A commuter clause is part of a union contract or at least a company policy that allows a commuter to miss his scheduled show once or twice a year with no disciplinary penalty provided he makes a reasonable good faith effort to get to work.

There are usually a lot of limitations...

You must be able to document that you had two flights on company or codeshare with seats available that arrive 2-4 hours prior to your show.

You must call crew tracking if you don't get on the first flight, and keep them notified of your progress.

If you miss your show, you must still get to work asap, at which time you will probably be put on reserve.

You won't get paid for the trip you missed (you may be allowed to finish part of the trip).


Since it's such a hassle anyway, most pilots just call in sick if they miss their commute.