Recent events suggest the Colgan flight 3407 FO may have been flying while sick or fatigued and was reluctant to call off.

The flying public should know that many airlines have written policies that can force pilots to make the decision either to fly while unfit for flight or be fired.

While workers at other jobs can usually show up for work if affected by hay fever, fighting a mild cold or just not feeling 100%, Federal air regulation 61.53 makes things different for pilots.

An excerpt from PSA airlines written attendance policy:

Occurrence 6

Timeframe 12 Months

Corrective Action
Final written warning and 3-DAY suspension without pay. Crewmember is subject to termination for any accountable absence in the six months following the 6th accountable absence.

Note that under this policy any crewmember who has the misfortune of finding himself with six absences in the past year [Not unrealistic for someone who is truly objective about their fitness for flight IMO] would have to chose between being fired or flying while unfit.