Elimination of OE Recovery Obligations

Background

LOA #46 – Restructuring Changes to the Delta Pilot Working Agreement (the pre-bankruptcy agreement of 2004) created recovery obligations for the first time for a first officer who is removed from his rotation for another pilot’s OE. A Captain similarly removed for another pilot’s OE was subjected to no such recovery obligation. This OE recovery obligation was designed to be identical to the obligations of a pilot who is removed from his rotation due to an IROPS under Section 23 K.

OE recovery was subsequently reduced in 2007 in LOA #11 – Ocean Crossing Modification. Currently, OE recovery for a first officer must be assigned no later than 12 hours prior to the pilot’s originally scheduled report and must release no later than four hours after the pilot’s originally scheduled release or the end of the calendar day, whichever is later, even if the recovery flying contains an ocean crossing.
LOA#31 Changes

Effective with the January 2012 bid period, Section 23 G. 5. is modified to provide that a first officer who is removed from his rotation for another pilot’s OE will have no recovery obligation. He will continue to receive pay and credit for the value of the rotation from which he was removed and will have the option of picking up open time flying for additional pay. As part of this change, the Company will be permitted to remove a rotation that has been designated for OE from open time on or after the 25th of the prior month.