It is a good question actually. Delta, for the many decades, has always had a far different sick model than the rest of the industry--even though in the vast, actuarial spreadsheet in the sky, taking the collective of all the many thousands of airline pilot careers across the industry, over time, the cost to the various airlines ends up about the same. Taking PTO out of the discussion, which is an entirely different discussion, airline sick leave policies have typically been one of two models.

1. Delta, where you get a far more generous allotment every year--as in multiples more generous--but it is a "use or lose" system and whatever you haven't used by the end of May goes away, to be replaced by a new, generous allotment.

2. Most of the rest of the industry, where you get a far lower, sparser annual allotment, but any leftover hours at the end of the sick year carry over to the next, etc. Over many years of a healthy career, a pilot could have quite an impressive balance of unused sick leave hours, which would come in very handy indeed in the event of a long term illness in your 50s or early 60s.

3. Delta's sick leave balance is probably better thought of as along the thought process of your car or homeowners' insurance (yes I know, it isn't a perfect analogy). Your homeowners insurance is never issued with the idea that you will submit claims on a routine basis, up to your policy limits, year after year--but those limits are there in the event that something bad happens. I think that Delta assumes that the typical pilot will call in sick 2-3 times a year. The actuarial model is not that everyone uses all 270 hours (for old guys like me) year after year--but those sick hours are there if you need them.

4. Depending on how often you get sick, the nature and length of it, and most importantly, when in your career a significant use of sick leave is needed, one model, Delta's or the rest of the industry's, may be better than the other. But it is like this airline career itself. You really can't tell if you made the right call as a new hire until you are actually looking at retirement and your career in retrospect. You cannot tell if Delta's system was better or worse for you personally except in career hindsight. I think, however, that collectively, the two systems end up costing their carriers about the same. It is a wash.

5. I actually asked a negotiator this question years ago. "Delta has a pretty good sick leave system, but so too does the rest of the industry, over the course of your career. Why has Delta always wanted this type of system?" The answer was "I don't really know, but I know that is the system they like, and that we have negotiated for years, and it isn't going to change much."

Now as to the Flight Ops obsession with sick leave use and GFB calls--that is a bit disturbing to be honest. My first question is, have GFB calls increased recently? If so that is BS, but that's another discussion.