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Old Dec 21, 12, 12:13 pm   #1
 
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WN pilot deadheading in DL cockpit?

So I recently flew DL from SLC-OAK on a completely full flight. When I boarded the flight, I noticed that there were three pilots in the cockpit, which I did not think anything of it as my understanding is that pilots deadhead all the time (and sometimes in the cockpit), or that someone could have been training.

When I left the plane I learned it was a WN pilot. I don't know that DL or WN let their crews deadhead on each other. Or if not, would DL have had a pilot paying for passage sit in the cockpit as opposed to IDBing another passenger?

Thanks!
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Old Dec 21, 12, 12:21 pm   #2
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zgscl View Post
So I recently flew DL from SLC-OAK on a completely full flight. When I boarded the flight, I noticed that there were three pilots in the cockpit, which I did not think anything of it as my understanding is that pilots deadhead all the time (and sometimes in the cockpit), or that someone could have been training.

When I left the plane I learned it was a WN pilot. I don't know that DL or WN let their crews deadhead on each other. Or if not, would DL have had a pilot paying for passage sit in the cockpit as opposed to IDBing another passenger?

Thanks!
WN, like many other airlines, has a reciprocal jumpseat agreement with DL, meaning that WN pilots can deadhead in DL cockpits and vice-versa. Pretty much all the majors have this type of agreement.

The jumpseat is only assigned if there are no available seats in the cabin.

More info here: http://www.jumpseatinfo.org/Jumpseat...2/Default.aspx
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Old Dec 21, 12, 12:28 pm   #3
 
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Originally Posted by Fly_Delta_Jets View Post
WN, like many other airlines, has a reciprocal jumpseat agreement with DL, meaning that WN pilots can deadhead in DL cockpits and vice-versa. Pretty much all the majors have this type of agreement.

The jumpseat is only assigned if there are no available seats in the cabin.

More info here: http://www.jumpseatinfo.org/Jumpseat...2/Default.aspx
Correct. It's nothing unusual. Most carriers in the US have these type of agreements where they deadhead on each other.

Last edited by grahampros; Dec 21, 12 at 1:42 pm..
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Old Dec 21, 12, 12:57 pm   #4
 
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Originally Posted by zgscl View Post
So I recently flew DL from SLC-OAK on a completely full flight. When I boarded the flight, I noticed that there were three pilots in the cockpit, which I did not think anything of it as my understanding is that pilots deadhead all the time (and sometimes in the cockpit), or that someone could have been training.

When I left the plane I learned it was a WN pilot. I don't know that DL or WN let their crews deadhead on each other. Or if not, would DL have had a pilot paying for passage sit in the cockpit as opposed to IDBing another passenger?

Thanks!
Right after 9/11 the FAA came out with rules that you could only allow your own company's pilots to ride in the cockpit jumpseat. The intention was so that pilots who had been terminated but still had ID/Uniforms couldn't get unauthorized access to the cockpit jumpseat. It's very easy for DL to verify that a DL employee is a valid employee (and allowed cockpit jumpseat) using Deltamatic. However, at the same time, there was no way to verify a pilot from another carrier (since carriers can't access other carrier's systems), hence the restriction. Very quickly, this was amended to allow the carriers regional partners (i.e. OO) access as well (since their pilots are also in Deltamatic). I've been away from the security side of the business for a while, but I understand there's now a "Clearing House" type system now that can verify pilots from all major carriers. So a DL agent can run a WN pilots ID and verify his cockpit jumpseat clearance real time.
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Old Dec 21, 12, 1:14 pm   #5
 
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Originally Posted by grahampros View Post
Correct. It's nothing usual. Most carriers in the US have these type of agreements where they deadhead on each other.
Just to be clear, since it's slightly of interest to me, but, did you mean to say that it's nothing UNusual??? - as in, it happens frequently - - or nothing USUAL - that it happens, but rarely?

Thanx!
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Old Dec 21, 12, 1:14 pm   #6
 
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Thank you all for this information! I was unaware that such programs exist.
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Old Dec 21, 12, 1:37 pm   #7
 
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There is no "paying to sit in the jumpseat". Other airline pilots can ride in the JS if no seats in the back.(Assuming they have proper agreements between the 2 companies) Regular Pax are not allowed in the JS under any circumstance.
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Old Dec 21, 12, 1:42 pm   #8
 
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Originally Posted by davetravels View Post
Just to be clear, since it's slightly of interest to me, but, did you mean to say that it's nothing UNusual??? - as in, it happens frequently - - or nothing USUAL - that it happens, but rarely?

Thanx!
Corrected. It's obviously unusual in this case.
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Old Dec 21, 12, 1:48 pm   #9
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Happens all the time. Other airline dispatchers (provided they are in CASS, which is the system used to authorize cockpit access) can also ride jumpseat, as well as certain FAA employees.
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Old Dec 21, 12, 1:49 pm   #10
 
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Originally Posted by grahampros View Post
Corrected. It's obviously unusual in this case.
Thanx! Cool to know!
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Old Dec 21, 12, 3:07 pm   #11
 
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Happens all the time. Other airline dispatchers (provided they are in CASS, which is the system used to authorize cockpit access) can also ride jumpseat, as well as certain FAA employees.
And other approved personnel, as long as they have one of these:



Apologies for all the paper cover up, concealing personal info.
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Old Dec 21, 12, 3:21 pm   #12
 
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Originally Posted by PRWeezer View Post
And other approved personnel, as long as they have one of these:



Apologies for all the paper cover up, concealing personal info.
Seems to me that I heard somewhere over the years that one needs to have some type of, perhaps minimal, training to sit up there. Is that true at all?
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Old Dec 21, 12, 3:38 pm   #13
 
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Seems to me that I heard somewhere over the years that one needs to have some type of, perhaps minimal, training to sit up there. Is that true at all?
That pass was from a cross-departmental experiential type program, not really training. The person authorized does not have any formal flight training.
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Old Dec 21, 12, 3:50 pm   #14
 
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Originally Posted by PRWeezer View Post
That pass was from a cross-departmental experiential type program, not really training. The person authorized does not have any formal flight training.
So, who, for example, would be authorized to sit in the cockpit besides other pilots & co-pilots?
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Old Dec 21, 12, 4:45 pm   #15
 
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So, who, for example, would be authorized to sit in the cockpit besides other pilots & co-pilots?
FAA inspectors, some airline dispatchers, and also some aircraft mechanics.
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