Might be this email from LEC 26
Here you’ve turned a work trip into a rare chance to meet up with your college buddy for dinner. All planned down to a great restaurant in his hometown he’s been wanting to show off. You check in for the trip and . . . crew notification. No big deal, probably an overlooked expense report receipt; no, not this time. Welcome to the quagmire we call “substitution.”
In this series of smaller articles, we will try to iron out some misconceptions and answer common questions. It’s not that the substitution decision tree doesn’t do a great job—it does! However, receipt of that crew notification is not the best time to have a first glance at your lime green chart.
Let’s start with a few “should I be in substitution?” misconceptions.
A revision does not always trigger substitution. Sec 25 S.1. states: “The Company may revise a pilot’s trip at any time in accordance with other provisions of this Agreement.” Also Section 25.H.2. details the eligibility for substitution. The purpose of this review isn’t to get anyone’s blood pressure up—and yes, we are in contract negotiations. There are common questions and hopefully, if you get your first look here, you will be better prepared to discuss questions. So, the company can revise your trip, which could change the destination, change an out and back to a layover (or vice versa), or perhaps even extend your trip. Many of these changes will trigger Disruption Pay (Section 25.S.2. & 25.V.), FAR Extensions (Section 25.T.) and/or Overages (Section 4.BB.).
What if I check in for my trip and there is no airplane for me? Here, Scheduling has some discretion. They have you potentially up to your duty limit. These wrinkles always happen during a launch, and we can try to remember they have a job to do. So, if Scheduling isn’t sure yet what to do with you, they may keep you in suspense for a bit; maybe grab a cup of coffee and catch up on some reading?
Summary:
Common question #1: Should I be in substitution for this?
A revision (Section 25.S.1.) does not always trigger substitution (Sec 25 H.2.)
A revision may trigger disruption pay, FAR extensions, and/or overage
When you check in for a trip, you could be revised to the duty limits without substitution being triggered