Jumpseating (Non-Rev) Privileges in Europe
 

I searched old threads but didn't find anything useful. I was wondering if any European airlines (flag carrier or low cost) grants jumpseat (non-revenue) flights for other airline pilots. If not, what about within its own network, ie. can a LH, BA, easyjet etc. pilot fly for free (cabin or jumpseat) on their own flights, like it's done in the U.S.? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I'm not sure about Europe, I don't think it happens there, it doesn't happen in New Zealand nor, so far as I know, Australia.

I think it's peculiar to the US.

There is no such thing as a specific jumpseat pass like in the US, but accepting staff ticket holders for cabin or cockpit jumpseats is pretty common practice (nothing like one in the rear galley between Entebee & Brussels on a 2am flight...). Accepting someone to the cockpit is usually captain's discretion, some airlines are more accommodating in this regard than others, LH and SK in particular never left me behind if there was an available jumpseat anywhere on the plane. The only restriction is the UK where only authorised persons can be in the cockpit, so if you do get a cockpit seat to a flight there, over the channel you are asked to swap places with a flight attendant.


Free/reduced tickets are granted to own and other airlines staff (mostly on seat available basis), there are a number of multilateral agreements in place among network carriers, but low-costs are usually not party to these, they only grant reduced rate travel to own staff.

@ BulePilot - None of your :mad: business

@ others - With the footy about to kick off in Euroland, you guys are happy to divulve this sort of information on PProon are you? To someone who's trying to gain access to the flight deck no less.

Real smart.

Clog, there is nothing here that will help someone who wants to get into the FD without authorisation. Its doesnt require much thought as to work out how to get in if an individual really wanted to force his way in.

Dear oh dear Flying Clog. Are you for real? :rolleyes: :ugh: Still, on the positive side you did give me a good laugh!

And you pay all the taxes - which from the UK can amount to a fair bit. No such thing as a free ride anymore :{

Dear oh dear Flying Clog. Are you for real? Still, on the positive side you did give me a good laugh!

Yes HT, I am for real. Last time I checked.

You're not Austraaylian by any chance are you?

Flying Clog is correct - who in their right mind would give info about this subject on the world wide web in a rush to answer some strangers 'question'.
Hopefully a mod will be along shortly to bury this somewhere as it isn't even posted in the correct forum.

Flying clog, you exhibit the same sort of security paranoia that is common in the Daily Mail.

Flying clog, you truly are an Irish fool.

Just to answer the OP's question. As far as I know, if it's a UK registered aircraft, there is NO WAY you are going to get jump-seat authorisation for the flight-deck. That was certainly the case when I was flying, and I wouldn't expect it to have changed. Captains exercising their "discretion" face dismissal.

Yep,forget it in the UK...theyd just arrest you for asking....:E

Ask Robbie Savage....and Pablo....you'll hopefully get the idea :)

Because if you knew what you were talking about you would also know that the answer to the question will in no way compromise overall security any more than it already is now!

Have to agree that it's in the wrong forum though.

To be fair - the OP was talking about a pilot for an airline, getting a jumpseat on a different airline's plane... If they're a pilot then they will have security clearance: whether that means the Captain's 'discretion' should be able to grant OP's pilot a jumpseat, regardless of clearance is another question...

@crablab - are you familiar with the concept of counterfeiting IDs?

There are plenty of stories out there of fake 'pilots' jump seating on airliners, pulling the wool over the cockpit crew's eyes. And no, I haven't just watched 'Catch me if you can', but just like that, yes.

Time to close this thread me thinks.

I am aware of that as it happens and I guess I intended this to come under the 'another question' bit of my last post...

No airline in the UK is going to allow a pilot from another airline on the jumpseat, period. In fact most only allow a jumpseat ride to their own staff, IF travelling for company business and there are no other seats on board, as in no stby ticket travel. Even at this point it is still Captains discretion. So no, it is not possible for a randomer with a fake ID to catch a free ride, overpower two already wary pilots and ruin Flying Clogs trip to Magaluf...

The Jumpseat system in the US is one of the few things I really miss about flying over there. It's incredibly well regulated and run via a central pilot database called CASS. No one can 'fake' their way on to the flight deck. Every time you request a Jumpseat you present your company ID and licence and the gate agent looks you up on CASS. The system contains all your info and a photograph.

It's a real shame that EASA can't offer something similar to help pilots out. Instead we face the dangerous new duty and flight time limitations and another blow to our profession.

That's why I hope the UK leaves the EU.

Unnecessary red tape.

Even if we left the EU I very much doubt we would leave EASA.

Spanish folks enjoy a very similar priviledge, it's called Xtra-crew.

If you are employed by a spanish airline and/or hold a spanish license you can board a spanish-reg a/c (at skipper's discretion) provided you carry your company ID and license and there are seat available. Jumpseats are a different matter, I guess. Often they are used for training purposes or available just to company's employees.

Mmm even before the EU I could never jumpseat on Big Airlines in the UK.... But hey go on and join the looney trail and blame it all on somebody else!

ps Once you leave please enjoy saying the UK as this will be a thing of the past soon as the Scots most likely would like to stay in the EU and NI and Ireland are more likely to join forces...

In Brazil there is something similar to the US called passe livre (literal translation would be "free pass").

There is a central database where all brazilian airlines register their crew members (pilots and flight attendants). Once you are in the system you can issue tickets on any domestic flight on any airline and board as long as there is an available seat. Jumpseat is upon captain's discretion and/or each company's policy.

