As I have already said now I just try to be reasonable. My opinion only. In a cutthroat business where every penny counts for profit - which ultimately winds up back in our COLLECTIVE hands every cost does count to some degree. A black car that costs $55 plus tip; say $70 total for a 20 minute ride that is offered for free ((and has its schedules published for years under content locker (and hasn't changed times in 2 years) or a even a $20 cab ride) is not reasonable.

I have zero issue with contract enforcement in the least.

Reasonable? There is a very famous story about a Capt just before the strike. The hotel transport was not available. This was JFK. He chartered a helicopter to the downtown heliport to get to the hotel.

UAL had to pay it....enforce the contract. Insist on it!

Using this logic, it's OK if an NFL receiver only steps out of bounds "a little bit" if the rest of the run was solid. Or rolling through a stop sign is fine as long as you "mostly" stopped. In both cases you can either look the other way, or insist that the rules are followed. There's really not a lot of gray area here.

Our contract allows for self help, and budget shopping isn't part of the matrix. I think we'll all mature enough to understand what "reasonable" means and the reality is supply and demand (uber peak pricing and airport food prices) can be a ***** in that regard.

I never look at it as sticking it to the man, it's just the cost of doing business. I'd hope that the company would find it cheaper to enforce their transportation and meal vendor contracts - but that's not my job nor will I look the other way.

Was that the October surprise that shut everything down? I got stuck there on a turn. Found my own hotel for our crew, about 20 miles south. Two hour line for a cab - most were not operating. Bribed the lady at the cab stand to put me and F/O in front of line and expensed that and black limo return the next morning. Never heard a word. Expense paid promptly.

LoL - I think it was. We saw the huge line for yellow cabs and cPT was bee-lining for it. I told him to follow me and talked to the first black towncar limo waiting by the inside curb.
Within 3 minutes we were on our way - the driver "sprung" for 2 Starbucks coffees as well.
I expensed it since the cPT was "out of cash". Sometimes you just have to take care of a fellow pilot .....

Is a cPT a Captain or a co-pilot?

Dave, is he the same Captain who was out on sick list for several weeks and the Chief pilot DEMANDED he show up in his office to explain his absence. He showed up the next day, in an Ambulance with sirens and lights - off loaded on a gurney and wheeled in to the Chief Pilots' Office (ambulance of course was expensed to United Airlines).

cPT is a Marvin Mainliner but yeah he has 4 stripes.

Might be!!