Narrative:

A situation arose when all passenger seats were occupied and there was 1 less flight attendant jump seat than flight attendants. There were only 8 flight attendant jump seats and 9 flight attendants assigned to the flight. Minimum required staffing is 5 flight attendants. As the situation unfolded, the cai station manager came into the cockpit to discuss the problem. Talk of allowing 1 flight attendant to situation in the cockpit jump seat during takeoff and landing arose. The manager objected and the captain agreed that a flight attendant would not be allowed to situation in the cockpit jump seat as a solution to the seating problem. The station manager left the cockpit and then returned saying that she had counted flight attendant jump seats and that there were 9, not 8, and that everyone had a seat. She exited the aircraft, the door was closed to prepare for departure and the jetway was pulled off of the aircraft. As we prepared to push back, the manager came into the cockpit and said that the station manager was wrong in her count of flight attendant jump seats. There were only 8 jump seats, we were short 1 seat. We called the station via radio to have the jetway reattached to the aircraft. The station manager came aboard the aircraft and entered the cockpit. The captain told her that there were only 8 flight attendant jump seats and that someone, either a passenger or a flight attendant, had to be removed from the aircraft before we could depart. There was some discussion about flight attendant seniority, and whether or not the flight attendant would lose pay if she was removed. The manager did not want a flight attendant removed due to potential loss of pay. She wanted to have a passenger removed. The captain told the manager that someone had to get off the aircraft, and specifically said that a flight attendant would not be allowed in the cockpit for takeoff or landing. The cai station manager and the manager left the cockpit to remedy the situation. After some period of time, the door was closed again and the jetway pulled off the aircraft. The station manager waved from a small window in the jetway, indicating that all was ok. What appeared to be a flight attendant passed behind her. We later found out that it was not a flight attendant, but an uniformed station agent. We were convinced in our minds that the situation had been resolved. The manager reported that the cabin was secure. We called for pushback clearance. We pushed back, started engines, the tug was disconnected and the ground crew was signaled off. As we were about to taxi a flight attendant came into the cockpit and sat down in the left jump seat, fastened her seat belt without saying a word. I (first officer) voiced my concern to him (captain) over the intercom, shaking my head no and saying that I didn't trust the manager. He commanded me to call for taxi. En route to destination we discussed the situation and how he would handle the manager for not following my direction regarding the use of the cockpit jump seat, and taking it upon herself after the flight had departed to send a flight attendant into the cockpit for seating prior to takeoff. The captain counseled the manager about the gravity of her decision to solve the problem by moving a flight attendant into the cockpit. I don't think that the station manager, a foreign national, understands the seriousness of having a flight attendant in the cockpit. A mechanic routinely rides in a cockpit jump seat on the cai flight with company authority/authorized and I think that the station manager doesn't really understand the subtle, but regulatory, difference between the 2 employees.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A FLT ATTENDANT IS IN THE COCKPIT JUMP SEAT FOR TKOF IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH REGS AND AGAINST THE DESIRE OF THE CAPT DURING A DEP FROM A FOREIGN ARPT.

