Looking for JALways/WASINC info

[Resocha]

Sounds like the scene from The Right Stuff.....

Sign me up!

Yes, but in this case it's The Wrong Stuff.

 

[coogebeachhotel]

Did the Air Force guys all look "scared"-Shepard

 

[Take A]

TOKYO - The chief executive of troubled Japan Airlines Corp. will step down, the nation's biggest carrier said Wednesday, amid growing financial woes and a spate of embarrassing safety lapses.

Toshiyuki Shinmachi, who has been under pressure from board members to resign, will step down and become chairman upon shareholders approval at a meeting in June, Japan Airlines said in a statement.

His replacement will be Haruka Nishimatsu, 58, senior vice president in charge of finance and purchasing, it said.

Pressure had been growing against Shinmachi recently, and dozens of management level employees at the airline had signed petitions demanding his resignation. But Shinmachi, 63, had repeatedly refused to quit.

The airline has been sinking deeper into trouble, unable to wipe out safety problems despite repeated problems to clean up its act. Japanese travelers have been switching by the droves to rival carrier All Nippon Airways.

Nishimatsu said he felt a deep responsibility in taking helm at the battered airline.

"The JAL Group is now in a crisis that endangers its very survival," he said on a nationally televised press conference.

For the fiscal year ending March 31, Japan Airlines is forecasting a 47 billion yen ($405 million) loss on 2.195 trillion yen ($18.9 billion) sales. Last month, JAL said it lost 11 billion yen ($94.7 million) loss in the October-December quarter.

JAL's image has been badly tarnished by a series of safety problems since early 2005, eroding passenger numbers and driving it deeper into the red. Soaring oil prices have also taken their toll.

Recent incidents have included a Tokyo-Taipei flight operated by a JAL affiliate that took off with a faulty latch in December, and a domestic JAL aircraft that flew with the reverse thruster on an engine still locked.

Hiroshi Maeda, honorary professor of aeronautics at Kyoto University, said Japan Airlines had lost its past glory as it failed to keep up with intensifying competition, including the threat from ANA.

"They used to have such pride," he said. "They must revitalize their corporate culture or the troubles won't go away."

Japan Airlines shares, which have fluctuated wildly during the past year, rose 4.8 percent to finish at 326 yen ($2.80) in Tokyo as news spread about the planned management change, reported in Wednesday newspapers and by Kyodo News agency.

A graduate of the prestigious University of Tokyo with a degree in economics, Nishimatsu joined Japan Airlines in 1972, and has mainly worked in the finance operations and investor relations. He will also replace Shinmachi as president, according to the airline.

Nishimatsu is seen as a "centrist" who has not sided in the dispute between Shinmachi and the board members demanding his resignation, Kyodo reported.

Nishimatsu faces a major challenge leading the turnaround effort because of deep divisions within its ranks, Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Osuke Itazaki said.

"It's not clear if he has the power to manage the entire company," he said

 

[(o) (o)]

Really? Where were they going to go? I guess Mesa is hiring. Or maybe they all had connections at UPS or FedEx, or maybe they all had 737 types, or maybe they all would have been simultaneously recalled.

Ok, in all serious now, that's unlikely. Sure, the training is nuts, but I saw it as a 7-month paid vacation in Tokyo (I guess it's shorter now). It all comes down to attitude and perspective. Where else in the world can you upgrade to 747 captain in less than 3 years? It's a great opportunity, whether one chooses to remain here or not.

Upgrade to captain in 3 years? I thought at the 3-year mark, your contract expires and you go looking for another job, no?

 

[dojetdriver]

Upgrade to captain in 3 years? I thought at the 3-year mark, your contract expires and you go looking for another job, no?

From the guys I know that went there, the contract is similar to the way JetBlue does it. It's a way to manage labor numbers. At the end of the contract term if you want to leave, leave. At the end of three years, if they are downsizing or getting rid of a fleet type, like the DC-10's they shedded, it's sorry guys, no more planes for you to fly, bye bye. At the end of tree years if everything is status quo, nobody sweats it, they automatically renew.

 

[(o) (o)]

Curious what the pay is working for those guys?

 

[dojetdriver]

Curious what the pay is working for those guys?

Fill out the the online apps. They will send you the contact terms and pay rates. It's as simple as that. Just because they send you the app doesn't mean you want to go to work there. What's the worst that can happen, they call you for interview?

 

[Resocha]

Upgrade to captain in 3 years? I thought at the 3-year mark, your contract expires and you go looking for another job, no?

Where did you learn this nonsense? We have guys here who have been here since JAL began hiring Westerners 15 years ago. The upgrade time is three years, with some who have upgraded in two. That might be extended to four years, but no one is complaining.

 

[Resocha]

if they are downsizing or getting rid of a fleet type, like the DC-10's they shedded, it's sorry guys, no more planes for you to fly, bye bye.

That's also not entirely true. The DC-10 pilots moved to the 747, but the FEs were let go.

 

[Resocha]

Curious what the pay is working for those guys?

Start is $95/hour, but the job is not for everyone. Like dojetdriver wrote, go to www.wasinc.net and get the details.

 

[dojetdriver]

That's also not entirely true. The DC-10 pilots moved to the 747, but the FEs were let go.

I see, sorry. I thought they let them all go, not just the FE's.

 

[(o) (o)]

Where did you learn this nonsense? We have guys here who have been here since JAL began hiring Westerners 15 years ago. The upgrade time is three years, with some who have upgraded in two. That might be extended to four years, but no one is complaining.

I learned that "nonsense" from the term "contract" that is attached to that job.

I hope you weren't offended by the question. It was not meant to.

One more thing, just out of curiousity, why do they hire westerners to begin with?

Aren't japanese people really proud?

Again, this is not meant to stir the pot, I am trying to know more about Jal and their pay.

Thanks!

 

[(o) (o)]

Fill out the the online apps. They will send you the contact terms and pay rates. It's as simple as that. Just because they send you the app doesn't mean you want to go to work there. What's the worst that can happen, they call you for interview?

dojet, thanks for that. But I am not looking for a job. Just trying to see what's it is all about since I hear about people interviewing with them left and right.

good luck!

 

[Helmsmen]

JALways hires westerners because they cannot upgrade their own pilots to Captain positions fast enough. It takes roughly 10 years for a Japanese Cadet to go from the street to the left seat. They are facing a CRITICAL shortage of Captains in the next 5/7 years. To the point of not being able to fly their current schedule, much less any expansion that may be considered. Just to many retirements. A western pilot can be brought up to speed and delivered into the left seat in 2/3 years for less money in both training and pay.

Helmsmen

 

[cole]

Does Jalways type first officers in intial training?
Thanks