Feel Guilty For Asking Pilot To Wait His Turn?
 

Longtime frequent flyer here. At DCA PreCheck I was about 5th away from TSA agent for ID check (line had about 10 people).

JetBlue pilot walks up to nearby TSA agent about to go on break and asks her where the "crew line" is.

TSA gal says there is no crew line, you can use PreCheck line. JB pilot proceeds to cut in front of 10 people waiting with no "excuse me" words or,"I am late for my flight" or anything.

I politely tell the pilot to wait his turn in line.

Pilot says "you better hope you are not on my flight and shakes his head".

I do not further engage with any conversation or eye contact with this guy as I felt his approach was way off.

Should I feel bad for making him wait his turn?

If no crew line, and no explanation from him, I wouldn't feel bad about it.

No excuse for a pilot to threaten a passenger like that, presumably with being off-loaded from the flight.

I don't know the policy about what pilots are allowed to do, but if they are allowed to cut like this, then they should be used to having a polite response/explanation, if questioned.

Did the pilot stay where he was or go to the back of the line?

The few people behind me let him cut. I made him stay right behind me and let him stew / make his remark.

I felt it would be inappropriate for me to say anything back to him and engage in any kind of communication after his snarky statement.

at PHL airport workers and crew members regularly utilize the pre-check lines to clear security - they always walk to the front of the line - in most cases politely.

Decent of the Captain to simply step back and wait the 2-3 extra people. He did not need OP's permission and could have ignored OP if he wished.

DCA does not have a "known crew" system and crew use Pre-Check and may cut the line if they wish. TSA would have handled OP in short order if the Captain had made a fuss.

Where is the written policy saying pilots and crew can skip the lines without a crew line?

"TSA would have handled OP in short order if the Captain had made a fuss" always wonderful to go to FlyerTalk for a smile. TSA wouldn't have done anything. They might've looked up. We're talking about the TSA here.

It's customary for on-duty staff to cut the line, so if you believe in following widely-accepted customs, then yes you should feel guilty.

Good for you, OP. If he was late, it was his own fault for not making it to work on time. It's probably for the best that you didn't reply to him, though I'm sure quite a few of us wouldn't be so pleasant. If there is one thing I can't stand it is entitlement.

Let me guess. If your flight got delayed because your pilot was stuck in the security line you would complain about the airline's bad service. Right?

If the TSA agent let the pilot cut in it's none of the OPs business and he/she should have STFU.

A simple "excuse me, do you mind if I cut in front" would go a long way. These arrogant crew members often just completely ignore you and cut you right off. That's unacceptable.

Pathetic. :rolleyes:

Good for him/her.

Rudeness toward potential customers is unacceptable. When in uniform, an employee represents the employer.

If pilots were inconvenienced more by TSA lines, maybe the airlines would do more to fix the mess. Similarly, if politicians stood in line and went through standard TSA procedure, they'd exert more pressure on TSA.

I show up to work to ensure I'm there when I start. If my place of employment schedule me to work at several places at the same time that's their fault - not the fault of the customers.

Customary isn't the same as accepted. Is it a written policy someone who claim this is a god given right can link to, or is it in fact not a policy at all and something flight crews claim because they want to arrive late to the airport?

Your contribution to this thread, as your contribution to society, is immense and contribute a lot. Thank you for taking the time to write, I'm sure that wasn't easy for you.