Uniformed Crew Bumping CPU List, Sitting in F
 

I've had several flights this week where I have noticed an unusually high amount of crew in uniform sitting up in F, even though there is an UG list with 1ks on it that did not clear. In one case, I was actually #2 on the UG list with T-30 mins to departure and two crew showed up at the gate and bumped both of us 1ks out of line for the 2 remaining F seats. Crew was both pilots and FAs.

Is this being done now as mitigation to the "incident"? I've been 1k for the last 5 years and have never seen anything like this, it's rare to actually see anyone in uniform actually sitting in F let alone bumping the UG list for F seats. Anyone else seen similar activity?

can you give a flight and date?

Email UA and see what they say.

The most recent two were UA377 on 5/15 (where I was actually bumped) and UA5223 on 5/17 where I was already confirmed but saw the same thing happen to a few others.

Have seen it recently but never started to really take notice until I was actually bumped, just found it unusual the amount of crew starting to sit up front from what I have experienced in the past.

I was considering that but figured I'd check with the experts first. :)

Crew in uniform? That's not Non-rev right? So could these be displaced crew needing to fly to help out a sticky situation elsewhere?

It was pretty clear to me that they were all commuting, so I can only assume it was non-rev as most crew I've seen flying for personal travel are not in uniform but only wear their IDs.

Whether related to the recent bad PR or not doesn't really matter. UA had unsold, unassigned seats in F and allowed their employees to use it. Sounds like good policy.

I'd wager they're not "bumping the UG list" as you say, but given they're in uniform it's most certainly non-rev positive space i.e. deadheading crew.

That's not a bump, they're ahead of any upgraders.

I believe what you observed was deadheading, not commuting.

Deadheading crew (traveling on company business to operate a flight, traveling back to base in case of IRROP) have confirmed seating ahead of upgrading passengers. I believe, at least in the pilot's contracts, that they deadhead in best available cabin. In cases where a sUA crew is replacing a sCO crew (or vice versa), the original crew would deadhead back to base as applicable, if they can't be rescheduled to work on another flight.

Commuting crew members (traveling out of their own freewill/not company business/IRROP to base, or back to their home, wherever they live) are on standby, last-seat available basis, and upgrade is behind all revenue passengers. In some cases, FAs might need to commute in bench seats if the flight is full. Crew members can commute in or out of uniform.

Actually, whether the crew is wearing uniforms does not indicate if they are dead-heading or non-revving. Since 9/11, a lot of crew, pilots and F/A's, wear their uniforms because of the pain of going through security in regular clothes. Some will then change and some won't. Also, those who non-rev when commuting to and from work will more than likely be in uniform. I personally don't wear mine when I non-rev, but then I don't non-rev all that much any more.

What is "clear" to you may not be fact.

You weren't bumped; you bought a coach ticket and played the upgrade lottery. Unless you were upgraded, handed a boarding pass for F, and then they took your seat and reassigned you to Y.....then nothing happened here.

And crew in uniform usually means positive space and there are instances where they are contractually guaranteed a seat in F. If you moved down the list, it most surely wasn't a result of crew members because if they are booked into Y, they will clear into F only after revenue passengers are processed.

So moving on to the next UA horror story.....where nothing actually happened.

Assuming these were NRPS, my question would be whether there was compliance with the new 60 minute crew booking requirement. The fact these crewmembers were not on the upgrade list at T-30 suggests noncompliance.

If OP provides flight details, we can get more info about what actually happened.

Were these United crew?

Charter airlines, like Atlas and Omni, don't have crew bases in the traditional sense and purchase tickets, often in F, to move crews between the departure points and their homes.

PLease confirm- crew on personal travel cannot wear their uniforms???

I am all for rewarding employees with perks, but totally don't get crew in uniform on business-related travel sitting in F when there are upgrades to be handed out. Crews don't get paid without paying and satisfied customers.