Delta and sick calls
 

Hey guys, what's the deal on sick calls and getting hired?

I had 3 this year and FMLA of 3 weeks for surgery. Don't anticipate any more.

Attendance over the years has been very good.


Thanks in advance.


Trent

I got hired in 07 and had 3 sick calls the year prior. They asked why and I showed them pictures of my 3 kids all under the age of 8. Just don't lie to them on how much sick time you use because they will find out.

On a side note, a hot topic issue within the FAA right now is pilots flying while under the influence of OTC drugs that are not approved. If we all followed the FAA guidance on flying while using OTC meds, there would be alot more sick calls.

Thanks man. Just trying to get ducks in a row. I have all I need including 3 LORs from great guys at DAL. Flying an A320 right now but would love to switch to DAL colors.

Had app in for a few years and, as I predicted long ago, DAL is still the place to go.


Thanks again

This topic seems to come up in my flight deck from time to time. One guy the other week told me he calls of with FMLA related issues maybe 4 to 6 times a year. He has a very keen interest to join Delta and he feels that FMLA call offs are not something Delta cares about. So do I understand that right that if you have a condition that requires you to call off 6 times a year, its no problem to DL. However if you get sick and call off a few times a year this is frowned upon?

I have no idea about FMLA. A friend at DAL told me he "believed" up to 3 sick calls a year were considered acceptable. But, I don't have any official info on this.

I had one friend who interviewed and came clean about multiple sick calls. He believes this was the show stopper for him.


Trent

So one is suppose to work in an enclosed tube that is: rarely cleaned, where people are always flying sick, where germs spreads then spawn then grow and regrown and is only suppose to be sick a minimum of 3 times per year.

Don't take my word for it. Like I said, my DAL buddy "believes" 3 sick calls a year is max allowed. I don't have official word on it.

I try not to call in sick but sometimes a cold will get the better of me and I have no option. Don't wanna be less than 100% or get my crew sick.


Trent

I don’t doubt your friends believe 3 is the max allowed. More than likely it’s a bad culture and mindset adapted and engrained from the regionals. The average regional pilot accumulates 36 -50 hours of sick time in a year (enough for 2-3 4days). The most junior Delta pilot is about 4th year which equates to 125 hour of sick time per year. It gets better. From year 9 to 20 and beyond a Delta pilot accumulate 240 to 270 hours of sick time per year.

I highly doubt 3 sick calls per year is out-of-bounds. I work at a regional and I get where you are coming from, however, it is unrealistic for anyone to expect you to only be sick 3 times per year and anything over that is too much.

The regional mindset and culture on sick and fatigue goes against everything you learned as a early as a student pilot from primacy IMSAFE..

I’m not saying one should burn through every hour of sick time they accumulate in a year, however, it is crazy that pilots have adapted this unsafe practice which is now the new norm.

Deleted......

As long as you havent called in sick every holiday, you're fine and I wouldn't worry about it. They are only looking at that.

I was interview by the man that never called in sick and just recently retired. I asked what they were looking for, and he said that.

Do they contact your current airline and ask them or do they just ask the applicant?

How is it even legal for them to ask, or more importantly, how can your previous carriers divulge sick time reports? Isn't that a huge invasion of privacy?

Does anyone really believe he was never sick in 45 years? How many FOs did he get sick?

It's legal because they make you sign a waiver. I agree though, it should be illegal

I don't think they understand exactly how much I hate my current job.

I only call in sick when i really need it.. What else do they make you sign?? The only information that is legal for them is the information under PRIA. (I am not sure if the affordable care act will change anything..) I bet year one on probation is pretty intense..If I don't get accepted into the mighty Delta because I had a cold then I guess it is not the place I want to be.. With that being said, DAL looks like a great opportunity after all the flows have gone..

Now that's funny!!

Well........after that, whos left,lol

Us I guess.. However with the numbers they are going to need, I wonder if they will rethink their policy on one chance to interview. Not a second chance...maybe they have already changed that.

