In response to an earlier post a few pages back, yes, contracts do address open flying.

Contracts however are broken down into two sets of rules. Those you MUST follow...and those you CAN follow...meaning things like picking up open time when guys are on furlough. Assuming that the contract has a minimum guarantee, as most do...then dropping a trip or having one cancel means that instead of breaking guarantee that month, you may only make guarantee for the month.

Meanwhile the furloughed guy is getting a few hundred bucks of unemployment and can't pay for health insurance...or a mortgage...or utilities...or groceries for the family.

So CAN you do it? Legally yeah. SHOULD you do it? That's a question only answered by your internal moral compass. It has nothing to do with being union or non union. It has to do with facing yourself in the mirror each day and knowing that your actions that day will either improve the profession and maybe some furloughee's life...or improve your own wallet and personal ego.

IAHFLYER's attempt to make it seem that "going above and beyond" is a trait embraced by management is multi faceted. In a time when everyone is working and running on the clacker??? Yes, extra effort is a good thing and appreciated.

However, when people are on the street and other are doing it to line their pockets? Yes, they are happy, but for a different reason. They are not only saving money, they are building a list of those who will sell their souls for money. An advantage at the next contract negotiation when they can say, "We want more from you pilots. We already have proof that x% are prostitutes and will do it and we'll use them to break the pilot group."

And before Flyer get's on his high horse, I've been furloughed and I've been spared furlough. I know what it's like to have friends fly their butts off to pay for so they can buy a new car, or a bigger engine for the boat while I was scrambling to pay the bills. And when I was spared the furlough, I refused any extra time, even at companies where we didn't have guarantee.

Actually, I should apologise to prostitutes. Even they know the worth of their service. Maybe I should have said, "x% are like crack junkies..."