Jumpseat Info When You Need It

By Gavin Francis, Senior Aviation Writer

For airline pilots, commuting to and from work often requires meticulous planning, especially when relying on jumpseat travel. The Jumpseat Flight Finder, an integral feature within the ALPA mobile app, was designed to simplify this process by providing quick and reliable access to available jumpseat opportunities.

This powerful tool allows pilots to search for both passenger and cargo flights across a wide range of U.S. and Canadian airlines, as well as select international carriers operating in North America and the Caribbean. By entering a desired route, users can instantly view jumpseat availability, flight schedules, and potential connections, helping them identify the most efficient travel options. The tool also offers customizable search filters, allowing pilots to refine results based on specific preferences such as minimum flight legs, preferred airlines, and layover locations.

Since its launch in January 2021, the Jumpseat Flight Finder has facilitated more than 8.5 million searches, highlighting its value to commuting pilots. Beyond flight searches, the ALPA app provides essential airline-specific jumpseat policies, jumpseat etiquette guidelines, and details on Known Crewmember^® access points, ensuring that pilots have all the information they need for a seamless jumpseating experience.

By integrating technology with convenience, the Jumpseat Flight Finder continues to be an indispensable resource for ALPA pilots, helping them navigate their commutes with confidence and efficiency.

Let’s look at some interesting statistics on Flight Finder usage:

July 2024 continues to be the highest-used month at 292,000

But January 2025 came in close at just over 280,000.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International to Orlando International is the most-searched route at nearly 15,000 searches.

The top individual user has nearly 2,000 searches.