Failure of the Airlines and FAA
I ran into a airline pilot friend the other day who just finished a trip. His company has the airline attendance system for pilots that I talked about in another post. He was miserable and had bad sinus blockage. He told me that he felt he might be alright to fly his trip with his allergies but that he was border line. He now at this point wished he had not.
He told me that before his trip he sat down and figured up his attendance over the last 12 months to see if there would be any consequences from the airline. Note: his attendance is very good and perfectly acceptable for an airline pilot who tries to keep it safe.
He said that if he called in sick he would of had to talk to the chief pilot. He decided since the trip was fairly short he would give it a try. He said he felt safe at the time and that he might of been ok to do the trip. After the trip that was not the case and he was in some pain and felt very bad due to flying at altitude with allergies.
He said if the company did not have this stupid unsafe attendance policy he probably would of just called in sick but it distorted his judgment. This is what happens to thousands of pilots a year. They feel they may be ok but due to the attendance system at the airline they decide to do the trip.
I say it again, the only thing a pilot should have to think about when the are sick or even questioning their ability to do the trip safely is that they just have to call in sick. They should not have to add up their attendance record to see what the consequences will be.
This is the airlines way of trying to control the very small number of pilots who will abuse sick leaven. Again I say this is just part of doing business, live with it. It is not a safe policy for airlines to have. This is another example that safety is not always first.
This pilot did not make the best judgment because of being boarder line sick and this policy.
I consider this a big failure of the FAA and so do most airline pilots who have to live with this sick policy. It still amazes me that the Federal Aviation administration allows airlines to do this. It is very obvious that it distorts good pilot decision making and is very unsafe for airlines to have this policy.
Going to work as a pilot is a very different environment then 99% of all other jobs. Most jobs people can go to work congested and a little sick, NOT A PILOT.
I also consider this a safety failure of the Airlines Pilot Association (ALPA) because they have allowed these attendance policies to be in effect at the airlines.
Not all airlines have these policies but many do.
Get with it, this is not safe to have attendance policies at the airlines for pilots.
He told me that before his trip he sat down and figured up his attendance over the last 12 months to see if there would be any consequences from the airline. Note: his attendance is very good and perfectly acceptable for an airline pilot who tries to keep it safe.
He said that if he called in sick he would of had to talk to the chief pilot. He decided since the trip was fairly short he would give it a try. He said he felt safe at the time and that he might of been ok to do the trip. After the trip that was not the case and he was in some pain and felt very bad due to flying at altitude with allergies.
He said if the company did not have this stupid unsafe attendance policy he probably would of just called in sick but it distorted his judgment. This is what happens to thousands of pilots a year. They feel they may be ok but due to the attendance system at the airline they decide to do the trip.
I say it again, the only thing a pilot should have to think about when the are sick or even questioning their ability to do the trip safely is that they just have to call in sick. They should not have to add up their attendance record to see what the consequences will be.
This is the airlines way of trying to control the very small number of pilots who will abuse sick leaven. Again I say this is just part of doing business, live with it. It is not a safe policy for airlines to have. This is another example that safety is not always first.
This pilot did not make the best judgment because of being boarder line sick and this policy.
I consider this a big failure of the FAA and so do most airline pilots who have to live with this sick policy. It still amazes me that the Federal Aviation administration allows airlines to do this. It is very obvious that it distorts good pilot decision making and is very unsafe for airlines to have this policy.
Going to work as a pilot is a very different environment then 99% of all other jobs. Most jobs people can go to work congested and a little sick, NOT A PILOT.
I also consider this a safety failure of the Airlines Pilot Association (ALPA) because they have allowed these attendance policies to be in effect at the airlines.
Not all airlines have these policies but many do.
Get with it, this is not safe to have attendance policies at the airlines for pilots.
posted by Jet Airline Pilot at 6:52 AM
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