Air Japan (AJX)

[Dumb Pilot]

How is the contract gig with ANA Cargo? I visited with the guy from Crew Resources at the Vegas job fair last month, and I am interested. Online it shows contract length of 5 years, but then a bonus $ for completing the contract. So, is it 5 years, or is it less with a completion bonus if you choose to stick around longer? I would like to hear from someone actually doing this how the days off works as well as commuting. 10 days at home/month the first year sounds dreadful. Yes, the pay is 3x what I am making now, but holy cow thats a lot of time away from home. Any experience/guidance would be very appreciated in helping me make an informed decision. I can't wait forever for my dream job to call me for an interview, and I can't continue to live on poverty wages.

Oh yeah, any info on medical insurance coverage? I heard it's good, but how good....

PM's are welcomed as well

THANKS!

SL

I started another thread since it is unrelated to the theme of the thread you posted the question on.

The contract duration is 5 years and at the end of the contract term there is a contract completion bonus. The contract can be extended if you so wish (and the company) for a new contract of 3,4 or 5 years duration for the second contract, you should inform the company within 90 days if you wish to continue the contract or not. There is also a stipulation that you should resign within 90 days of the effective date of such resignation if you want to leave the contract before its termination date. With CREW, there is a penalty if you leave in the first year of 15,000 I believe, after that there is no penalty. There is no penalty with any of the other contract companies that I know of.

There are three commuting options available, the company will pay you an additional $2,000/ month commuting allowance and you can either buy your own ticket, 2) travel with ZED ticket subject of space availability or 3) waive the 2k commuting allowance and get a confirmed business class ticket round trip in any of the star alliance carriers with ANA as a primary choice. This is the way that I have been doing it since I have been here for over 5 years now, I just like the fact that I don't have to worry about loads nor am I chasing the best deal year round, besides, by the time you pay for your ticket (north of $1,000 USD in most cases) or you pay for the ZED ticket (anywhere from $200 to $400, depending on time of the year) and you pay taxes on that additional income, there is not much left of the 2K so I don't even bother with it. Besides, you get to keep the miles while traveling on business class and I do put them to good use when I travel on vacation with my family. This may seem obvious to some but I will say it since this question pups up from time to time, you will lose your jumpseat privileges since there is no jumpseat in Japan, not even within AJX nor in ANA.

Your days off can be as follows (and this is from day one on the line, not after the first year as you mentioned) you will have 10 days off, plus 2 blank commuting days and in top of that you can ad your vacation days (2 vacation days at a time per month) and have a stretch of 14 days in a row, you will however commute on your time, you will be released the last day of your duty roster early enough that you can commute the same day, so you get 12 days @home without counting the day that you arrive since you will cross the international date line, you will arrive the same day you left. What I do to take my vacation (since I use my vacation days in a monthly basis) is that I combine days off back to back (the end of one month with the beginning of the other) and I get 28 days in a row. Scheduling is pretty good at accommodating your requests 90% of the time, but you will be asked to move your request a day or two on occasion to accommodate scheduling needs, more so these days since we have had a few pilots leave for other contracts in SE Asia (the pilot poaching is alive and well out here)

Flying the line: you will be assigned anywhere from 50 to 70% of freighter flying and the rest of passenger flying, I have to say that the quality of life in the line has decreased dramatically since they merged both the cargo and passenger operations because the freight has most duties with two sectors in the middle of the night that include a few hours in the sorting station in Okinawa. You will be doing most of the flying with other expats and with mainline ANA management pilots from time to time.

Let me know if you have additional questions.

 

[squall line]

Wow great info!
Hmmm guess I misheard how the first year works. I looked on CREW's website again and you are correct about the vacation. That makes a big difference!
THANKS
SL

 

[fareview]

DP,

Excellent post as usual.

fv

 

[skypine69]

I know he didnt ask, but dont forget about the 6 to 9 months of initial training. You should be able to go home twice in that period of time, but only for a week or two.

good luck

 

[Dumb Pilot]

A few more questions that I keep getting on PM's

Training: Why does it takes 6 months? Is the Japanese license based on my FAA issued ATP? They want a valid ICAO state ATPL and a level 4 English, Do I have to validate my FAA license first before applying? How do I get an English proficiency certification? Do I get to go home during the training period, or my family gets to come to Japan?

