"We believe UAL management's view that weather was a
key factor behind the many December flight cancellations, but also
think pilot behavior exacerbated the situation... The pilots' anger
is manifesting itself in several ways. Most notable is a perfectly
legal refusal to accept flying beyond amounts specified in their
contract. We also believe UAL is facing increasing pilot sick
calls, among other actions that hurt operations and
earnings."
Source: Soleil Securities Group analyst James
Higgins, who in a report to investors cited "rising evidence" that
organized 'sick-outs' by United Airlines pilots contributed to the
airline's abysmal performance in December, which saw United rack up
twice the industry average number of delays.