Originally Posted by
brakechatter
While I don't agree with the tactic, I also don't agree with the casual wave-off in saying the company could just ignore it. They consider it stealing, and I don't know a company in existence that would just "choose" to ignore stealing. 270 hours is a LOT of sick time, and the company tacitly looking the other way on perceived abuse would allow the inevitable spread. I would much rather they find the carrot than the stick - or rather the heads on sticks, but heads on pikes is not unique to Delta.
The problem with that is that GFB calls aren’t actually solving the problem. Dishonest pilots can obtain doctors’ notes just as easily as honest ones. When you agree to give a pilot group 270 hours of sick time, you do so knowing that a small percentage of pilots will take advantage of it. There is no simple way around it, short of hiring private detectives to look into the most egregious cases.
I know someone who recently called out sick for a trip legitimately, then felt better a day later and called in well again. The CPO still called for a GFB the next day, asking the pilot to obtain a doctor’s note for a condition they no longer had. If an honest pilot can obtain a note for a condition they no longer have, then so can a dishonest one.