It's really not appropriate for me to comment on another operator where an incident is presently under investigation.
All I can add is that when clients ask us to come along, which is not an infrequent request, we have a strict policy against it for a number of good reasons. These being potential liability, no AOC, a rather grey area for insurance and the simple fact that during one of the more difficult challenges in aviation, having a non-crew-member can be a distraction, if only because the pick-up manoeuvre can make them air sick!!!
We were asked to fly a UKIP banner around Birmingham with the candidate the previous weekend, an independent candidate on the same day and the LibDems the day before. In each case we were asked by the candidate if he could come along for the ride and in each case our own procedures ruled this out for the reasons I've given above. That's not to say that another operator may have different rules he chooses to follow
