There’s quite a bit of drama at the moment between pilots at Southwest Airlines and pilots at United Airlines, following an event that unfolded when a United pilot sat in the jump seat of a Southwest aircraft. I first wrote about this yesterday, but a few more details are starting to emerge, which complicate this story a bit.
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A United pilot’s flight in a Southwest jump seat
It’s common for pilots to commute to work, in situations where they live in one city, but are based out of another city. They can typically fly just about any airline, and they usually fly in the passenger cabin.
In the event that there are no seats in the cabin, they can also fly in the cockpit jump seat, with the permission of the captain in charge of the flight. This is generally a courtesy that’s extended, though discretion always lies with the captain.
However, due to a recent incident, some Southwest pilots may be hesitant to let pilots from other airlines fly in the jump seat of “their” aircraft. This story was first broken by @xJonNYC, but it’s something union officials have also acknowledged, so it’s clear that there’s something to this.
The story starts off innocently enough:
- A fairly junior United first officer was flying in the jump seat of a Southwest 737 from San Francisco (SFO) to San Diego (SAN)
- The jump seater noticed that the first officer flying (who was also a fairly new hire) was using speed brakes without flaps, and recommended that he may want to add flaps
- The captain told the first officer to add power and cut the speed brakes, and then he deployed flaps
- The captain thanked the pilot in the jump seat for bringing this to their attention; the flight landed without incident, and everyone went on their way
Okay, up until now this story is straightforward enough. In many ways, a pilot in a jump seat is supposed to be an extra set of eyes and ears in the cockpit, and let the pilots flying know if anything is wrong. It sounds like this pilot was simply doing that. She let the pilots know of what she noticed, and the captain acknowledged it.
Unfortunately that’s not the end of the story, though…
![](https://saveoncartridgeplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/How-To-Redeem-Southwest-Rapid-Rewards-Points-For-Best-Value.jpeg)
How this incident got reported to the FAA
When the Southwest captain of the above flight reported for his next trip, he learned that an incident report had been filed against the crew in relation to the previous trip. Unsurprisingly, the captain took major issue with this, and even got the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) involved. This has caused a bit of an issue between unions.
Initially it was believed that the pilot in the jump seat was the one who called the FAA, which most people agreed totally crossed the line. After all, she let the pilots on the flight know of her feedback, and that should’ve been the end of it. If she was going to report the incident to any party, it should’ve been through a union channel, rather than the FAA safety hotline.
However, as it turns out, that’s not exactly how things played out. What reportedly happened is that the jump seat pilot told a “trusted friend” about the incident she witnessed. That person then called the FAA safety hotline about the incident, without even letting the jump seating pilot know.
The pilot in the jump seat reportedly didn’t even learn that this had been reported to the FAA until after the Southwest crew found out. So this friend went behind her back to report the crew.
pic.twitter.com/LYHKnLDPk9
— 🇺🇦 JonNYC 🇺🇦 (@xJonNYC) May 10, 2024
![](https://saveoncartridgeplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snitching-United-Pilot-Causes-Drama-At-Southwest.jpg)
What a terribly messy situation
This incident has caused quite a bit of drama on a couple of levels:
- The name of the pilot in the jump seat is out there, and she’s facing backlash from other pilots
- Some Southwest pilots are now reportedly refusing to allow United pilots into their jump seats, and unions are sending out memos regarding proper etiquette when flying in the jump seat
This situation is really tricky, if you ask me. It sounds like the pilot in the jump seat initially handled this correctly. She observed some things she thought the crew should know about, they made the necessary corrections, and that should have been the end of it.
The issue is that she then shared that information with a “trusted friend,” and that friend in turn reported the incident to the FAA, causing issues for the crew flying.
On the one hand, I feel bad for this pilot, since she’s facing a huge amount of backlash, and it sounds like she personally handled the situation correctly. At the same time, she clearly didn’t exercise good judgment by sharing these details with a “trusted friend,” if the friend ended up reporting this to the FAA without even giving her the courtesy of informing her, or asking if that was okay.
So where exactly does the blame fall here? Is the pilot at fault because she shared these details with someone who obviously couldn’t be trusted? Or is it not at all her fault, since she thought she could trust the person she was sharing the details with?
![](https://saveoncartridgeplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jump-Seating-United-Pilot-Causes-Drama-At-Southwest.jpeg)
Bottom line
A United Airlines pilot was recently flying in the jump seat of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737, while commuting to work. She noticed the first officer not following correct procedures, so she brought it to the attention of the crew.
That was supposed to be the end of it. However, she later shared what happened with a “trusted friend,” and then that person took it upon themselves to reach out to the FAA safety hotline. This annoyed the Southwest captain involved in the incident, and has caused drama between the pilot groups at the two airlines.
I feel bad that this pilot is now being shunned by so many other pilots. At the same time, she clearly didn’t exercise good discretion with who she shared this story with.
What do you make of this incident?