I’m glad to hear you want to know the correct jumpseat etiquette. Let’s start with how not to do it. Don’t poke your head in and say “hey guys how’s it going” or “they gave me a seat in the back, is it okay if I catch a ride.” That’s not it.

If you showed your credentials and got jumpseat authorization from the gate agent, that’s Step One. Getting authorization from the Captain is the second and final and most important step.

Try to meet the pilots in the boarding area, if you see them there. If not, as soon as you board, tell the flight attendant you are a pilot jumpseater and would like to go to the flight deck to speak to the captain.

Direct yourself to the captain. Introduce yourself with your name and the name of the airline you fly for, and say you are REQUESTING a jumpseat ride. Ask if they would like to see your credentials. After that, you can add that the gate agent told you the flight has empty seats and has given you seat 22A (or whatever). After the flight, thank the crew as you deplane.

This request to the captain is required every time you jumpseat, regardless of the fact that the gate agent gave you a seat in the cabin.

Why is it a jumpseat “request”? What does it matter? What’s the difference between riding in seat 22A as a nonrev pass traveler and riding in the same cabin seat as a jumpseater?

Reciprocal jumpseat privileges are a courtesy and a privilege, not a right. These privileges have been fiercely fought for, bargained for, and paid for by your pilot union and the other airline’s pilot union. Screw it up and you can lose those privileges for yourself, or you can make your whole pilot group lose jumpseat privileges with that other airline pilot group. Don’t be “that guy”!

Jumpseaters are Additional Crew Members for FAA, safety, legal, Customs, Immigration, and weight and balance purposes. As an ACM you are authorized to be on the flight deck. You are prohibited from consuming alcohol, even if seated in the cabin. You are expected to assist the crew in an emergency, as needed. Read some accident reports — jumpseaters absolutely have been called on to help the crew. You tell the pilots and flight attendants your status and your seat number in advance so they know where to find you in that scenario. Also, riding as a jumpseater is absolutely 100% free.

Traveling as a nonrev pass rider is not any of those things. You are a passenger. Might be a pilot on medical leave or some other kind of leave, and are not authorized to be on the flight deck. You may consume alcohol. You will pass through Customs and Immigration as a passenger. And as a nonrev pass traveler you are paying “something” for that seat. Possibly paying fees and surcharges, but even if it is nominally free, you are still taxed on the value. If you don’t believe me, look at the imputed income calculated by your airline on your W-2 form next January. Your airline tells the IRS the value of all the rides you got as a nonrev travel pass rider, and you are taxed on that amount as part of your income tax.

These are differences that get blurred when the gate agent hands a jumpseater a boarding pass for seat 22A. Many newer airline pilots are not aware that the jumpseat protocol should still be followed, or what the protocol even is. But now you know.

TL;DR: Yeah, don’t do that. Follow your pilot union guidance on jumpseat protocols and etiquette.