For sure if you ARE sick or fatigued, you owe it to yourself to call in sick, but how many time do you think you can call in sick in a given 12 month period and still be employed? Seriously, look at Compass, JetBlue and others where pilots have been fired for calling in sick too often. How often is too often? That is up to the management isn't it? Many pilots even when they are exhausted continue to fly and finish the trip especially if they have already called in sick two or three time within the
previous 12 months. And I am not just referring to Regional pilots. This happens to Major, Cargo pilots also.

 

It is crew responsibility to work within a known and legally derived schedule. Until the legally part is changed, there will be no working around the individual's responsibility in this. I am all for changing the legal bare minimum rest requirement to 10 hrs and reasonable van rides during lay overs.

 

Yes it is...and I think that the FAA needs to forcefully address airlines that discipline pilots for following the FARs (and likely, their own company manuals in regards to 'airworthiness'). The "reliability policy" is nothing more than a way to threaten pilots to work when deficient.

The downside, however, is that there are pilots out there who abuse sick time, gaming the system and creating headaches for those who genuinely aren't able to perform their duties.

As a scheduling committee rep in a former life, my own personal inclination is for non-punitive measures for pilots who call out sick (especially probationary pilots)...but I do think more than 6 sick calls in a rolling 12 month period requires further investigation and medical consultation (non-punitive and company-paid, of course) to see if one has a chronic condition that could affect airworthiness, or simply that they have kids and the kids are bringing home colds & flu more often than a single guy would be exposed to.

 

Knew the pay and benefits, didn't know that 4 domiciles would open and close in my first 4 years of doing the job.

As far as instructors warning about commutes, you DO KNOW that many instructors commute themselves, don't you?

 

I agree that employees know the pay and benefits but flight crews do NOT know how many times scheduling will change your schedule or how many times a CP will "enact" their will on operational issues that directly affect duty times.

I agree that this will raise eyebrows at most but here's hoping that some minor duty times will be changed. The FAA has dismissed NTSB and expert testimony for far, far too long and then they wonder why there are problems.