When I go flying on an Airliner there is a flightattendant would stand at the door and stare at me and I would ask can I look around inside the cockpit, and they would say "No" as though I would hijack the plane on the ground with the engines off 30minutes before pushback but anyway, during the pre 9-11 years they'd let me go in and the pilot looked at me and asked "Do you want to stay up here and help me?" and I'd say "Ya"....then he'd tell me "Well if this was Europe I could let you, but it isn't so time to go to your seat" So my question is do they let PAX in the jumpseat in Europe?

Don't think they let anyone anymore - shame, I used to enjoy visiting the cockpit as a boy, something the yoof of today won't be able to experience. Imagine the lawsuits though if anything happened...

Before 9/11 there was also the Russian incident where the Captain let his son take the controls, and the aircraft crashed...

Smooth Craig.

Some airline pilots, myself included, have no problem letting people, especially kids, in the cockpit before/during start and after landing. A few, if you find a nice crew willing to risk it, will let you stay in the whole time. Something kids love to do it start engines, so I usually don't have a problem with that, especially if they are in First Class where it's easy to take them back to their seat quickly. You just have to know if there are Air Marshalls on board, they can nail pilots for things like that. But for the most part, I have no problem letting young'uns in the cockpit, let them see how it works, especially the young teens who aspire to be pilots. Let them flip the fuel levers to start the engine, let them turn lights on, just give them something to work for. My boss can bite me.

Most airlines in Europe, some in the US still, if you have a valid pilots license you can pretty easily get into the cockpit. PAX obviously is different but I have jumpseated on BA flights just by flashing my license and airline name tag.

Airlines ought to have a contest or something for kids who'd like to spend a few minutes on the flight deck. Maybe an essay contest, to find somebody who seems serious about maybe entering the business someday. This would allow time for a thorough security check. They could even limit entrants to trade-school or CAP members; something like that.
Prize scenarios could include: sitting in the jumpseat before start, or maybe sitting in a pilot's seat (supervised, of course) while the plane is down for maintenance. As far as sitting in the jumpseat during flight, if the kid is cleared and it's all pre-arranged, I don't see why not, except for the fact that if hijackers did storm the cockpit door, having a non-employee (esp. a kid) in there would complicate matters.
It's a shame that youthful inspiration has to be compromised in the name of security, but that's how it goes...

Just out of interest Saratoga, why do you seem reluctant to divulge the name of the airline you work for?  You seem to sidestep giving the name all the time-even in your sig, it says "for a major US airline."

This may be inadvertant, but if it's not, then how come? ???

I was talking to a pilot (whom I know persoanlly) and asked him If I could go up into the flightdeck for a flight...he simply said "NO"...if a FAA official or Marshall like Saratoga said  was on the aircraft it would be his job, licesnse, and a fine...I went to Orlando last year and after wards I got to go up into the cockpit once everyone had disembarked....but it just aint the same