Jumpseatnews.com - United Airlines flight attendant resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Why the hell are you doing this?

See: Why Was JSN Created?

Who will be allowed access to the Crew Lounge?

Here we have a problem.  Ideally, we'd like to have all UAL employees be allowed to access the Crew Lounge.  However, because we are an independent website that receives no support, assistance, or endorsement from United Airlines, we are forced to implement and maintain our own security.  We are very concerned about this because we don't want to publish certain work-specific information (like F/A layover hotel locations or Unimatic computer codes) over the Internet for all to see.  And we NEVER publish safety/security info.

So we must get each person to complete a registration form.  This enables us to match the applicant's name/company address with certain accesses they are granted in the Unimatic system.  Since not all UAL employees have, for example, e-note privileges, in those (or other similar) cases we cannot be 100% certain of their active employment status.

This system, for the most part, sucks.  But given our non-existent budget and independence from UAL management, this is our only option at the moment.  Apologies for those who cannot access the Crew Lounge because of this.  We have had to hire esteemed Bailey Security to oversee and maintain this website's security.  Regardless of our security methods used, sensitive security information pertaining to our work will NEVER be published on this website.

How many members do you have in the Crew Lounge?

I've tried to get this information from Bailey Security but they are very protective of the membership details.  They have informed us that current membership is in the thousands---larger than the largest F/A domicile---which I guess qualifies us for JSNSW status?

Don't bother asking about specific members either (like, 'Is Glenn Tilton a member?').  Bailey is very tightlipped about those details also.  He feels that by keeping the membership details private, this would protect the interests of all Crew Lounge members.  Rest assured that the membership group varies from SW to HH to OZ (not the Wizard of).

How much money is this going to cost you?

The hosting service is $20.00 per month, every month on time or our hosting company comes to the door with baseball bats.  The cost of renewing the www.jumpseatnews.com domain name each year is $10.00.  There was also a $40.00 setup fee.  The site design programs and scripting tools came to a one-time fee of approximately $400.00.

Couldn't you have used a free hosted web site?

They use pop-up windows and place annoying banner ads at the top of the pages, screwing up his graphics and design of Jumpseatnews.com. Speaking of annoying banner ads, please read below.

Where are the banner ads?

You'll notice that JSN and the Crew Lounge are both devoid of banner ads.  This is because Jumpseatnews.com was created strictly as a free news and information resource for United Airlines flight attendants.  There is no fee to join or use this site.

Bailey and I believe the Internet should first and foremost be used strictly as a resource for information, and not for the buying and selling of products.  While this may not be the popular view these days, it is the philosophy we still hold.

Nevertheless, we do have a JSN Discounts section. If you are a flight attendant with your own business, you should definitely check it out.

What about BidPlus?

Some people have asked why a specific link to BidPlus (a side business by a UAL flight attendant) has been placed on the front page. I have several reasons for this:

  1. I use BidPlus every single month to bid and completely rearrange my schedule.  Without it, I would have to rely on Onboard Service's horrible paper bid packages.  The BidPlus product is completely integrated with my work life as a flight attendant and I find it useful enough to share with others, just as I do other features like Currency Converters.  Interestingly, the creators of BidPlus had no idea I put this link on my page until they found out about it much later on.  They weren't upset though!
  2. I met Skip Jourdan, the co-creator of BidPlus, not too long ago in my RET class.  He's a very nice person, cares a great deal about improving our work environment, and can evacuate a RET mock simulator like it's nobody's business.

How long does it take to make these pages?

Hours!  The graphics can sometimes take days to get just right.  Other items, such as the site organization testing and updating various links, can be done in a matter of minutes.

The biggest time gobbler thus far has been the overwhelming task of learning all the computer techno stuff to make the site actually get up and run. Sitting down and having to be both creative and also computer literate really taxes BOTH sides of the brain!

What kind of equipment do you use?

A bulk of the original content was written on an old dual-scan (read: sore on the eyes) crappy IBM ThinkPad 380ED during several layovers in MEX and KOA in 2000.  It is the kind of computer that's bulky, heavy, but will get the job done---although slowly.  It's been dropped at the airport x-ray machines, thrown across the room in frustration during the initial JSN design (twice) by Yours Truly, and generally put through every kind of abuse possible.  The site graphics and design now created using a combination of FrontPage, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and a bunch of custom-made database technical mumbo-jumbo that somehow holds the pages together.