1) first, the training is not 6 months, it is 8 to 9 months including line training. The 6 months time line is only until the sim ride with the JCAB, training is long, boring and repetitive, it is the pursuit of the perfectly executed visual approach and the perfectly timed center hydraulic system failure, it is by its very nature designed to drag on forever, they will assign way too much time during ground school to each individual point on the syllabus, you will be given a lot of time off to "study" (this means beer time) and once you get to the sim, it will be the same maneuvers over and over again with a few days in between sim sessions, the hardest part will be to keep motivated during that length of time and the most important thing is to get the calls and SOP's correctly as soon as possible, i can't stress this enough, if you can't keep the altitude within 100 feet or the speed within 15 knots by sim 6 it doesn't really matter because you still have a plethora of sims to come, but if you are still making calls from your previous company or using non ANA SOP's by mistake after a few sims, it doesn't matter if you are the best natural hand flyer on the planet with the most impressive resume, you are on your way out. Since there is no training salary per say, you will be earning your entire base salary plus per diem during training (they will provide you with a furnished apartment in a trendy part of town) my recommendation is to do what they tell you when they tell you, I know this may seem obvious but you would be surprised as to how many people have trouble doing just that, people that constantly question why they do this and that, those are the guys that get washed out during training, there are no guaranties and some guys don't make it on their initials and the consequent upgrade assessment period, there is some politics involved on the process (I know there is politics in every company but working for a company abroad, there is always the cultural twist to it all) I'm not trying to scare anybody nor am I trying to make it sound more difficult than it is, I just wanted to make clear that there are hoops you will have to overcome, just because you come here doesn't mean you will be a captain in 4 years, it does happen for most, but some do get bypassed and even washout during training, one thing that I see people do all the time is that they don't use the tools and advices available to them, there are 4 captains that are designated by the company as training liaison pilots, these guys are there to address any questions you might have and even bring your concerns about a particular issue to the training department and some guys don't even talk to their liaison pilots at all, they try to figure it out on their own, it just puzzles me as to why would somebody not use such a valuable asset. Oh well, some know best I guess, I've seen very knowledgable guys come and go, and some pretty dumb pilots make it...., wait a minute!

2) The Japanese license will be independent of your FAA license, they will credit most of the items needed (that is why it only takes 6 months ;-)but you are still required to pass the regulations and radio license tests.

3)I get this question from time to time and there seem to be a lot of confusion about this particular subject, but I am convinced that it is not the pilots fault but rather the FAA and the training departments of the airlines that don't really explain what is the scope of the licenses that they issue. If you google the ICAO member states, you will see that the United States is one of the members, therefore the license issued by the FAA is a license issued by an ICAO member state, many of the changes that you have seen lately are as a direct result of ICAO requirements (the issue of type ratings to F/O's for example)

4) The English proficient certification in the United States is not a separate license as it is in Japan, it is included as part of the limitations of your license, (as to why the FAA places this as a limitation on your license is beyond my pay grade) if you haven't taken a new type or haven't recently obtained a new license, most likely your license will not have the phrase "English proficient" on the limitation section, to get one all you need to do is go to the FAA website and request a new license, one of the reasons that is listed on the site is the English proficient certification, as one of the English speaking nations (Canada, England, Australia, for example) you will automatically be considered the highest proficient level in aviation English (level 6). Now, the fact that you come from an English speaking country and that your license issued by that member state has the highest level of English proficiency, does not preclude you from having to take the test in Japan, there is a written and oral exam for this, and there no need to study for it.

