Perks of the job? Be careful how you use them.
A flight attendants‘ union has warned its members not to use their free travel benefits on sick days.
“We have seen a significant increase in investigatory meetings related to pass travel violations in recent weeks,” the Association of Flight Attendants chapter for Endeavor Air said in an email last Wednesday seen by Business Insider.
Endeavor is a Delta Air Lines subsidiary that operates its regional Delta Connection flights.
“Specifically, we have seen multiple cases where Flight Attendants have utilized pass travel after calling out sick or while on [family and medical leave] or other approved leave,” it added.
Pass travel allows airline employees and their family members to fly for free or at a reduced rate. They travel on standby, so they have to wait for available seats after all paying passengers have boarded. Crew members can also travel in a jumpseat.
The union’s email pointed to the flight attendant manual, which says cabin crew can’t use this benefit when they are sick or on protected leave, nor the days immediately surrounding said leave.
There are some cases where it is OK, however. The union’s collective bargaining agreement allows flight attendants to use their travel benefits when returning home after calling in sick, it added.
The union reminded members to wait for their manager’s written approval before doing this.
Violations of the policy, it said, have resulted in a written warning and the suspension of pass travel privileges.
Delta declined to comment when reached by Business Insider. The AFA and a representative for the Endeavor Air chapter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Endeavor union’s warning comes as United Airlines has stepped up its scrutiny of staff’s sick leave.
“Perceived sick leave abuse is now the most frequent reason for termination cases across the system,” United’s AFA chapter said in an email last Thursday.
United is using technology to track when sick leave is used in relation to paid time off or vacation, which it takes “as an apparent red flag for sick leave abuse,” the union added.
However, it also outlined scenarios where flight attendants might be innocently using sick leave that the company could question.
For example, if somebody falls ill on vacation and can’t return home, the airline might think they were extending their vacation. The union advised members to keep all documentation that could show they weren’t abusing sick leave.
United didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside US working hours.
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