Appreciate you walking back your level of abhorrence. TW is a tremendous guy. 9E has a lot of leaders who make this place what it is.


In this job and industry, working holidays is the third inalienable guarantee behind death and taxes. Just straighten up your tie, polish your shoes, and appreciate those pax paying your second mortgage on the lake house and ATV payments. If that's not you yet, it will be soon. In the words of the late great R. Lee Ermey...

 

I had a similar experience, and it didn't even go up to the upper levels of flight ops management. I had to bail out of a trip due to a similar emergency, and I just told told CS that I'm leaving due to a serious emergency after this leg (to a base... good for getting a reserve, and good for me getting a flight outta there to the other coast.) I did this with the full confidence that if called on to explain myself, it would end there. I didn't think to ask about positive space, the scheduler set it up for me from his own volition.

I'm recounting this to show from my experience that the attitudes you got from the Chief Pilot are suffused throughout the whole company (or least any part I interacted with), and throughout my whole experience I never worried about it coming out the wrong way.

 

Thanks for sharing your story, partner. Hope things worked out on the personal side for you. Glad you're on our team. Have a good holiday season, and as DG and JM always say - be safe!

 

There is a Christmas trip on the tradeboard right now with the comment "Wishful Thinking, New Dad, trying to spend holiday with family."

I don't think that he really intended to say what he actually said, but think about how that comes across to the people who aren't so lucky.

Think about this particular pilot, a new father, who on the 18th of last month got the news that he'd be gone for 5-days over Christmas. I'm sure he really felt the compassion knowing that TW would be enjoying his holiday at home.

I know Tom has worked his fair share of holidays. Yes, to some extent we have all chosen this career and the realities that come with it. However, in no way does that make 30-hours over Christmas in some random city, alone, away from your new spouse, new baby, etc., less painful.

And since when is it all about the two-year old? What about the other kids? Spouse? Parents? FAMILY.

Ridiculous.

 

I just wanted to point out that before I left Endeavor, and now at DL, management has come in on holidays to be involved in serving the meals for those working. So while they may still be home at some point.. they aren't spending the entire holiday at home. They are spending most of ti at the airport or headquarters with the employees who are supporting the operation.

Reading the entire message posted, it comes across to me as an attempt to say that the young ones won't know a particular day... just that you are there for them and that is what is important. I think it's distasteful myself to put your own reading of this message into that pilot's situation. Maybe he feels that way, but maybe he doesn't. Regardless, it is no one else's place to determine how that pilot feels.

 

I read only appreciation for the hardship of being away from family for the holidays and maybe some humor in that direction.

I'm not exactly sure of the etymology of the term SNOWFLAKE and I'm not a big fan of the term, so much so, I don't think I've ever used it as I believe it is dismissive and overgeneralized.

But I would not be surprised to find out it is referring to today's younger generations being overly sensitive, needing safe places and easily melting.

While both beauty and offense are in the eye of the beholder, anyone who takes offense to anything in that newsletter just might be a snowflake.

 

We have all missed holidays, birthdays, special occasions and even family vacations. It’s unfortunate we all don’t get the perfect schedule. Tom was just making a point. It’s what we make it. The little ones are okay celebrating early or late. Life will hold many more trying circumstances than that. Merry Christmas!

 

You know, they prefer the term "little people" nowadays.

 

We'll call them ankle biters and they'll like it!

 

They won't remember what you call them when they are 2.