JUMP SEAT.

[STFXG]

Why would the TSA care who you worked for?

 

[caravan42]

After jump seating for personal travel was eliminated, the training for jump seating passengers (in a ramp environment) was limited to management of the ramp and surrounding stations (so they could travel on company business) and aircraft mechanics so they could travel on Express aircraft. The aircraft mechanics (especially those assigned to the hubs), would travel out to a ramp if an aircraft had a mechanical failure which couldn't be corrected by the mechanics at the ramp in question. If a team of mechanics were needed, Express would fly them out on one of the business jets; but most often, only one or two mechanics with specialized skills (which the ramp mechanics may not have possessed) were needed to get a broken aircraft airworthy again.

The training was necessary since there weren't 'flight attendants'. In cargo aircraft without flight attendants, any non-aircrew passengers MUST be trained in aircraft evacuation procedures and other safety protocols which are necessary due to the absence of a flight attendant (their primary job in passenger aircraft is passenger safety in the event of an emergency, NOT handing out drinks and food).

When jumpseating was shut down, the training of other Express employees for jump seat travel was terminated. Express went to moving these people around (for training), on scheduled passenger commercial aircraft.

I NEVER heard of a new hire flying on jump seat - even when it was still in effect. I think there was a 90 day prohibition on new hires flying jump seat (they had to have 90 days under their belt before they were eligible for ANY form of jump seat travel). After that 90 day period of time, they still had to be scheduled for training, which could take some time. This pretty much eliminated jump seating for new hires (they'd have to complete their necessary job training WELL before they became eligible for jump seat travel).

Other than an occasional Courier, the only 'regular' jump seat travelers (excluding management, mechanics and pilots jump seating), were individuals traveling for training for either Ramp Agent or Dangerous Goods class (they'd been with Express long enough to get the training while a handler or material hander). Getting station employees to the ramp to attend one of the infrequent training classes on jump seating was damn difficult for them - they were working more often than not...

The class had to be held while an aircraft was on the ground (obviously), and not involved in any operations or maintenance. By default, this meant Monday AMs were the only time an aircraft was sitting at the ramp (having arrived the previous Sunday PM and been unloaded), and was available for training use. Then there was the problem of training in the 'specific' types of aircraft. The smaller ramps only had 727s or A300/310s to train on. This meant getting training on the MD series was damn difficult for them.



Not true!!! FedEx pilots are the primary method of recruiting future FedEx pilots.

They don't go out of their way to do 'recruiting', but they do know plenty of other pilots from their time 'before FedEx'. I believe the minimum flight hour requirements for a new Express pilot is 4,000 hours of multi-engine turbine time (one doesn't get this in 'flight training'). This means that ALL Express pilots are either prior military or have flown for a number of years with another airline. They meet plenty of people while doing this.

The way the 'recruitment system' is set up for the pilots, is that all potential new hires (excepting those in 'protected' categories - women, minorities, etc.) MUST have their resume 'walked in' by an existing Express pilot to be considered. This serves as a 'vetting' of the candidate, and also helps keep the pilot pool made up of individuals who are like minded and from similar backgrounds. One could call it the 'good ol' boy club' if one wanted to. Without someone on the inside walking a resume in, a prospective candidate is pretty much out of luck. Along with UPS and Southwest, Express pilots are the highest paid in the scheduled commercial airlines (some corporate pilots are paid more - very, very few though).
There are plenty of non-Express pilots that seek out Express pilots to get a resume in.

ok that's cool. I just said that because my buddie flies a caravan for westair, and he said the express pilots seem real snooty. He has only come across a couple of express pilots that actually spoke with him. I am building my flight hours and hopefully in 2 years I will have met the requirements to fly the caravans. Even though its a paycut from what I am doing now, I love flying so ill figure it out.
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[DontThrowPackages]

Most DEFINITELY not true....nope

Let me disagree here. I've successfully used my ID to access the "Airline Employees Only" lines. Now you will still have to pass through security/TSA but my ID has saved me a good 30+ minutes bypassing all those "Non-airline" folks. I was leaving out of IAH and the lines leading to TSA screening were crazy that day. I pulled out my ID and looked for an airline employee line and found it. The security person looked at it along with my itinerary and let me in line. It does work, trust me. I remember another time, leaving LAS, I went into the "Airline Employee only" line. It was empty, while the public line snaked itself 6 times. It was such a nice feeling to walk straight up to the front of the line and show my ID and getting a big smile from the woman and a " Business or pleasure?". I told her, its Vegas, both!. I think she thought I was a pilot lol. Whatever gets me to the gate faster, I'm all for it. Just be respectful please! Would hate to loose that bene' too.

 

[GROUNDIsAHugeSCAM]

They have a program like this for us Ground employees. We get to ride in the trash trucks in the passenger seat.... all the way to the landfill. I like when I get a cool trash truck pilot.. he lets me pull the shiny lever to lift the back. I hope they don't take this form us. I'm too fat to fly on planes.

 

[SmithBarney]

Let me disagree here. I've successfully used my ID to access the "Airline Employees Only" lines...

More than likely you have a SIDA badge, do you work at a ramp facility(STA at an airport?) I've tried security lines, and even tried getting discounts at food vendors nobody respects the plain jane FedEx ID

 

[Mr. 7]

More than likely you have a SIDA badge, do you work at a ramp facility(STA at an airport?) I've tried security lines, and even tried getting discounts at food vendors nobody respects the plain jane FedEx ID

SIDA badges are different at every airport. Just because I have one for airport XYZ, I don't think flashing it at airport ABC is gonna get me through any airline employee line.

 

[DontThrowPackages]

More than likely you have a SIDA badge, do you work at a ramp facility(STA at an airport?) I've tried security lines, and even tried getting discounts at food vendors nobody respects the plain jane FedEx ID

I don't have Ramp access. I have only an express ID and I've passed through "Airline Employee" lines at least 4 times...maybe more.