eyes?!?

10char

im sure nothing in your future life would never ever make you a commuter right?

Old / sick parents?

be near kids / grandkids?

actual live where you want?

but you are right, we are much better off delaying the next contract as long as possible. 23m7 is the best commuter option we’ve got!

PRO: The sick parents who can't/won't move, a spouse with cancer who needs to live next to the best treatment you can afford in a non-Delta base city, or the same for progeny is probably the best argument I've ever seen for a better commuting policy.

CON: My guess is the vast majority of pilots who commute do it for lifestyle reasons. IE:

"I want to live next to the mountains (ski); water (I sail); no-taxes (f-yeah); Idaho/Montana (My militia)" etc.


Commuter policies are an inherently divisive issue. Definitely fight for what you want, but there will never, ever be consensus.

Yeah, some of the most diehard “I’ll only live in base”, anti-commuting pilots I’ve ever met are now commuters due to changes in life or company circumstances.

At a minimum, commuter policies are insurance policies for every pilot on the list. This is the contract cycle that needs to raise our current clause from industry worst to industry leading. And that’s before selling any auto-accept leverage.

I don't think most pilots are against improving our commuter clause. Many are just against pushing for PSC due to a perceived high cost to attain for something that mostly only impacts half the group.Heck, over the years, I've flown with a handful of commuters that were against PSC.

They’re two separate matters though. Many conflate the two. IMHO, the 23.X commuter clause was overlooked during the last round in part because so much emphasis was placed on PSC.

In all seriousness I'm all for a policy in which every pilot is protected like this where the commuter can have protections to not be at fault and domicile pilots are also protected if the get a flat tire or stuck in traffic from hell.

If your flight can't make it off the ground as a commuter, it doesn't matter if you got that seat with positive space, jump seat res or nonrev. Protections for getting to work seem more important and would impact every single pilot here.

You don't want to lock in 300% premium into the contract? Commuters already miss out on most IAs, but would have the same ability to pick up trips starting with a DDH. It's already the current status quo. It will be even easier with QS now and qualifiers. Lock in that $200m, 300% value the company was willing to operate panic days with, don't give it away for something like PSC which has less value, and needed in far fewer circumstances, compared side by side.

The company is going to be trying to negotiate away from that $200m emergency coverage tab. We're not giving it away for anything less than $200m value. PSC ain't it. Nab that elsewhere.

What kind of protections do drivers need? Pay protection if you have traffic? I’m guessing that even in the worst of ATL, LAX, or NYC traffic even in horrible traffic, you’d still be at the airport before a short call can make it.

Flat tire? I guess but we’d prob have to show a receipt for a tire lol

It's not about pay protection.

Think, as a commuter, how you are protected from discipline if you satisfy the requirements of the commuter policy, yet fail to report for a trip.

Protect non-commuters (locals) from discipline for similar unforeseen/uncontrollable circumstances.

Further, protect commuters from discipline for the same thing while driving to get to their commuter policy conforming commute flight.