Originally Posted by sbtinme
I hate it when FT postings do this. The issue is that someone claims to have witnessed an AM get comped (off duty) into F displacing some elite pax who were playing by the standardized DL rules and in the "UG queue." Isn't that what this is all about?
Why don't we just focus on that? I'm outta here.
I apologize if I went overboard. It gets under my skin when people believe that their claim on a FC seat trumps security measures that are for everyone's benefit.
I just went back and re-read the OP. I didn't see any evidence there that the FAM was off duty when the FC seat was assigned. The OP says that he confirmed this in his opening statement, but didn't say how he determined that the FAM was off-duty and got a FC seat. I find it a little curious that two off-duty FAMs would be traveling together. I think it far more likely that they were on-duty FAMs, and got the FC seats to be near the flight deck, and to allow for the hardware that they are carrying.
For those of you that maintain that the FAMs should not be on the aircraft at all, or that they should be in coach, so that your precious FC seat can contain your pampered butt - get over it. I flew from EWR-SLC last night and didn't even get onto the upgrade list (must have been the chicken bones and PBR cans that I left around my seat in the DL Crown Room, but that's another thread in another forum), and had to ride in coach with the rabble. Gosh, it was just awful. I had to gut it out with only a snack pack and a bag of animal cookies, plus a Diet Coke or two, for comfort. I still don't know how I coped.