Aer Lingus Jumpseat

[genius747]

Hi, I'll be quick.
I'm taking an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to JFK early next week, I am a student pilot and would love to visit the cockpit. When people say they were a jumpseat passenger do they mean they spent the whole flight in the jumpseat (wheels up to wheels down) or just a period of the flight. What is Aer Lingus' jumpseat policy, and what is the best way to get to the cockpit?
thanks,
Paul

[Teroc]

Depends on the crew Genius. It can sometimes mean the whole flight (very rare on a transatlantic - almost unheard of especially if its the first time theyve met you) , or else it can mean for take-off or landing.
Best way to do it is to write a letter to the captain explaining your position and hand it to the stewardess when you board requesting she give it to him.
Aer Lingus are usually great and unless its a training flight you should be able to make it up for a while anyway.

[scroggs]

I think we ought to get the terminology correct, here, as we run the risk of confusing some Ppruners, especially Americans.
To most professional aircrew, the term 'Jumpseat' refers to the industry practice of offering one of the observer's seats in the flight deck to staff (either your or another airline) for the duration of the trip. In America, particularly, this privilege is available on production of a current ID from a participating airline. It is less common in Europe. Strictly speaking, what you are looking for is a flight deck visit, albeit an extended one.