Glenn Quagmire said:
Jump seats are only approved for use by certificated airmen or FAA, NTSB, etc.. They are not non-rev related. Delta may add additional duties for a jumpseat rider as policy. The jumpseater must be fit for duty to perform aircrew related duties.
There are FAR's for jumpseats.
Jumpseats in the cockpit have different rules than in the cabin.
We aren't talking about cockpit jumpseats.
And DL most certainly does have control of its jumpseats both in the cabin and the cockpit because DL is required to know of every person that is on its aircraft and to ensure they have a right to be where they are. DL pilots cannot just walk into the cockpit and the same applies to the cabin jumpseats.
Also, DL does allow other airline pilots to use its jumpseats on a reciprocal basis but I don't believe that anyone other than DL FAs and possibly DL pilots (not even sure about that) can use DL cabin jumpseats.
and to me that is fair. DL FAs should not have to worry about someone else competing with them for the jumpseat and anyone who sits on a DL jumpseat should be prepared to work as part of the crew if it is necessary to do so. unlike in the cockpit, passengers look at the people on the jumpseat as crewmembers... they don't know who is part of the crew and who is not. And DL absolutely has liability requirements for evacuating its aircraft and caring for its passengers should FAs need to do so and having someone else who is not fully trained in DL's cabin safety procedures should not be in the way. DL provides more for its FAs by not allowing others onto those jumpseats than other airlines do - and it doesn't hurt at all if DL's reasons are for safety reasons... if validates the worth of DL FAs and says they have a unique role which cannot be duplicated or allowed to be confused with any other person.
again, the issue is that jumpseat FAs can board with the rest of the passengers if they don't want to work. If they are onboard and intending to sit in a jumpseat, they have to assist with boarding because you can't sit in a jumpseat during boarding. if an FA wants to sit in a jumpseat and want to board early (presumably to find a space for their bag), they have to help with boarding.
No one is telling them they have to work if they don't want to. they just have to board at the end of the boarding process and potentially check their bag.
And when they board, they have to be boarded as all other passengers are boarded thru DL's automated boarding processes.
A union cannot change those requirements.
arguing about cabin jumpseat procedures and requirements as part of an effort to push the union needs to be called for what it is and stripped out of this union discussion - which is allowed to wander all over creation in order to keep the topic open while other topics are cut off at their knees before they ever get to a single page.
