Originally Posted by
wan2fly99
I remeber before 9/11 always got to airport early and tried to talk to Captains. Explained was a GA pilot and trying to succeed in aviation.
Most of the time i was able to seat up front with them.
Nowadays forget it.
Large german carrier here. Have 2 Jumps in the A320 cockpits. Still doing this, when people ask politely + seem legit and show their PPL. Met some interesting contacts over the years and had nice talks during 2 hours flight. You must know, private flying in Germany is not exactly a poor man's hobby.
I remember a Vueling captain being overly thankful when taking him to Bilbao. Seems a bigger issue with other airlines, I can confirm.
Staff or their spouses and family members usually ride in the cockpit, when flight is fully booked, so they don't hinder the crew in the galley.