Narrative: A SIT AROSE WHEN ALL PAX SEATS WERE OCCUPIED AND THERE WAS 1 LESS FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEAT THAN FLT ATTENDANTS. THERE WERE ONLY 8 FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEATS AND 9 FLT ATTENDANTS ASSIGNED TO THE FLT. MINIMUM REQUIRED STAFFING IS 5 FLT ATTENDANTS. AS THE SIT UNFOLDED, THE CAI STATION MGR CAME INTO THE COCKPIT TO DISCUSS THE PROB. TALK OF ALLOWING 1 FLT ATTENDANT TO SIT IN THE COCKPIT JUMP SEAT DURING TKOF AND LNDG AROSE. THE MGR OBJECTED AND THE CAPT AGREED THAT A FLT ATTENDANT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SIT IN THE COCKPIT JUMP SEAT AS A SOLUTION TO THE SEATING PROB. THE STATION MGR LEFT THE COCKPIT AND THEN RETURNED SAYING THAT SHE HAD COUNTED FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEATS AND THAT THERE WERE 9, NOT 8, AND THAT EVERYONE HAD A SEAT. SHE EXITED THE ACFT, THE DOOR WAS CLOSED TO PREPARE FOR DEP AND THE JETWAY WAS PULLED OFF OF THE ACFT. AS WE PREPARED TO PUSH BACK, THE MGR CAME INTO THE COCKPIT AND SAID THAT THE STATION MGR WAS WRONG IN HER COUNT OF FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEATS. THERE WERE ONLY 8 JUMP SEATS, WE WERE SHORT 1 SEAT. WE CALLED THE STATION VIA RADIO TO HAVE THE JETWAY REATTACHED TO THE ACFT. THE STATION MGR CAME ABOARD THE ACFT AND ENTERED THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT TOLD HER THAT THERE WERE ONLY 8 FLT ATTENDANT JUMP SEATS AND THAT SOMEONE, EITHER A PAX OR A FLT ATTENDANT, HAD TO BE REMOVED FROM THE ACFT BEFORE WE COULD DEPART. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT FLT ATTENDANT SENIORITY, AND WHETHER OR NOT THE FLT ATTENDANT WOULD LOSE PAY IF SHE WAS REMOVED. THE MGR DID NOT WANT A FLT ATTENDANT REMOVED DUE TO POTENTIAL LOSS OF PAY. SHE WANTED TO HAVE A PAX REMOVED. THE CAPT TOLD THE MGR THAT SOMEONE HAD TO GET OFF THE ACFT, AND SPECIFICALLY SAID THAT A FLT ATTENDANT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE COCKPIT FOR TKOF OR LNDG. THE CAI STATION MGR AND THE MGR LEFT THE COCKPIT TO REMEDY THE SIT. AFTER SOME PERIOD OF TIME, THE DOOR WAS CLOSED AGAIN AND THE JETWAY PULLED OFF THE ACFT. THE STATION MGR WAVED FROM A SMALL WINDOW IN THE JETWAY, INDICATING THAT ALL WAS OK. WHAT APPEARED TO BE A FLT ATTENDANT PASSED BEHIND HER. WE LATER FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS NOT A FLT ATTENDANT, BUT AN UNIFORMED STATION AGENT. WE WERE CONVINCED IN OUR MINDS THAT THE SIT HAD BEEN RESOLVED. THE MGR RPTED THAT THE CABIN WAS SECURE. WE CALLED FOR PUSHBACK CLRNC. WE PUSHED BACK, STARTED ENGS, THE TUG WAS DISCONNECTED AND THE GND CREW WAS SIGNALED OFF. AS WE WERE ABOUT TO TAXI A FLT ATTENDANT CAME INTO THE COCKPIT AND SAT DOWN IN THE L JUMP SEAT, FASTENED HER SEAT BELT WITHOUT SAYING A WORD. I (FO) VOICED MY CONCERN TO HIM (CAPT) OVER THE INTERCOM, SHAKING MY HEAD NO AND SAYING THAT I DIDN'T TRUST THE MGR. HE COMMANDED ME TO CALL FOR TAXI. ENRTE TO DEST WE DISCUSSED THE SIT AND HOW HE WOULD HANDLE THE MGR FOR NOT FOLLOWING MY DIRECTION REGARDING THE USE OF THE COCKPIT JUMP SEAT, AND TAKING IT UPON HERSELF AFTER THE FLT HAD DEPARTED TO SEND A FLT ATTENDANT INTO THE COCKPIT FOR SEATING PRIOR TO TKOF. THE CAPT COUNSELED THE MGR ABOUT THE GRAVITY OF HER DECISION TO SOLVE THE PROB BY MOVING A FLT ATTENDANT INTO THE COCKPIT. I DON'T THINK THAT THE STATION MGR, A FOREIGN NATIONAL, UNDERSTANDS THE SERIOUSNESS OF HAVING A FLT ATTENDANT IN THE COCKPIT. A MECH ROUTINELY RIDES IN A COCKPIT JUMP SEAT ON THE CAI FLT WITH COMPANY AUTH AND I THINK THAT THE STATION MGR DOESN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE SUBTLE, BUT REGULATORY, DIFFERENCE BTWN THE 2 EMPLOYEES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.