'Jumpseating' for crews
 

I heard on another board that Spanair and Iberia allow "extra crew" to ride similar to the US Jumpseat. Anybody there heard of this before.

Yep. They do.

Thanks, do you know the procedure? Also, do they limit the numer of "extra crew" memebers they allow on board?

...but have a plan B
 

I've done it with IB many times...however, a friendly note of caution...its not an official policy as in the US...completely up to whether the skipper allows it on the day. Madrid flight ops management have apparently been actively discouraging the practice and it has become more difficult than it used to be. I've found that flights through BCN and the other outstations are more relaxed. There is no paperwork associated with the IB procedure...usually just get to the gate and then ask the Captain. (Exceptions that I know of: In MAD report to the flt ops briefing desk to find the crew. In LHR report to the dispatch office located immediately behind the IB ticketing counter to receive a manual boarding card). I have usually been treated royally...including a day when I was desperate to get to work and the only seat left was a spare FA jumpseat...given to me with a smile and J class catering to balance on my knee! You will probably get some more feedback from the guys if you ask in the Spanish Forum.

PG

Ive often been allowed to fly on Iberia in the jumpseat,I work for another airline in Europe and its near on impossible to do this with my own airline.

Hi, there is a nice tradition in Spain going on about this, although its just a non regulated tradition which depends on the captains good will, and most are willing to give you a ride because they´ll need the favour back some day. The problem is that depending on your company policies, you might not be allowed to do this yourself, so the captain might think that since you don´t carry crew around on you flights, its not very fair on him to take responsability for your transport, and you will probably end up grounded. In fact some people have been sacked for this practice and therefore it gets harder by the day.
I would encourage you to try to implement this tradition on your own airlines, and that way all our lives would be much easier... i´ll keep dreaming, and in the mean time try and no to ask for many favours until I can correspond!

If it was up to me, any pilot who works for an airline should be able to ride on any other airline regardless of country. I'm glad that the Spanish extend this courtesy. However, I think it's all the other European airlines who are resistant and not US airlines. The US TSA maybe, but not the airlines.

Its not TSA it is the airlines. They don't want to be faced with fines for an improper crewmember trying to enter the US. US pilots can't jump seat to the US from Europe do stringent TSA requirements under APIS, unless it is on their own carrier.

Not true, I have Jumpseated from Europe to the US more than once. You are not allowed to ride in the front of the aircraft. You are allowed to occupy a seat in the cabin using the Jumseat privledge.

Aer Lingus has (or at least used to have, not sure if it is still there) a similiar perk where crew can compliment existing crew to a destination for a free ride!!!

Yeep Iberia certainly do. I flew jumpseat with them 4 times in 2003 into Heathrow, Barcelona, Madrid and Jerez. All 4 captains told me - well we are not meant to but.....

This is the law
 

JAR–OPS 1.100 Admission to flight deck
(a) An operator must ensure that no person,
other than a flight crew member assigned to a
flight, is admitted to, or carried in, the flight deck
unless that person is:
(1) An operating crew member;
(2) A representative of the Authority
responsible for certification, licensing or
inspection if this is required for the performance
of his official duties; or
(3) Permitted by, and carried in
accordance with instructions contained in the
Operations Manual.
(b) The commander shall ensure that:
(1) In the interests of safety, admission to
the flight deck does not cause distraction and/or
interfere with the flight’s operation; and
(2) All persons carried on the flight deck
are made familiar with the relevant safety
procedures.
(c) The final decision regarding the admission
to the flight deck shall be the responsibility of the
commander.

In our national legislation para (c) was not adopted.
For non-crew member flight deck jum pseats the current procedure requires the AOM to be supplemented by a instructional procedure according JAR 1.100 (a)(3), which then needs to be authorized bythe national authority. In our case it was neither tried to add such a procedure nor would the national authority authorize it.

The main problem here is that while the spanish crew take each other, they get irritated with people taken advantage of this privelege. They have worked trough the years to retain it.
At Ryanair, for instance, you can travel free if you are wearing your Ryanair uniform. This proves that the JAA regulation do allow taking extracrews. But, if you want your airline to do it you have to raise the issue.
Pilot Associations do ask their members what sort of issues would they like them to bring up at a board meeting. It is up to you to mention it. I know from my own experience that many of you guys love that perk. It does no cost the company anything at all. Hence, if your reps see that they are not getting anything from the board, they could try to get this.
Once again, is up to you guys. If you don't squeak you don't get oil.:ok:

It always amazes me that the national aviation authorities (and the international ones, too - re. the JAA) are stuck in the middle ages in this respect. It's quite simply a case of security gone mad and having a potentially very negative impact on flight safety. Surely, three trained brains (and three pairs of eyes) on the flight deck are better than two, specially if an emergency happens. It's all about CRM (remember Sioux City?), pure and simple.

Good to see that in some countries at least, that decision to is still up to the operating captain.

Cheers :cool:

Who is talking about flightdeck? First Class will do for me... As I said I don´t think its very right to Request such a courtesy if you can´t correspond, so if any of you work in Ops, Its probably your turn to try and make a change.

Last I knew it is illegal to carry anyone other than operating crew on the flight deck in UK airspace, this includes foreign carriers, unless there are no other seats available. i.e. if there are any spare pax or crew seats in the back it is illegal to carry jumpseaters on flight deck.

So in fact anybody is allowed if provision is made for it in ops manual!
The reality is that managers of airlines travel on staff ticket with reservation even when in holiday so they have no interest in the matter, and it is easier to forbid it than face any remote possible litigation.
A few months ago, I traveled with my wife on jump-seats (both in flight deck) with a major European airline!
Well done guys, many, many thanks.
In my actual airline, it is forbidden to take a company captain, qualified on type, in the cockpit unless authorized by an ‘underling’ from the scheduling.
This is for safety reason, wraf, wraf…
Now, one is a major reputable airline, the other an operation runs by guys that think they have heard someone who has a friend that know something about aviation, guess who is who:{ :{ :{

Not so...several company Ops manuals in the UK have a little "get out" clause with words similar to....."at the commanders discretion"..or "flight Ops directors discretion"..etc:ok:

Dojetdriver,

Spanair certainly does!

Landed late at a Spanish airport less than 2 weeks ago, too late for me to make the flight booked out of there for me by our dispatchers. My Spanish colleague got on the horn to the flight I was meant to catch just as they were asking for clearance (we had just parked), got them to 'go numbers', had a quick chin-wag with them and next thing one of our engineers ran me over to them in his pick-up within minutes. I was last to board - obviously in uniform - the captain checked my licence and crew I.D., jotted down my licence-number and that was it. The girls parked me in business and I was home in no time!

To those Spanish pilots reading this: I was dumbstruck by the hospitality you guys afford other crew, and am impressed that you manage to keep such a tradition of friendliness alive even to this overly-hysterical day. I take my hat off to you. :ok:

Dojetdriver,

Oops, sorry, didn't read your post carefully enough: on my lucky day I got to ride home within the EU, not across the pond.

Jumpseating = moderation
 

doodle bug, for one I want to thank you for recognizing the extraordinary disposition of spanish pilots to allow jumpseating...we have enjoyed this type of reciprocal well fare for many years and we hope it will continue. If it is abused, however, we will all suffer, so moderation is the name of the game.