All this banter about whether someone is an AOA member or not, subject to whether or not he/she is given a jumpseat ? If One feels so strong about this belief, why doesn't One refuse to operate a flight, RT/PC or even attend the same Annual Emergency Training with the 'accused' ?
The last time I checked, we all wore the same uniform, and shook hands at Despatch as well as in the arrival hall....the thought never came across the mind to ask "oh by the way, are you an AOA member ?"
Well, should any pilot need my jumpseat, I'll be happy to help any fellow aviator first priority, be it commuter or non-commuter. IMHO, "in the unlikely event" of mutiple EICAS/ECAM messages illuminating the flightdeck like a Christmas tree, I would rather have another fellow aviator to assist us, than some ground staff who typically assigns me a middle seat with that
entertainment box under my feet in Y class, or a couple of cabin crew that sit and talk loud enough to be heard at the 80kt call on the roll, despite having been briefed the rules, that SHOULD be taught in their ground school as well.
.......and I am not concerned whether someone is or is not an AOA member, because, "at the end of the day" we all have similar stories of hurdles in getting where we are today, and we all are subject to the same operational control and fury of Mother Nature - both entities don't differentiate between members and non-members.
I pay my monthly dues for my reasons, those that chose not to be a part of the AOA have theirs - that's what democracy is about.
