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Originally Posted by baronworm
What is the hassle/process for a Delta pilot to deadhead on a United flight?
I’ll split hairs a little but here to define the lingo precisely. A
deadhead is a part of a scheduled rotation. It’s just a leg where the crew is being repositioned. All rotations must begin and end at the pilot’s domicile and, more precisely, at the same airport. I’m a New York based pilot, but that includes three airports: LGA, JFK and EWR. If I start at JFK, I have to finish at JFK. I’ve had trips where we start at JFK and the last flight is into LGA, but in this case they add ground transportation back to JFK (which I’m free to decline). Crew members are paid their normal pay for a deadhead leg just as if they were working the flight.
The
jumpseat privilege lets me travel on any air carrier in the cockpit. It is common practice to offer the jumpseater a seat in the cabin if it’s available (including first class). It used to be the case that most airlines would only allow as many jumpseaters as the number of physical cockpit jumpseats the plane actually had. This would be one or two, depending on the aircraft type. Even within a type, this can vary. We have 757s with one or two jumpseats. The difference comes from the fact that we have 757s acquired over the years second-hand from various other airlines. The number of jumpseats was an option exercised by the original owner of the plane.
Over the past 20 years or so, it has become common practice to allow as many jumpseaters as there are available seats in the cabin. So now, we are able to simply fly as a
non-revenue passenger on any airline. For United the process is simple: just walk up to the gate and request a jumpseat. A valid company ID and passport is required. The gate agent can now use a system called CASS to verify the crew member’s bone fides. The system will actually show them the same picture as on the company ID. The agent should also check for a pilot license and valid medical, but this is often left for the Captain to verify.
Many airlines now use a website called MyIDTravel for commuting crewmembers. It’s a little clunky to use but skips the whole charade of jumpseating and just lists you as a non-rev. American uses this system and is pretty adamant about listing before showing up at the gate.
In my case, returning from CVG, I listed on an American flight straight back to DCA rather than fly my scheduled deadhead to JFK and then wait until 9:00 pm to non-rev back to DCA. Before deviating for a deadhead, I do have to let Crew Scheduling know but it’s just a formality. Part of the reason for this is so that the scheduled deadhead flight isn’t delayed waiting for me.
And the good part that I still get paid for the deadhead flight because it was on my rotation.
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Is that exclusively employees, or could an employee bring along a family member on a reposition flight?
I was pretty sure that it’s only active employees but I just had a check airman on my flight to San Diego a couple of weeks ago who told me that he brought his sons along on a ferry flight of a 727 to the desert when those were being retired. He said they hand flew it all the way across the country and his teenage sons got some stick time. He said they did very well because he had had the opportunity on several occasions to have them join him in the simulator.
That flight was in 2002, so it might only be active employees now. I’m not sure.