I got a call and asked my CP if he thought it was OK to take a horn of NyQuil on an 9 hour layover so I could actually sleep, followed by a dose of Excedrin to wake me up from the NyQuil haze the next morning, then a few Tylenol Cold to get through a 14 hour duty day. He was actually cool about the call and I could tell he was doing what his boss was making him do and didn't really like making calls to guys who had called in sick.

The metric that triggered my "visit" was the last two calls I've had were within an 8 week time period and were both for 5 day trips so I've used up close to 60 hours already in two months. My recomendation was to do away with 5-day domestic trips. (I'm junior and I don't bid for them, I just get the really crappy ones that are left over). I guess if we call in OK after a few days we can then WS during original days that the trip operated and that will reduce the sick hours we used. I've just always stayed out for the whole trip when I call in.