The call prior to beginning duty is a courtesy. It isn't reasonable, nor enforceable, to expect employees to know for certain they will be well fourteen hours from now when their window closes...or at any time during that window.

The FAA expressly forbids one to fly if one is not fit to do so. There is nowhere in the regulations that reads "A pilot must self-assess fitness for flight by no later than 6 a.m., and if fit at that point, must complete any flights, planned or unplanned, that are assigned during the following fourteen hours."

Do you seriously think the company is going to be so stupid to take disciplinary action if you call in sick after you perform a personal aircraft evacuation just before handing out the manifest so you could puke in a trashcan on the ramp in view of the passengers? Four hours? Give the company as much heads up as you can, but don't feel bad if you get sick inside of four hours prior to report. God knows they don't give a **** about you and your family.

I think the decision to wait to call in sick until an assignment was given might be a bit of a stretch, though that's certainly no more unethical than contract violations the company commits on a daily basis.

Personally, I would probably have called in sick as soon as I realized I wasn't fit for duty, but I also think it's reasonable if one is borderline fit for duty to take a look at the assignment once it's given and make a decision whether they are able to proceed. There's a big difference between coming in for a DAY out & back, and being fit to accept a four-day trip if one is borderline sick. The last thing I want to do is have a flight I was scheduled to operate cancel at an outstation because I was trying too hard and couldn't continue.

Ultimately, issuing SD's for sick calls is simply pilot pushing. The SD is the only tool a scheduler has to take out their frustration from being put in a no-win situation. If the airline was adequately staffed, and crewmembers were being utilized effectively, pushing crewmembers to operate in a potentially unsafe manner wouldn't be necessary.

Remember, the management philosophy at Delta with regards to Comair is "Take away resources until the operation becomes unsustainable, then give back 1% above that level." They're simply trying to wring every last ounce of effort out of the worker bees in order to increase the amount of honey they can hoard for themselves.

 

I have called in before during a window, less than for hours, and on an overnight...actually did that last one twice. Never got an SD.

I was just stating the policy as written when I worked there. The scheduler is most following orders from above to intimidate, just like the policy of talking to a CP for every sick call was meant to be an intimidation tactic. The CP's hated those phone calls.

I would guess a phone call to a CP will have it taken care of.

 

Maybe a "Sick/If Assigned" option would help...other airlines have it.
You don't blow a sick call, unless they get to your name, and Crew Sched. has a better grasp of manning resources available.

 

New memo out today, Comair admits that attrition amongst FOs is reason they are displacing 1/8 of the Captain list back to the right seat.

The memo also acts as an icebreaker for advancing some 2012 CRJ lease-returns into the 2nd half of 2011. But don't worry, "they were going back anyway"

No furloughs being recalled - wouldn't be trained in time to help summer staffing.

The good news? No pilot furloughs expected until early 2012. Plus Compass, Chitaqua, SkyWest, and ASA are getting new planes.

All together now:

"Meh... whatever"

 

Here's a thought:

If not picking up open time when we were furloughing helped some pilots not get furloughed, then should all FOs start picking up open time so some Captains don't get displaced?

 

Going to 44 aircraft makes displacing some CA inevitable, doesn't it?

 

Captain displacements are being accelerated because we don't have enough FOs to cover the flying.

 

Right - they are being accelerated, so they are inevitable. (Really, I just wanted to post again to get back on the front page)

 

Hmm. Very quiet these days.

 

Because there are very few of us left!!!