5) After the sim check ride (if you are not type rated, it will be two rides with the JCAB, one for the type and one for the ATPL) and again, up to the sim ride is no less than 6 months, the only way that it will be one month less would be that both you and your sim partner were typed on the 767, that is very unlikely, even if there are two guys that are typed, they will most likely not pair them together, so you will be at the training schedule of your non typed partner. After you get the sim rides, they send you home with a positive space ticket for usually a period of three weeks, then you come back for OJT (on the job training, AKA, IOE) for another two months. During this time, your family gets a round trip ticket to Tokyo and they can stay with you for as long as you like, remember that I mentioned that you will get a furnished apartment during training so many guys have their spouse and kids come out for the length of their visas (90 days) a few guys send their families out of Japan before their 90 period expires and bring them back to get another 90 days, that way their families are with them all throughout the sim training period.

 

[jrmyl]

One question that dp didn't answer was about the medical coverage. If you are with Crew, as I am, then you will have excellent coverage. It is with Aetna Global so you are covered around the world in one form or another. There is no monthly premium that you will need to pay. Office visits are a $10 copay and almost everything under the sun is covered 100% when in network. All in all, it is one of the best iinsurance plans that you will ever see offered by an employer.

If you go through Parc the insurance is not as good but one of the other guys will need to go into details on that as I have no idea.

One thing that hasn't been brought up is taxes. If you are in the US federal taxes will be withheld if you are with Crew. State taxes are not withheld so that is your responsibility.

 

[dontpost2]

Thanks for all the great info! I just rode on your airline from Hong Kong to Narita commuting home. What a class act!

 

[han_solo]

Does Crew Resources pay for hotels while working 18 days in Japan or is it on your own?

 

[skypine69]

on your own

 

[han_solo]

How many nights in 18 days is typically spent in Japan? How much money does one typically spend for hotels?

 

[Dumb Pilot]

You get a hotel allowance as part of your salary calculated at 10 nights in base, if you spend more than that, you will get a hotel reimbursement for every night you spend over the allowance. The nights at base vary from 6 to over 10 nights depending on how your roster looks for the month, there is a hotel in town that gives AJX crews a price of 5,700¥ per night (not sure if the price has changed, I haven't stayed in the hotel for a while now) most crews now have apartments as well.

@dontpost2 Glad we could be of service

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Well, I might as well answer the next inevitable question. Are the housing allowances and per diem enough to cover your costs in Japan? The housing allowance is $550 per month based on 10 nights (if you stay less than 10 nights you still get the full allowance, if you stay over 10 nights, you get $55 per night) although is not on the contract details, they are paying a supplement to the housing allowance based on the current rate of the dollar, this month they paid me an additional $165 based on the supplement pay scheme (it varies month to month depending on the dollar vs. yen rate) so a total of $715, if you are at the hotel, 5,700¥= $75 so it almost covers it, not quite. If you are at an apartment and you are sharing the rent with a roomate, rents vary from ¥70,000 to ¥110,000 depending on how far you are from the train station, to give you an idea, a three minute walk is the 110, an 8 minute walk is 70. If you are at an apartment 3 minutes from the station with a roomate your share is ¥55,000 but remember that you will pay gas, electricity, internet, that is usually about $100 each so that will come to $704 + $100 each between rent and utilities.

Now, per diem: $996 per month but it is also subject to the yen pay scheme increase depending on the rate, this month I got payed $1,120. I typically spend around $2,000 per month but I live well while on the road, I eat at nice restaurants on the overnights and I enjoy a nice glass of wine or a frosty beverage here and there.

So the answer is that you will spend more than your per diem and allowance, how much more depends on the lifestyle you live while on the road and what accommodation you choose.

