I read this thread as I was curious as to how my colleagues release jumpseats. It made me realise I am obviously a little 'simple' in my approach.
FWIW, here is my approach:
Commuters/family members of the crew get highest priority.
Cabin crew next, then ground staff third. Why that order? Because I have noticed over the years that ground staff generally don't fly on the flights they asked the jumpseat for. Commuters do 90% of the time, cabin crew over 50% of the time. I tend to give everyone a few days to bid after the roster is released just in case they are flying or out of computer contact. If I have two commuters then I would email them and ask them if one has an alternative - if all else fails, I will give them out based on seniority. My only pet hate, which few pilots do, is people holding J1 on multiple flights. I remember once when I was on the tupperware aircraft checking other flights and finding out that a particular jumpseater(not a pilot) had j1 out of Syd and Mel on 4 different flights! The new system helps, to some extent, in identifying duplicate requests. With so many cathay staff commuting it pays to only have jumpseats on the flight you actually 'need', not every possible flight you might want!
In my previous job I was told that there were three subjects you should never talk about at dinner- sex, politics or religion. Well, I think union membership is like religion - I might want you to agree to my way of thinking but it is your right to think differently. My god, if your worth as a human being comes down to being a member of an Association in Hong kong then we really are no better than the hitler youth or communist party!
If you can't give a jumpseat to a non-member, for god's sake don't let your kids play with them at school. And whatever you do, make sure you ensure there is the coldest possible environment in the cockpit - who cares if you have an accident, just as long as you have ostracised the pilot for being a non-member!
So, like I said, commuters/family first, cabin crew second, ground staff third. Sorry if that offends anyone but that's how I do it!
I would also ask to do what I strive to do(since I am a regular commuter). If you are not going to use the jumpseat, advise as soon as possible - cancel with c/c and if you get the chance and it is short notice, email the CN just in case there are other jumpseaters. Remember J3/j4 are useless on an Aussie flight so knowing that j1 or j2 is now free can help someone else with their travel plans since they will move up the jumpseat priority!