Why is it that pilots are able to fly free for any airline?

My uncle is a Pilot for jetblue and he is able to fly free for any airline. Why is that. He can only fly though if there are seats available. (jumpseating)



It is just a deal between airlines. As you note, it can be quite restrictive and sometimes requires a very circuitous routing to get to a popular destination.




It's a courtesy and a benefit for being a pilot and working in the airline industry in general. But it's not as glamorous as it may sound. Imagine sitting on an ironing board for anywhere from an hour or two to 12 hours or more if you have to jumpseat overseas and there are no passenger seats available in the cabin.





Also there's no guarantee of getting on if that airline's jumpseat is already taken by a pilot for that airline. Say your uncle is trying to jumpseat on Delta but a Delta pilot already has the jumpseat. Your uncle is then placed on Delta's standby list at the very bottom, after all Delta employees, spouses, kids, parents, retirees, AND buddy passes. Not too great a benefit in that case, huh?




it's a deal between airlines. it's professional courtesy, it offers pilots another perk, and it can help get pilots to a certain city if they are suddenly needed there