How Exactly Does Commuting (Jumpseating) in the Airlines Work?

5 Answers

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   Matthew Waugh on Dec 11, 2012

   It varies. Some companies have a web site you go to pre-list for the jump-seat, some want you to list as a non-rev before you list for the jump seat. So it varies by airline and you have to know the details. Commuters get all this figured out pretty quickly for the airlines serving their commute (and it doesn’t hurt to get to know the gate agents and to bring gifts). ALPA has documents describing how to jumpseat on various airlines, and your airline has a jumpseat coordinator who can help with specific cases.

   But normally you can list at the gate. Priority varies – it might be first come first served, there might be a priority list of who gets the jumpseat. Typically pilots trying to jumpseat on their own metal will get the highest priority (although that sometimes glitches and has to be reset) and then priority might be by airline or first come. Most gate agents don’t know and don’t care what the priority is, although since they have to list you in the computer often the computer will assign the priority. There are certain unwritten rules however, and often competing jumpseaters will figure out between themselves who gets priority. People going to work will often get priority over people travelling for leisure for example.

   You cannot assure yourself of getting a seat – although the competition for the jumpseat is a lot lower than it is for a non-revenue passenger – so when traveling with family the pilot often finds they can get on the jumpseat, but lack of non-revenue seats drives different options. I have often done that, I get my spouse in any seat we can find and I jumpseat – even if it’s not where we want to go, we aim to get closer 🙂 Commuters don’t have that problem, they’re just trying to move themselves. So there is no guarantee. Generally speaking, in the mainland US, I’d be surprised if I couldn’t get where I wanted to within 24 hours, and often much less (and mostly on the first flight you try). I’ve hear Hawaii can be hard on a commuter.

   Many airlines have a “commuter clause” – as long as you meet some set of pre-requisites (listed for 2 flights is a common one) you won’t be disciplined for not making your trip, although use of the commuter clause is often restricted to a certain number of times a year.

   Yes – for people who do not live in base life sucks, and worse on reserve. I believe 80% of a pilots quality of life is based on whether they commute or not. But – there are good reasons to commute. Airlines, ESPECIALLY regional airlines, changes bases at the whim of the mainline, and if you have a family you can’t just uproot them every time you get displaced into a new base. Sometimes you just want o live in one part of the country, and commuting is the price you pay for the choice. At least you HAVE that choice, which in other jobs you may not have the option.

   I don’t think I’m giving away any secrets here – on the topic of security you have an ID badge that will get you through security – some airports will make you go through the passenger line (instead of the crew line if your airline does not fly from that airport) but mostly you get to the secure side the same way you would as if you were going to work at that airport.

   Hope that answers your questions.

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   Joe on Dec 11, 2012

   Thanks for your response. A lot of good information.

   So say you lived in City A and had a base in City B, and your line (or reserve) started on Wednesday at 10am. The flights are as follows:

   Monday: 1pm – City A to City B
   Tuesday: 1pm – City A to City B
   Wednesday: 1pm – City A to City B

   I’m not sure if this is a realistic scenario or not, but would you have to shoot for the Monday flight in order to satisfy the commuter clause of trying for 2 flights? I’m sure there are other options with connecting flights (although seems more stressful possibly being stranded), but if there is limited traffic to your base it seems like you’d have to cut in drastically to your days off in order to ensure you get a spot.

   Also, I’m not quite sure what a non-rev passenger (non-revenue?) is, but in terms of flying with your spouse, are you both going without tickets in hopes of getting a seat? Or are you saying your spouse buys a cheap ticket and you try to get on the same flight flying jumpseat?

   Thanks again

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   Joe on Dec 11, 2012

   EDIT: Just saw “non-revenue” in your post, could you go into this a little further though.

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   Matthew Waugh on Dec 11, 2012

   In your hypothetical case you probably don’t need to worry about commuting – because if you live in a location with only one flight a day to your base you’ll have committed suicide long before it becomes a problem. But yes – in your hypothetical you’d need to leave on the Monday – which given that reserves rarely get more than 2 days off means you’d have to fly out the day you flew in.

   You’d want to look at connections, or more likely drive to a further airport that has better service. I flew with people who would drive 4+ hours to work to avoid a 1 leg commute (with 4 flights a day) – because at least with that drive they controlled their own destiny. I flew with people who, when going home, would look at multiple airports to see where they could get a jumpseat and have somebody pick them up or rent a car to get home. I used to jumpseat to an airport 1 hour away from my destination because it was one leg instead of trying to travel through a hub to my destination. You’ll figure it out – it’s not convenient, and that’s why commuting sucks!

   Remember you can also jumpseat with the cargo operators, Fedex or UPS – now you spend all night travelling in and out of their hub, but I flew with plenty of people who would commute that way – although it was mostly their backup plan.

   Your close family (spouse, kids, parents) can travel “space available” – also called non-revenue or non-rev. So if there are empty seats they get to use it. When we were travelling together I always listed non-rev, but I’d also list for the jumpseat, then if my spouse get on non-rev in the last seat I could ride up front. There is a difference between travelling non-rev (which sometimes has a small fee associated with it) and jumpseat (which is almost always free), so that would complicate the issue of what status you were travelling on. If you’re in the jumpseat you MUST ask the captain for permission to ride, even if you have a seat in the back, if you’re non-revenue you don’t need to ask (although if I was in uniform I always checked in with the captain so there was no confusion).

   If you end up in this situation you’ll figure it out – as you meet and fly with fellow commuters you’ll learn the tricks of the trade, people are more than willing to help you. At most regionals the bulk of the crews are commuting – you’ll be in good company.

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   JB on Dec 19, 2012

   Matt’s answers were very good except over the last 10 years FedEx has significantly increased the number of day flights. Most leave the outlying cities around 8-9 AM, head to a hub city, then depart again around 3-4 PM.

   FedEx arguably has the BEST commuting policy/system in the airline industry. First, it is the most reliable method of travel. All aircraft are CAT III (most being CAT IIIB capable). Extra jets “sweep” the country every day waiting to be diverted to an airport that has a jet that breaks (that could be your city). They have extra jets and crews on stand-by at the hub cities to cover possible outbound maintenance issues. They have a “no harm-no foul” policy in their contract that protects a commuter who is jumpseating on a FedEx jet and they miss their assignment (no max amount per year). Their on time performance is unmatched when every minute late can severely impact the entire system. You can book a seat 2 weeks in advance and, this is unheard of – under normal conditions, a FedEx pilot can NOT bump an other airline jumpseater. Once you book it, it’s your seat.

   Finally they have their “deviation policy”. FedEx deadheads more crews, all over the world, than any other airline. Each month, a pilot establishes a “deviation bank” which is equal to the value of all their deadhead tickets (this can be $500 or $30,000!). The pilot can travel as scheduled or he may book his own, POSITIVE SPACE travel and commute from his home to the city to where his flight begins. For instance, let’s say you live in Pittsburgh and your flight starts in Hong Kong. FedEx buys you a first class ticket on AA to SFO and then Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. The cost is about $7,000 one way. You can book your own ticket from Pittsburgh through Chicago for $4,000. That let’s you leave from home and not your base AND leaves an extra $3,000 to use to commute to your base POSITIVE SPACE to get to other trips that may start at your base and not a deadhead. It’s confusing at first but you get the drift – the industries best. A side benefit? Full fare, positive space means they also rack up mega frequent flyer miles!

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