Originally Posted by
CX828
I don't have a problem with staff taking J seats. It should just be done in the correct way. I.E. you list for Premium standby, pay your appropriate taxes, are in the appropriate upgrade list and are allocated your seat subject to availability at the gate.
Your response sounds like you work for BA - to your comment "would you really expect a BA captain to leave his family in Economy" - No, but I'd expect him/her to list their family for the correct class so they can sit in Business. If there are other staff on-board who listed for Economy as they didn't want to pay more to sit in business - its unfair on the other staff. hence why the policy should be followed. If BA allow operating crew to make free for all choices once doors closed the policy will be completely abused on empty flights.
When I talk about bringing the cabin "quality down" I'm referring to a CSM sat on the jump seat for most of the flight talking to his wife, the pilots coming down the aisle more than necessary to chat with their family (2-3 times seems normal, 6-8 times seems extreme)....
I think your last point is the most important. About 2 years ago I flew First to Hong KOng and the CSM had her mother at Door 1 L. The cabin service was a disaster in every sense of the word with meals not loaded, no menus, no interaction from crew a bedlam from the galley. All the while the CSM fussed and fretted over her ageing mother in the jump seats and at one stage actually complained to me about how she had been treated.
Its not just BA though. Flew IST DPS at start of August and the flight was full. My daughter was offered a Y seat despite being booked in J which was resolved quickly. She was allocated 1A and once on board the death stares from the jump seat made it clear it had been blocked for the dutch skippers wife. She and another passenger spent a rather uncomfortable 13 hours by door 2 R.