I would argue that anyone who is afraid to call out sick after receiving this letter should reconsider their choice of profession. Part of this job involves being able to say “unable”, including directly to management, whenever necessary.

The threshold for getting fired as a Delta pilot is incredibly high. No pilot has ever been fired from Delta for calling out sick, except when the company was able to directly prove that they were blatantly lying. As much as Delta Flight Ops management has been trying to mimic that of a low-tier regional as of late, they will never succeed at disciplining a pilot for legitimate sick calls — or any other contractual use of leave.

The “letter”, or any of management’s other low-ball intimidation tactics, should never be anywhere near any pilot’s mind as they evaluate their fitness for duty. It’s our professional responsibility to tell these clowns to pound sand whenever necessary.