Brother, did you fly in from frown town?

Wow, clearly you’re mad the young mustache guy is at mainline and you’re not.
Stay mad.

The guy was trying to do you a solid. If the back was full, and there were other standbys ahead of you, you weren't getting on.

He did the math, saw that he was a lock for a seat in the cabin, and turned down the JS so you can have it. Like a good ALPA member does for a fellow pilot.

You don't have to thank the guy if you don't want, but at least don't disparage someone for trying to hook you up.

Oh I would…if it comes down to a pass rider getting a seat or the other jumpseat getting on, I’m taking the seat in the cabin and helping that pilot get to their destination. Take care of your fellow pilots first and make sure that you get to where you need to and they get to where they need to regardless of what ID they wear. If there aren’t any pilots listed and I can get a pass rider on by taking the jumpseat I will, but if me taking a seat in the back means getting a lower priority code pilot on the jumpseat then I’m taking the seat in the back.

Yeah, not me. Those are company benefits for employees and their families. I wouldn’t expect a DL, AA etc. guy to screw over their fellow employees either to get me on, but that’s me.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding this entirely. The way I’m used to you have a listing for any seat on the plane, all by seniority order. As a last resort, if the cabin is full, the jumpseat(s) get assigned, again in order of seniority (to people eligible for it). I’ve never heard of people being allowed to double list out of order etc. (and the carriers I’ve worked at are ALPA too) where I am from that’s frowned upon because you block several seats without ever actually using them.
If that’s possible at UA I can get his patronizing stance. He knew he was gonna get a seat in the back and was now offering his Jumpseat to me (even though it’s not even him deciding who gets it ultimately). Yes people can argue that he was doing me a solid, however imho it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. If you get a seat in the cabin you should take it and not mess up the system by listing for the JS only to give it to someone else at the last minute to stand there as a star.

“I know there are plenty of seats on this plane and I’m double listed, top of the list and will get a seat for sure, so let me offer this beggar from another airline a seat and stand here as a hero”
the only thing missing was him videoing himself 😂

There is no “supposed to be.” Every airline is different. At United, we can and are encouraged to list for both the cabin and the JS, allowing the most junior/lowest priority pilot to occupy the jumpseat if available. Some recent changes to our IT may make this practice less important, though, but that won’t affect you.

Oh I see. So should I be doing the same when I list in the future? Or is this automatic? Do I need to tell them at the podium that I want to be listed for both? I always assumed a listing for the JS meant an automatic flowback if there is space in the back.

Three pages of this crap and you still don't get it. You don't have to ride on United if you don't like their policy.

Based on your post history, you don’t work for a US 121 carrier, so unless you want to pay for a zed fare to list in the back, you wouldn’t list twice. Listing twice is a United pilot thing. Offline jumpseaters just list at the gate as you did and are flowed back if seats open after all higher priority non-revs are cleared.

I think the other pilot was simply telling you he got a seat in the back from his cabin listing and the system worked as it should. Like most carriers, we can see everyone on and offline listed for the pilot and FA jump seats as well as everyone in the cabin.

The jumpseat riding can choose to take the jumpseat, with Captain's approval, instead of a less desirable cabin seat. He was telling you that he was going to do what he could to ensure that the jumpseat stayed open for you.


You, as an OAL jumpseater, only has one listing. It puts you at the bottom of the standby list for both the jumpseat and for a cabin seat. If a cabin seat is available, it will be offered to you.

The issue is that when there are more non-revs than seats, a senior UA pilot has the choice of taking the jumpseat, and allowing another cabin seat for a non-rev, or taking the jumpseat, and allowing a lower-priority jumpseater to get on who wouldn't have cleared for a cabin seat. There is no policy as to which seat he should choose.

Stop digging. You are already in a hole over your head due to your ignorance. (In case you're ESL, ignorance is not derogatory). It just means ask POLITE questions and try to understand as opposed to arguing from a position of inferior knowledge. JMHO

ITT: United pilot does bro a solid and gets blasted online by some moron that doesn't understand the deal because he's insecure about his own career.


You can see it written all over his post he felt the guy was arrogant because he was at United. If he was offering the Jumpseat to you, he was likely just trying to help you out.

He clearly didn't know you well enough to factor your personality into his choice or he would have taken the JS and left you behind.

I would have gotten a seat regardless. There was so much space left in the end that I could pick if I wanted a window or an aisle...

Im not sure I get all the abbreviations. must be a generational thing. Are you sporting a stash as well to look older?

He was doing you a favor letting you know you would get on. Many times there are other options and timing is important. Sounds like a conscientious and nice young pilot. I always appreciated someone giving me a update on my chances.

He was looking out for you. It looks like he should’ve warned the captain and let you take the next flight.

Snarky comments online seem to be the way many deal with issues these days. I can’t even fathom behaving like this when I was new(or ever, for that matter.) This thread has run its course, and the OP should learn from his inappropriate aspersions and move on. Try to have a little more “hat in hand” attitude next time you’re trying to get a free ride.

First off, he works at UAL and can take the JS (with captain’s concurrence) with 50 open seats in the back if desired. I’ve commuted hub to hub and when there is a 777,787,or 767 nice, comfy JS available (and those planes have at least 2 and up to 4), I’m taking that over a middle in row 53, unless for some odd reason that would mean leaving behind an offline jumpseater. Plenty of room for baggage, all the coffee and leftover meals one can eat, and shoulder and legroom (sometimes even a bunk is offered) that rivals 1st class. As a 777 captain, I always welcome pilots commuting up front on domestic segments (think Hawaii) over a less comfortable coach option. This allows other non JS qualified employees or family members the opportunity to snag a seat on what is most likely a full flight. At UAL, our standby lists can be pretty long and an offline jumpseater will be at the bottom of that list so if our young mustached pilot (yes- that annoys most of us) made that offer, he was basically letting you know that based on his knowledge of the standby lists, you would be getting on the plane. He could have taken a JS leaving you to battle it out with every other standby passenger (all of which would be ahead of you on the list to take (again, with captain’s approval-which is almost always given) the more comfortable option if it was a 757 or larger.
Any of this sinking in yet? If not, maybe give another airline the opportunity to give you a free ride next time.

PS- when I’m trying to jumpseat on an offline carrier, I always appreciate when one of their pilots recognizes I’m a clueless offline jumpseater and gives me insight as to how they see the flight unfolding and what my chances are. I’m glad he recognized you as an offline jumpseater and offered you some assurance. Mustache or not.