 

[jrmyl]

Let me clarify some things that DP said. The hotel in NRT charges us 5,775 yen per night. We get the accom allowance based on 10 nights is correct. However, if you stay over you don't get paid then. It is based on a yearly amount of nightly stays. So if you stay over 120 nights for the year you will get the extra amount. If you stay less then only the regular allowance. I am staying on average 6 nights/month in the hotel and I only take the 12 days off/month unlike some who do 14.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Let me clarify some things that DP said. The hotel in NRT charges us 5,775 yen per night. We get the accom allowance based on 10 nights is correct. However, if you stay over you don't get paid then. It is based on a yearly amount of nightly stays. So if you stay over 120 nights for the year you will get the extra amount. If you stay less then only the regular allowance. I am staying on average 6 nights/month in the hotel and I only take the 12 days off/month unlike some who do 14.

Is that the way it works out with CREW jrmyl??? With PARC I get a hotel reimbursement in a monthly basis if I stay more than 10 nights, not on the yearly basis, I think, I see hotel reimbursement pay on my slip from time to time.

 

[jrmyl]

Is that the way it works out with CREW jrmyl??? With PARC I get a hotel reimbursement in a monthly basis if I stay more than 10 nights, not on the yearly basis, I think, I see hotel reimbursement pay on my slip from time to time.

Yes, that is correct. It is averaged out over the year. I'm not sure but I think in the last two years I have only been in the hotel more than 10 days once or twice. So it does happen, just not very often.

j

 

[han_solo]

Is Air Japan growing? new orders? Replacement plans for 767s?

Does ANA hire you permanently after 5 years?

 

[Dumb Pilot]

Is Air Japan growing? new orders? Replacement plans for 767s?

Does ANA hire you permanently after 5 years?

ANA would certainly like for AJX to take on more flying but we are short on crews, we have had some attrition of guys going back to recals in the US and a few that have moved on to other gigs within SE Asia, the business plan for the 2012 fiscal year that begins in April here in Japan hasn't been published yet and there are changes within the ANA company structure, we know that AJX will be an integral part of the ANA business plan going forward, we just don't know what it will look like.

New orders? Well, we don't really have any airplanes, we are assigned A/C's from the mainline fleet to do our flights, but ANA has an expansion plan that includes many new orders of 77's 87' & 76's.

The 767 will continue to be part of the ANA's business plan for the foreseeable future, if your question is that if AJX will operate another type eventually, we just don't know.

This gig is contract only and there is no direct employment with ANA, it is all done through an agency, contract renewals are offered regularly but there have been some cases where the company has said "sayonara" after the pilot has done the contract completion.

 

[spg2bmd]

DP, how long did it take you to upgrade?

 

[Dumb Pilot]

I came as a DEC, but the guys are starting their assessment at the three year mark and joining the line as captains at the 4 year mark

 

[spg2bmd]

I came as a DEC, but the guys are starting their assessment at the three year mark and joining the line as captains at the 4 year mark

Good that you made it into the DEC program. Sounds like that may be done with for the foreseeable future. The FO to CA program still isnt too bad.

 

[CommanderHoek]

Are they still hiring DEC's? Do/will they count cruise captain time for the PIC requirement of 3000 PIC large jet? Is 3000 hours PIC hard or do you get credit for say flying a heavy (747 and others, 757 etc...)for 10 plus years? Thank you.

 

[Dumb Pilot]

They are focusing their hiring on F/O's right now since we are fat on captains and we are upgrading F/O's, but if the right candidate for DEC comes along, I'm sure he/she will be considered although the last couple of classes have been with F/O's only.
Relieve pilot or cruise captain time will not be considered as part of the PIC requirement time, only the time where you are actually signing the book as P1.
They historically have been very hardline about their minimums, we had a case of a Korean F/O that was hired and in class already when they discovered that he was shy of the minimum PIC time (I think it was 6 hours short or something ridiculous like that) this individual had lots of jet transport SIC time but since he didn't meet the published minimums, they sent him to California to get the hours he was missing in a Bonanza...! Now that box can be ticked so the space time continuum will not rupture, then he came back and continued his training.

Now haven said that, I always advise people that if you are interested apply and see what happens.

 

[CommanderHoek]

Thanks for that.