Originally Posted by
Boatbuilder
The original "rationale" for a no JS policy was supposedly because it wasn't a benefit they could offer all the employees so nobody could have it.
Of course if the company needed a pilot somewhere and the jet was full they'd sure as hell put you there!
After the shuttering of the DFW base created hundreds of commuters (those Texans weren't about to leave the lone star state) the company slowly and begrudgingly loosened the reins on the JS. First with some very draconian restriction and eventually to industry standard.
Also back then Delta was VERY anti-commuting.
That attitude lived on in some pilots into the 2000's, and even the 2010's on some fleets.
I spent 9 days on a four day rotation with a dude who wouldn't shut up about it. After I told him I wasn't going to talk about it any more (I was commuting from Boston at the time), he squirmed in his seat like a 3 year old the rest of the trip just busting to talk about it more.
Some people love to make this job way harder than it has to be.