I love how everyone gets excited about this 300 new hires at DL. If you're not a furloughee, Compass or PNCL, then it's gonna be a while. After all that, it's gonna be all the "daddy works ar Delta", Family/Friends, former Interns, squadron buddies, Minorities, High internal recs.

So, maybe late 2015/2016 for the average joe pilot if lucky.

Basically if your a white male with less than 5 LOR's it will be a loooong time before getting the call, it's just the way it is. I worked on the ramp and operations for 5 years at Delta and still couldn't get a call for interview when they were hiring. I had very limited sick days and no problems while working there.

I think it will end up being much more than 300 hired next year. Also, I did not meet any of your items that you listed for getting the interview. I was just simply a pilot at the regionals. You never know if you don't try.

My guess is that Delta never sends a request to your carrier and the whole act of signing the waiver is a scare tactic.

I know the company I worked at would not provide any more information than the required PRIA reports. Anything else opens them up to being sued.

I was not in any of your categories and was one of the first hired in the 2007 wave. It will likely be well north of 300 bodies added.

Probation is one year, 400 hours, or CA upgrade. I hit 400 hours at 8 months. The only thing noticeable about probation is the amount of drinks bought for you on layovers.

Delta will always have a list a mile long of qualified guys who want to work there.

Wrong airline pal. I was hired early 07' with none of the above. You may wanna lose the chip before an interview.

Don't buy into the "I won't get hired because I'm a white male" crap. The guys spreading that stuff around are typically guys that know they are unlikely to be hired for some other reason and looking to blame it on anything but themselves. Get your stuff together and apply and keep networking.

Wow, it only took me 5 1/2 years to get off probation!


Of course, getting furloughed with 290 hours and 8 days short of a year helped. My first day back I was told, "Keep your mouth shut for 8 days, then you can unload."

Agreed, a negative attitude cop-out is all it is.

Ok, so if you have two applicants, one white male,a woman or minority with the same qualifications and no negative problems against them who do you think is getting hired, give me a break. This is more of a situation when the airlines are "extremely picky" when limited hiring is occuring like now. I mean does anyone else agree with me?

Whether it is true or not, what purpose does it serve to spread the rumor? All it does is discourage people from applying, or give them something besides themselves to blame for not getting hired.

To expand the point... I was discouraged from applying to NWA. In the late 90's I heard from many people that NWA didn't like fighter guys. I think that was one of the generally accepted rumors at the time. Also, I didn't know a single person that worked there. Turns out, NWA was the only call I got. Glad I didn't listen to the rumor.

I'll be amazed if there is ever a new hire class at Delta where white males are under-represented.

Correct. The truth is that white male applicants are not competing against any minority pilot but the thousands of other white male applicants.

Their asking you about sick calls is questionable at best. Sure they make you sign a waiver but legally it is questionable. The majority of pilots are professional and honest when it comes to that. Sometimes you just get sick a lot in one year. Unfortunately there are a few Dbags out there who abuse the system and ruin it for everyone else ( i.e waiting until the moment an occurance comes off the record than immediately calling in sick again). These are the same dbags that never have any available sick time when they are really sick so they get everyone else sick because they are selfish pricks. IMO they shouldn't be allowed to ask about it at all.

In my opinion it's fair for Delta to see the number of occurrences and the dates.

Speakman doesn't 85% of the interview looking at my logbook to see if I worked, missed, or could bid off holidays. He could tell when I worked, or was obviously senior enough to bid off holidays. I didn't really care and I had my official company attendance record with me, when they ask how myattendance was at work. They ddidn't even want to see it.

I'll probably have a better chance getting an interview with a chip, since that is what I encounter most of the time from DL pilots. Either way, no interest working at DL.

And what I mentioned in my earlier post about the hiring selection isn't too far from the truth.

I love a good ol' Delta hiring thread. Can't get very far without the woe-is-me white privelige BS. Unendingly hilarious.

Even when presented with facts to the contrary, you hold onto your belief due to some emotional need. I'm not particularly surprised given your attitude, but it is sad seeing someone choose misery and contempt.

Says the poster (or poser) :rolleyes: who keeps posting on a DL thread?:D

GJ