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Nrt - Nwa

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Dec 21, 2001
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Just curious if anyone here operates in that system.

What are the trips like?
Where are you based?
Hearing any rumors about SEA and the 767ER?
Can DAL pilots J/S NRT to Asian destinations?
How senior is it?
What is the mix of aircraft operating out of NRT?
How are the loads?
How do they staff reserves?
Do they keep reserves in NRT?
 
Narita is operated as a hub and could very well be a base.

Northwest owns the Radisson Narita Hotel which has about 400 rooms, most of which are FA and Pilots, but there are regular customers as well. Its a great hotel with a small golf putting green, tennis, pool, sports bar, and workout facilities. There's a golfcourse nearby and you can usually find most crews at the local eats getting geyoza...

Trips vary for the 747, 330, and 757. Weve also had the 320 over there as well. The narrowbody aircraft fly the local asian flights to surrounding cities and countries.

Its a great place to fly into and the locals are friendly folks.

Needless to say , its an impressive operation.
 
The 757 trips tend to be from 8 -14 days long, staffed from both the DTW and MSP bases. In the beginning they were going junior, then the senior guys figured out it was a good deal.
The trips start with a DH over to NRT and end with the DH back to your base - nice - 20 some hours of credit for eating and sleeping.
Jump seating around Asia is not a problem as far as I saw. Getting over and then back to the states can be a problem if it's a busy time of year.
Most of the lines are pretty good ...NRT - GUM, Day off, GUM - NRT, day off, NRT - SPN, day and a half off. Not bad at all. There is one really crappy pattern we call ground hog day - PUS - NRT, sit for 4 hours and then back to PUS. This repeats for days. It seems it's a good pattern to bid and then call in sick for, thus the reserves get to pick it up a lot.
NRT really isn't "staffed" like a base. What scheduling does if someone gets sick is re-schedule somebody who's already there (i.e. awaiting the DH home) and then send a reserve over to cover the rest of the pattern.
Good flying and mostly nice locations. You'll like it if you can stand being away from home that long.
Hope this helps.
 
I've met several of the NRT crews at the airport and out and about in the "watering holes" all of them without exception have said that they like it very much, a few of them have made the comment that they like being "away from the suits"
 
Thanks for the information. Mostly just curious about the NRT operation for an upcoming trip to do some diving, fishing and look over some investment ideas.

Which is the crew hotel in MNL? Can you jumpseat NRT/MNL?

Any idea if the local Philippine airlines will let us Jumpseat into Katlican, Cebu, or Bacolod? I'd like to see the islands from the air and the rental options are simply rediculous & don't look all that safe.
 
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The 757 trips tend to be from 8 -14 days long, staffed from both the DTW and MSP bases. In the beginning they were going junior, then the senior guys figured out it was a good deal.
The trips start with a DH over to NRT and end with the DH back to your base - nice - 20 some hours of credit for eating and sleeping.
Jump seating around Asia is not a problem as far as I saw. Getting over and then back to the states can be a problem if it's a busy time of year.
Most of the lines are pretty good ...NRT - GUM, Day off, GUM - NRT, day off, NRT - SPN, day and a half off. Not bad at all. There is one really crappy pattern we call ground hog day - PUS - NRT, sit for 4 hours and then back to PUS. This repeats for days. It seems it's a good pattern to bid and then call in sick for, thus the reserves get to pick it up a lot.
NRT really isn't "staffed" like a base. What scheduling does if someone gets sick is re-schedule somebody who's already there (i.e. awaiting the DH home) and then send a reserve over to cover the rest of the pattern.
Good flying and mostly nice locations. You'll like it if you can stand being away from home that long.
Hope this helps.

This is probably one reason that DL is looking at putting the 7ER out of SEA. That would boost efficiency by eliminating the DH to and from NRT for the 757 crews.
 
For the 757 pilots deadheading to NRT, a 747 flight over 13 hours gives you a seat in business class. Less than 13 you are coach, *unless* there are seats available in business class.

Once you're over in NRT, you may or may not fly your pattern as assigned. If someone calls in sick you will be reassigned to (perhaps) more days over here or just a swap out of an overnight.

Typical 757 layovers:
NRT Narita
NGO Nagoya, Japan
KIX Osaka, Japan
PUS Busan, S. Korea
CAN Guangzhou, China
SPN Saipan, NMI
GUM Guam
TPE Taipei, Taiwan

Some patterns have just one leg a day. Some have 1 leg, sit for 4.5 to 5 hours, then another leg. Some are 2 legs with 1 hour turn time, eg. GUM-NGO-SPN.

Layover length varies from 14 hours to 33 hours.

The trips can be pretty long, up to 2 weeks. Most of us bring a laptop/skype to keep in touch with the family.

Operations usually run like clockwork.
 
For the 757 pilots deadheading to NRT, a 747 flight over 13 hours gives you a seat in business class. Less than 13 you are coach, *unless* there are seats available in business class. .

Delta's PWA guarantees business class for any ocean-crossing deadhead. I'm assuming this stayed in the JPWA.
 
So on an a 10-13hr DH. Do you have to wear your uniform or can you wear more comfortable clothing?
 

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