This seems the most appropriate thread to post my question...

One day in the distance future, I’d like to hold regular deadheads as a commuter. With the requirement to do your final check-in 8 hrs prior to showtime, what happens when it looks like your deviated ride will be slightly late? I assume most of the time if you’re sitting in the terminal or on the tarmac for a delay that may put you inside of the 8 hrs, you could pre-emptively call up scheduling to give them a heads up. Does that matter though? Do you automatically lose the trip if you don’t check-in 8 prior, even with a heads up? Do they treat that as violating crew-rest, so in essence, you are useless to them?

I realize the better option is to get an earlier flight to give yourself options, and perhaps even commuting in a day earlier, but with the reduced airline schedules due to Covid, it seems like sometimes that may be unrealistic.