What Web Browsers/Computers Do You Support?

We support any web standards compliant web browser, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape 7, Firefox, Mozilla, etc... We don't bother supporting that crappy Netscape 4.x or WebTV, nor do we bother spending time/money testing on older Mac computers. But since the site's code is written in XHTML Strict, it should display correctly in a majority of computers, and readable in all.

Why won't the 'Sign On To Unimatic' link work?

In order for the 'Sign On To Unimatic' link on the Jumpseatnews.com home page to function, you must already have an AOL Unimatic Access account.  When you click on the Sign-on to Unimatic link, your computer should go directly to the Unimatic Sign-On screen.

If you have any further questions on this, see our Unimatic Help Center.

How long until Jumpseatnews.com is fully functional?

It never will be...the site is constantly changing and growing.  Unlike a long novel, a website is a continual work in progress.

What is the Crew Lounge?

Unlike the real crew lounges, where you can sit around for 3:59 hours and do nothing but watch the person snoring in the chair snore next to you, the Jumpseatnews.com Crew Lounge will be a 24/7 free information source designed for flight attendants.  This is where you can obtain tools and information pertaining to your work.

What is In Our News?

In Our News is our daily running commentary on what's happening in and around the system.  The stories range from late-breaking UAL and AFA news to weird happenings like pig animals flying in First Class on US Airways.

My goal is to take all the scattered news and information out there write it in my own flight attendant perspective as #162611, and present it to you all on one handy page.  And make it interesting as well!

The bottom line is that the In Our News section is not CNN.  It is not an objective viewpoint.  Of course, some people (myself included) will argue that any news source, even CNN, is never completely objective anyway.  We've just gone a step further, that's all!

Why was 'Coffee Tea or Relativity' written?

Back in 1968, two flight attendants named Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones wrote a book called "Coffee Tea or Me?", which detailed the wacky and wild experiences they both had onboard the planes.  True stories or not, the book was so popular that the team wrote sequels detailing their wild life in the swinging 70's as stewardesses.  The books or even the very phrase, 'Coffee Tea or Me' never exactly painted a professional picture of the flight attendant career.

I noticed that the cover and overall theme of the book is firmly rooted in age-old stereotypes about our profession.  I've run into more than a few passengers that still cling on to this short-skirted, female, subservient, coffee pouring image of a flight attendant.

Physics is an interesting subject, although a complicated one.  I had just written an article that attempts to explain to the flight attendant population Einstein's theories of Special Relativity.  Once I was finished, I needed to come up with a catchy name.  'Coffee Tea or Relativity?' seemed perfect because it represents a full 180 degree pendulum swing away from the mentality toward our profession back in 1968.

How will submitted articles be edited and approved?

We review each article submitted to us before posting on the website.  In 90% of the letters we receive, almost no changes are made before posting.  However, we will reject letters that contain profanity, personal attacks on people, or misinformation.  As far as grammar and spelling, you should check this as much as possible before submitting your letter to us.  Because of the increasing number of letters we receive, we cannot guarantee grammar correction in each letter.  Review your own work.

Lastly, we don't promise to post anything.  Rather, we post only those items that we feel to be of benefit to fellow flight attendants.  The final decision is up to us in this matter.

All articles must have the writer's name and base accompanied and posted along with the work.

What is AFA's involvement?

We've had articles in the past submitted by AFA Officers and/or members.  Since most members of AFA are also UAL flight attendants, they are more than welcome to visit the Crew Lounge pages.

Will UAL management be allowed in the Crew Lounge?

Absolutely.  Both UAL management and flight attendants can learn a lot from each other.

Jumpseatnews.com will not isolate nor give preferences to one specific employee group. As long as you have an interest in promoting the flight attendant profession, are an active UAL employee with Unimatic permissions, and follow the terms of service, you're more than welcome to join the Crew Lounge.

What about general members of the public reading these pages?

I'm sorry but there won't be much here for them.  Unfortunately, their access is limited to these general pages that are outside the Crew Lounge.   If they'd like to view more pages in the Crew Lounge they can try one of the following options:

1.  Date a Flight Attendant.

2.  Submit an Application for Employment.

What happens if no one is interested in Jumpseatnews.com?

Then I'll post photographs of my dog here.  Heck, I may do that anyway.

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Page Updated: October 02, 2005
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