Originally Posted by Bucking Bar

Every certificate holder has a process, negotiated and approved, which should be followed to ensure the quality of the result. Duty periods, commuting to work, all have tertiary effects. There is an internal process to follow. Sometimes the answer is "thank you for bringing your concerns, but the answer is no." Not every individual is entitled to force their will on 85,000 other employees or over 100,000 pilots in the United States. We also can't flood the CEO's inbox with demands for Christmas parties and bar tabs.

What every individual pilot may do, and should do, is stop the operation when they are unfit. We have accepted processes for stopping the operation when fatigue adds risk. It can be reasonably supposed that a mother of three young children, getting a doctorate while helping a spouse has stresses and demands on them that are unimaginable to the young, single person.

The fact she wanted to use her credentials as a Delta pilot and branding in a money-making endeavor that disparaged the company is sufficient basis to determine that the plaintiff breached her duty of loyalty to the company. This duty arises out of the fact that our authority to operate the jet arises as an agent for the company. This is the very reason why the company does not want us out there making statements in uniform without their explicit approval.

That is the role I understand we fill as professional pilots. If I am mistaken I'd like to hear from some of the attorneys who work among our ranks.