Originally Posted by
phxrsng
Not sure what you're not understanding from this thread. Or from this page of the thread above your post alone. Pilots are contractually obligated F/J seats when deadheading. Period.
UA can no more violate that contract than they can your COC (or another passengers COC if you think you are worth more than them too).
The pilot was almost certainly (99.9%) not a non-rev (NRSA), they were deadheading on company business. They are entitled that seat just as much (more, actually, if they are PS0) as if you were a full-fare paying First customer. They can bump a full-fare First customer.
Without them deadheading, flights don't take off. That cascades into more schedule issues and cancellations. Almost the exact opposite of a non-rev - they are critical travelers in order to gain rev from many flights down the line.
Frankly, I'm sure you as a flyer are fairly valuable to United. You are, however, almost certainly less valuable than deadheading pilots to them in almost every case. Think how much you spend on UA and then think about the cost of re-accommodating all the flights affected downstream of that pilot not making his schedule.
This has been a very interesting thread and I am learning alot. I understand the crew needed seats to get to their assignment. I am ok with them being in FC since they are contractually entitled to a 1st class seat but for the majority of the passengers on the plane it is kind of a slap in the face. All the sardines are strapped in the back and the pilot is sitting in FC. If it is good enough for a paying customer wouldn't it be good enough transportation for the pilot to sit in E?
(although I guess the "rest" portion of it might be important)
It doesn't really affect me because I am a lonely silver and almost never travel alone so I can't go into the upgrade cue anyway. The only times I have flown first class is when I paid for it with $$ or miles. Just commenting on how it looks to the commoners who do spend money to fly (and if no one spent money to fly the pilots would have nowhere to fly to anyway.)