[AnimalMuppet]

> I have even seen it suggested that the employees could even have gone by taxi, though I don't know if that was really practical.

It would have taken five hours. By itself, that's fine. But according to FAA rules, what is their status during those five hours? If they're on duty, they either need eight hours off duty once they get to Louisville, or they have a limited amount of time they can be on duty once they get there. (If that time doesn't count as on duty, of course, no problem.)

[dingaling]

As I understand it the transfer time would count as duty time because they were being moved from their report-to-work location, Chicago, to an alternative work location due to the crewing contingency.

Incidentally they were actually from another airline, Trans States Airlines of Missouri, which also flies for United and American. So they were using their status as to-become-United Express crew to make must-ride space on a Republic Airways aircraft.