If that was the case, would they ever be able to open the aircraft doors? Surely someone is meeting the aircraft at the gate, though they may not have the authorization to deal with things like meals, hotels or reroutes.

Could "good employees" be prohibited from working outside their classification by language in a union contract? I know the MOU/contract I worked under, in local government, had a clause in there about not being allowed to perform duties assigned to other classifications. What does the Alaska contract say about this in regards to pilots? Could they be prohibited by contract from working outside their classification performing gate agent functions? I can see where things like issuing meal and hotel vouchers might fall well outside a pilot's classification, for instance. Is there any language in the contract that allows pilots to handle those responsibilities once off the aircraft (or flight attendants, for that matter)?