Delta Encourages Pilots to Fly Sick?

Years ago, in Delta’s indoctrination class, a manager of scheduling told the pilots the four reasons they could turn down an inverse assignment. An inverse assignment is when scheduling can force a pilot to fly who is on days off, because the airline has run out of reserve pilots. At the time they told the class we could contractually turn it down if we couldn’t get to the airport, had childcare issues, were drinking, or fatigued. Then the manager said, “But don’t call in fatigued. That’s the other F-word. It’s better to call in drunk.” Yes, that statement was in my safety report among other issues.

However, today Delta is apparently encouraging their pilots to fly while sick, and in my opinion, this has everything to do with the lack of reserves. Personally I don’t believe Delta has the correct staffing to manage the airline, required by federal regulations. because they rely on pilots to fly greenslips. A greenslip is an option a pilot earn double, sometimes triple pay, on days off and then will get their days off returned. Of which in open time they pick up, drop, pick up and drop the same trip over and over again, to get those payback days all on one paycheck. I heard, allegedly, one pilot made over $200,000 in a month doing this. Well, not any pilot, a check airman.

Below is a document I received in discovery durning my trial with respect to greenslip pay in 2021 and 2022. Not having the proper staffing is a systemic problem for the airline. But apparently paying these numbers is better than having more bodies on property. Until it isn’t.

Stop Calling in Sick!!!

I was provide a copy (or two, or three…) of the following letter that apparently (allegedly) went out to 2000 pilots. That number cannot be verified, but that is the estimated number by the pilot group who are comparing their letters. Personally, I think even one letter is bad enough.

Granted, the letter does not say to fly sick. But it does encourage the behavior of pilots to stop calling in sick and the chief pilot can apparently help with that. Yet airline pilots are required by law to sign a release that says they are fit for duty before every flight. Therefore, if they don’t believe they are fit, for whatever reason, they cannot falsify that document. They cannot fly. I always questioned why pilots needed a doctor’s note because it was not the doctor signing the release, but the pilot. Pilots must assess their own health be it fatigue, mental, or physical.

So here we are. I was provided a video on a discussion with respect to this letter on the subject: Is Delta Airlines Monitoring Sick Calls? This is a great discussion. But what wasn’t mentioned is what triggered the letter.

TECHNOLOGY FAILURE

Allegedly Delta’s IT messed up again!

Facts of the pilot working agreement (PWA), know as the contract, are as follows. Delta pilots are to receive from 50 hours up to 270 hours of sick leave a year, dependent upon longevity. They use it or lose it. LOGIC MOMENT: Does anyone understand why pilots are using their sick leave? At NWA pilots were retiring with up to 1500 hours on the books. When NWA merged with Delta, Delta wiped away everyone’s sick leave. The new policy says use or lose it.

The contract also says that if a pilot has a greenslip in, and a junior pilot is assigned an inverse assignment of a trip owed to the greenslip pilot, the company must pay both pilots (and the sick leave pilot, too)!

But wait… if you’re a junior pilot and on probation, you better not be sick more than 50 hours a year because you can be terminated for anything. The chart below shows how many hours contractually Delta pilots are allowed to be sick.

There is no doubt (in my mind) that these junior pilots, who are allowed only 50 hours, more than likely with small kids at home, are coming to work sick and impacting their fellow crew members and making others sick. They will not risk calling in sick beyond the hours allotted while on probation. Then the 2nd and 3rd year starry eyed pilots, in need to impress management and don’t want a letter, will show up while sick, too.

Why the panic with this policy now?

Allegedly, Delta spent $200 Million in December because of no reserves available, and an IT “snag” that forced inverse assignments on pilots off duty, when there were pilots with greenslips standing by. To put this number into perspective, in 2022, that entire year was just over $332 million. One month… $200 million. Who is running this company?

I’m also told that at a meeting SVP Ryan Gumm allegedly said he was “F— ing pissed!” Of course he was, if this number is correct, this impacts his profit sharing and fell under his watch.

FIXING THE PROBLEM:

I’m also told that Delta will be employing 1500 additional pilots in 2026 to compensate for their self-induced pilot shortage. More so, the timing of this letter, appears to be another method of solving the problem by encouraging pilots to fly sick to keep the Delta operation running smoothly. Until it’s not because those new pilots, with only 50 hours of sick leave will come to work sick, too.

Do you think that sick leave letter could impact safety?