I know the company is in a jam when it comes to staffing. However, the schedule changes in the last week are exasperating their challenges. Even if I am getting double time, I pick a trip up with the thought of how it is going to fit into my personal life. I assume the trip that I pick up is going to resemble some remote facsimile to what I committed to both in terms of total hours of flying, sleep schedule, arrival time at my home base, etc.

if you pick up in the current circumstance, you may as well as be a reserve. Your trip will not resemble in any fashion what you commit to. AM will turn PM and vice versa, you will likely fly 50% more (screwing up future flying), you will almost assuredly return to your home base many hours past your your scheduled time and you will likely get your sleep pattern screwed up (regardless of what it is). Oh - and there is even a reasonable chance you will get JA’d.

We can blame Covid, Biden for his lack of foresight, the company for not hiring sooner, or the tooth fairy, as far as I am concerned. These schedule changes on picked up flying need to stop and fast or we won’t have anyone picking up and we will be canceling hundreds more flights than we already are.

While all legal, bad behavior has consequences. I think the consequences are going to even more cancelled flights, less guys flying, and a need to hire even more pilots than should be required and unfortunately less income for the pilot that won’t pick up any more.