Date: 202009
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: B737-800
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight phase: Parked
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Human factors: Communication Breakdown
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Pre-flight
Result: General Work Refused
Contributing factors: Company Policy; Environment - Non Weather Related
Primary problem: Company Policy

Narrative: We left ZZZ on a regularly scheduled three-day sequence which included a flight to ZZZ1 and then onward to ZZZ2 on the first day. The flight to ZZZ1 was normally conducted. 30 minutes before departure on the ZZZ2 flight; we got the message from the number one Flight Attendant that we were short on catering. I asked the First Officer to call the Ramp Tower and arrange for the catering. At that point; I was told by Operations that there was a meeting going on with [Operations Control] about continuing the flight because of the wildfire concerns and air quality. I found out subsequently that the air quality was assessed at the 'hazardous' level and remained so through our scheduled layovers. To that point I had not heard about this at all. I called the Dispatcher to get a briefing and he said he heard nothing about it. He said that he would speak to the Chief Dispatcher over at the podium. He returned and said that everything was OK; and [that] 'the meeting decided that the air quality was not supposed to get bad until tomorrow.' I told him that the crew was leaving tomorrow and that this caused me safety concerns. He offered to let me speak to the Chief Dispatcher and I asked to do so but instead; I was transferred to the Chief Pilot on duty. I expressed concern that what I wanted was a briefing on the air quality and the smoke but he dismissed my concerns and asserted that the operation was safe. He also asserted that there was no meeting in Operations Control about whether to operate the flight; directly contradicting the word I got from the Dispatcher and from Ramp Tower. I was not able to speak with the Chief Dispatcher. At this time; we were informed that [another Company] had canceled all flights to ZZZ2 because of air quality. Also; we were informed that the air quality index at the airport was in the 'hazardous range.' I informed all concerned that I would not be operating the trip for safety concerns.Subsequently we were told by tracking that we would be receiving a missed trip. I expressed concern to the tracker that this was financial discipline as a result of safety concerns. I was still removed with a missed trip. I contacted Captain A and briefed him on the developments. We deadheaded back the next morning and were not paid for the deadhead but for one day of the trip only; despite deadheading the second day. The [information] was altered to show that it was a one day trip with surface transport back from ZZZ1 - which was not the case. I was informed by Captain B of the ZZZ3 Flight Office that while the missed trip was removed; Management Captain C was not going to pay me for the full trip because 'seven crews had gone before me;' and that 'air quality was forecast to get better today.' This was in direct contradiction to what the Dispatcher stated to me on the phone; as he had told me air quality was forecast to get worse. In fact; according to the environmental report and the report on the ZZZ2 airport website; the air quality remained 'hazardous' through our scheduled return the following day.Captain B said he would have to 'run it up the flagpole;' to see if we could get paid for our two days. I expressed my overall concern to Captain B about how the entire event was handled. I was not asked for my version of events before financial discipline was assessed. No one asked about my safety concerns. The decision was made without my feedback or input about this serious safety issue. In summary; this is a classic case of pilot pushing. First; I was never informed of the meeting in [Operations Control] that assessed the health risks of operating and laying over in ZZZ2. Second; I was denied access to a briefing from the Chief Dispatcher who had the data on the air quality. Finally; I was financially penalized through a missed trip as a result of a safety decision despite company policy that protects pilots against such retribution in other circumstances - fatigue; for example. This event outlines a massive safety risk at [the Company] and a dangerous safety culture. Poor safety culture and a history of pilot pushing; a lack of transparency about safety issues. A continued overhaul of safety culture at [the Company] and a commitment to include the Pilot in Command in any safety related deliberation.




Synopsis: Air carrier Captain reported attempting to cancel a trip due to safety concerns from a forecast of hazardous air quality related to wildfire smoke and being penalized for not wanting to conduct the flight.