Formally send a email with your notice and awarded schedule stating "I plan to work my awarded schedule and help where possible on the transition". If he does anything crazy, hire a lawyer.

In either case, face to face doesn't work for formal resignation, regardless of how close you think you are with the recipient.

Never give more than 2 weeks notice. Never ask for legal advice from pilots. Shell out a few hundred bucks (or maybe nothing) for a consultation with an aviation attorney if this is keeping you up at night.

Well since you still have more than 2 weeks left, send an email to your boss saying something like "as I informed you in person on _____(insert date), I will be resigning from XYZ company. My last day will be_________(insert date). Make sure you CC yourself at a private email address so you have a copy. That way you have a record of having given proper notice if it hits the fan later on.

How you play the fly the day off vs get fired thing is up to you. To avoid having to explain it in future interviews, fly it if you can. If not, then be honest about it and you'll be fine. I completely disagree with Czech Airman that it will screw you forever. This stuff happens and the major airline HR departments know it.

To answer you original question of "can he do it?" Yes, he can fire you any time up until your last day of employment.

Delta is only looking at Tier 1 candidates. None of those were fired from a previous airline.

Is it policy that the company can move a hard day off at the discretion of the company? If so, unfortunately, you should work that day. Might save you a lot of headaches in the future.

I know for a fact a DL SSP hire with a firing on his record. And a FDX hire a few years ago. Sure they would like clean records but we all have stories of "that guy" that got hired at a major. All I'm saying is don't act like you can't get on with some screw ups. It happens.

I'd call in sick. It will make your life easier. That way you can just "leave".

DAL SSP = some "dude" from PCL. Not a true Tier 1 candidate from off the street like this guy will be.

But this I agree with :). Or just resign effective immediately.

It does happen, but it shouldn't. With the overabundance of Tier 1 candidates with squeaky clean records, hearing of one that is not Tier 1 getting on at DAL really frosts my chops. It's so unfair to those of us that have worked diligently and sacrificed much to keep up a Tier 1 background to see someone lesser to us getting on with our dream career goal airline.