There are a few rules:
You must issue a ticket or make a reservation via the system
You must be dressing your full airline uniform and airline ID in order to board the aircraft.
Maximum 5 free pass passengers onboard per flight.

It helps a lot pilots and flight attendants who live in cities other than their contractual bases.

This benefit conquered by our union 2 years ago and it works quite well nowadays.

...Some groups really need to change the record.

For the record the UK airline I work for makes money out of staff travel. The charge for a one way stand-by ticket within the UK and EU can be the best part of £100. You do not get a refund if on the day you end up on a flight deck/cabin crew jump seat.

I really somehow doubt that if we vote to leave the EU on the 23rd of June the company and it's accountants are going to turn around and say "we've left the EU so now so we won't charge you for travelling on jump seats...

I wish we had a US type system at work, but there are similar systems elsewhere within Euroland, so blaming this lack of a blanket jump seating system on the "EU"/EASA/Brussels is, putting it politely, disingenuous.

Thanks for all the info and sorry for posting it on the wrong form first. It's now in the correct one I hope. Okay, I understand and expected that European airlines mostly won't allow pilots from other airlines to grant a free pass like it's done in the US. But can a BA, LH, AF, easyjet, Ryanair etc pilot get a free ride on their own flights? I'm interested in this because I'm trying to set up free pass privileges for an airline here in Asia, but I need to present some info to the management first before they even look into this, because here in Asia it's mostly unheard of, but very much necessary for commuting purposes. Thanks again!

Some info (and heated discussion!) here:-

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/5...ng-pilots.html

Off duty (e.g. as in traveling between home and place of work) - No..

Cheapest option is a basic standby ticket ( which often isn't that cheap ). Hopefully you get a seat in the cabin, failing that then with the operating captain's approval you can get a cabin/flight deck jumpseat..but if you do end up on a jumpseat you do not get any refund on your ticket.

I am sure that if enough pilots lobby for a CASS like system in the EU it could happen.
It would be cheap to run and be a win win situation for all involved.

And it would also be a safety/security tool:
1. Verify flight deck access using a central database (no more ebay uniform clowns)
2. Technically a jumpseater using CASS is on duty and provides an additional set of eyes if on the flight deck.

OK, just who are you planning on lobbying?

[QUOTE]Because if you knew what you were talking about you would also know that the answer to the question will in no way compromise overall security any more than it already is now!

Have to agree that it's in the wrong forum though.[QUOTE]

Actually got a laugh out of that - prune is unfortunately infested these days with posters who come out with platitudes like the ones above.

The statement you have made - a 'considerable amount of information' is available on the web doesn't really hold up [ unless you count this thread with moronic pilots falling over themselves to let the world know].

As for knowing what I'm 'talking about' - you would have no idea how many J/S I gave and received over a lifetime and what I do now-suffice to say that regulatory authorities are getting very interested in J/S 'privileges' that various airlines coming into their country have. To most this is an 'alien' concept and these threads 'assist' them immensely, many reacting with surprise that such a thing is possible in these security conscious times - if there is any 'risk' in this risk averse world it gets removed these days.

The smarter pilots [and airlines] keep any privileges 'under the radar'.

Exactly skywagondriver.

So let's knock it on the head and close this thread shall we?

Just like all the others... Transparency Register - Homepage

...I would start with the EU Commission and in our case EASA...as above link shows there is massive lobbying going on by countless groups.

CASS is, as the name implies, a security system (with the benefit of travel). If it works trans US/CANADA why not within the EU?

Cockpit Access Security System (CASS)

http://www.jumpseatinfo.org/LinkClic...=1283&mid=3170

If we did have a CASS-like system in the EU it would be beneficial but don't for one moment think it would be free.

Speaking from a UK perspective, who would pay the taxes? Commuting crew are not exempt from this and along with airport charges this mounts up to quite a lot. Any airline that cares about their bottom line would not pay these taxes and charges just so you could have a free ride. If you look at a LHR-Europe trip one-way, APD is approx £20 and HAL charge about £30 just to use the airport. You'd need local governments and airport authorities to exempt air crew travelling off duty from these charges. Certainly in the UK there's not much appetite for that (I wish there was!)

There shouldn't be any. In the US you are technically a crew member on duty (meaning no booze etc.) when riding the JS, even if it is offline at another carrier. The jumpseat is not a revenue seat, so no value = no tax. I know that the taxman will see the non-cash value (we are in Europe after all) and try to tax it. If the CASS EU legislation would contain some "crewmember/duty" element the taxes could be kept to a minimum.

All highly theoretical as first and foremost EU pilots need to want this bad enough!

CASS USA was implemented after 9/11...think about that!

Yes there would be fees hard to get rid of too (like airport/security/handling), thats why it is free for CASS guys to fly USA-EU but it costs a few bucks to go back. Still better than what we EU pilots have now.

In 2007 I positioned a company aircraft to Aberdeen and had a standby ticket back to LHR where the aircraft was operating to next. I wanted to get on but it was full. Asked ops to sit on the jumpseat 24 inches from where I had just been sitting and was told no.
Luckily a rigger got right royally drunk in the bar and the dispatcher refused boarding and I got home for the weekend.
Not only is the security card used but also many companies policies are driven by those who wouldn't have access if the company was so minded.
Nothing will change in Europe as far as I can see.
That's why I fly an aircraft without a cockpit door now. I can pee when I want without putting my hand up to ask permission.