cv11nyc

Sorry to disappoint the 'thug union' crowd but you can blame the FAA. CAL's FAA procedures clearly states the crew rest seat location on the 737. It has to be blocked when an additional pilot is required (total block time +8 hours). EWR-SJD-EWR is often flown by the same crew thus a relief pilot is assigned.

This is 737 specific. I'm sorry that was your seat and I have no doubt there is more to this story from the company's side of things. Nevertheless throwing bad looks a working crew member in this situation was wrong and uncalled for period.

desperationsearch

I don't have all the details but I thought this was worth posting anyway. Before my EWR-SEA flight today I observed a couple of UA pilots (only guessing they were PMUA) get upset and loud at the agents (only guessing they were PMCO) because (I think) they were assigned middle seats on the flight. One says very loudly "you can't do that - it's a contract violation" and the agent says "Let me show you how we do it here."

This was far from an ugly scene, but the pilots did get on their mobile phone and call in to someone to complain.

Not sure how it was resolved (as I boarded before they did), but this is more of the "this can't be good" stuff.

thumbun

+1

Hachiko

PMCO pilots receive double-time for sitting in middle seats, and I believe PMUA pilots have it in their contract that they don't sit in middle seats period. It's a shame, because its become a time of rampant contract violations. Gotta stand up for yourself where you can (just like the DEN flight that took a catering delay because of captains meal).

LilAbner

Funny this should come up again as I just read about a captain, last week, that said the very same thing --- Something about his UNION CONTRACT and they couldn't tie his a$$ up and throw him off in Amarillo instead of letting him fly to "Sin City"!

I guess history should and sometimes does repeat itself!

Ugleeual

This has to be one of the dumbest discussions on FT!

If the pilots have a contract that states XYZ then the company is obligated to XYZ... If your company made you catch a bus to the airport vs a cab you would be pissed... This is no different.

If you don't like a UAL pilot sitting in his (or in this example "YOUR") FC seat then BUY a first class seat at booking... it's not the pilot's fault he has a better contract/travel benefit then you... GS, 1K, Plat, Gold is a benefit IF seats are open... It's not a right.

Seeing someone whine about this topic is pathetic.

Jetsurfer

The cost of two hotel rooms and per diem in almost all cases would not be the deciding factor. Factors like gate/parking areas for the overnight aircraft are probably what drives sCal to use 3 man crews on the 737. The addition of an IRO to those flights allows the company to fly the pilots over 8 hours scheduled(actual time in the air, not duty day).


Earlier in the thread a poster commented on seeing a pilot sit up front with the pilots. That was likely a pilot commuting to or from work. Pilots can sit in the cockpit jumpseat(s) at the Captains discretion. That pilot could also have had a positive space pass for DH, training, ect. and took the jumpseat to allow a non-revenue passenger to have a seat in the cabin. Flight attendants are not allowed
to use cockpit jumpseats for any type of travel. If the aircraft has extra FA cabin jumpseats Flight Attendants can use those for commuting. At the current time pilots are not permitted to use cabin jumpseats for any purpose.

soccerguy985

I was on a United Flight from IAD to MBJ on April 7th. I paid for 1st class, interestingly enough 2 pilots and a flight attendant were sitting in First Class on this route and 2 seats went completely unfilled in 1st. Even more interesting, when I checked the seat map seven days out the two crew member's had advanced seating, based on where they were sitting and the seat map. In addition a flight attendant was in 1st.(looked to be standyby) Shouldn't they have been sitting in coach and put paying customers in 1st? Has any one else seen this?

BlueZebra

A little search will get a long recent thread on this topic.

fastair

Only if the passengers on the return flight of that aircraft wanted their crew to risk DVT

CALMSP

what kind of paying passengers? Coach paying passengers?

mre5765

Yes that's why TED's dead baby: because crew were getting DVT.

And that's why UA is eliminating all single class RJs.

Jetsurfer

Why was it interesting that the crew-members where in First?

If the crew had advanced seating they could be deadheading to MBJ to work the return flight or the flight the next day.

If the flight attendant was non-revving its her right to get a First Class seat if there are no other non-rev employees senior to her, seats are available, and there are no coach upgrades. Internationally generally coach passengers will have to pay for upgrades.

I'm not sure if you meant that you felt a person that paid for coach on an international flight should be upgraded to the next higher cabin, if it is then that doesn't happen.

Crew-member travel benefits allow travel in First if there is space. On the legacy-CAL side the company unilaterally made changes to certain policies on the passenger side that make it extremely difficult for crews to non-rev in First domestically.

jacroweORD

SFO to ORD, newly configured 767...4 flt attendants in BC. Not wearing uniforms, but had their crew bags and (sadly enough) I recognized 2 of them from a previous flt. Massive upgrade list on that flt...don't know what these folks are thinking by passing on customers for non-revs.

GBadger

In March I was on a newly configured 777 from ORD-DEN, and ended up sitting next to a pilot-in-training. He was wearing a badge and gladly told me that while in training he was able to "abuse the company pass" a bit. There were many people left on the upgrade list -- not saying he wasn't supposed to be in J, but not saying he was, either...