I'm not seeing the issue here, especially since nobody was dragged off the plane to accommodate the crew...

I personally would rather see a Pilot in J than in Y .
At least they will be better rested for their next flight.

AC management signed bad union contracts.

I don't have a problem with AC pilots/FA in J. It is AC's business.

I did have an issue when I was 1st on the upgrade list, with 2 open J seats, but when I went to the gate no upgrades were available. Turns out the two "open" seats in J were given to what appeared to be an AC employee (judging by the AC pin he was wearing) and his son.

Most likely a member of the senior management team/executive staff at Air Canada. They trump everyone on the upgrade list, and can even bump paid J passengers, although it probably doesn't happen often as that is not a good way to run a business.*

Certainly not a pilot or flight attendant, and if it was, then the agent who bumped that alleged employee would be fired, if audited (which all upgrades are).

*edited to add that this is common across all airlines, and not specific to Air Canada.

There isn't, in the context of this thread. Everyone has an onload priority. Seats are given out in that order. When that order is violated, there's an issue. But there's no evidence that was the case here.

Bad logic. That makes the assumption that they're deadheading to a flight and not to home. Both are equally likely.

I've seen a 9 year old SE wear an AC pin. I've seen lots of non-employees wear AC pins. But they've always been SE or confirmed in J. Don't make assumptions based on appearance.

In fact, I could totally see the adult in that example be either myself or @expert7700, depending on who was going up to the flight deck with a log book at the time. We've certainly all been added to the onload list at the last minute, and our statuses get us to the top.

Also, I recall one time my status wouldn't show up, and the concierges said they would process the onload list manually to ensure I got what I was entitled to (in this case, nothing, as I was too far down anyway). But had the list been public at that time, it would have been a little odd to see tenth on the list clear before first on the list. Odd, but correct.

And before a certain someone jumps in about "discretion", I've made it very clear my view is that the system needs to work, and then there needs to be no discretion.

While I agree they may be able to trump the upgrade list (more likely, they'd be confirmed J with GTE, so while they would appear on the list, they're not really standing by or upgrading, but just waiting for a seat assignment), I've been told very explicitly that they would not bump paid J for management. Deadheading pilots, yes, but management, no.

There was a well-documented case mentioned here, of an AC VP who did just that. I seem to recall that he even could easily be identified although I don't think his name was posted.

If you are correct then the policy would have been changed in the meantime.

I recall a case posted here where someone suspected there was a VP/manager/someone who got a J seat, but with absolutely no evidence that was what happened. If there's another case, it would be interesting to see.

It couldn't be you, cause my "status" was greater than yours!! :D Or at least I believe it was at that time!

Could have been a last minute paid upgrade, or any of a number of other "valid" reasons! Or it could have been that a mgr had himself and his son upgraded, or added to the flight at the gate. Either way I got to where I was going and life went on. I was a little cranky at the time, but I got over it.

One of the downsides to AC about displaying the Standby/Upgrade list. Maybe its better that the pax don't know that they are 1st on the list with open seats, only to arrive at the gate and nothing.....

Conversely, I've SDCed off of flights after the GA made an announcement that J was full and there would be no more upgrades. So many things can happen before the door closes. The higher your ticketed cabin, status, and fare class, the more likely you are to sit in J. But even an AC*SM in full J is not guaranteed anything if they need to deadhead a bunch of pilots.

Throttle 'er back cow, my tongue was firmly in cheek.

It's cumbersome and unlikely that a usable system can be designed to accommodate all conceivable situations. Who would want to create, maintain and enforce such a beast? Besides, there will always be a scenario that wasn't anticipated or a breakdown of a different nature. The ability to use the human brain is invaluable in any flexible organization.

As long as you didn't SDC while hanging out in the MLL.......

I was under the impression that with the new contract that it was all AC mainline pilots deadhead in J now. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'll ask my AC pilot friend when I next see him, but for now I'm not certain what was in the latest contract.

Yes, it is my understanding that after the last round of negotiations that this is the case.