QOL At FDX FDA Bases

[ABITRATOR]

For you guys based in Hong Kong. What's the QOL there like. How many days on/off/reserve? Do you guys ever get to come home or is it even possible to visit home on a regular basis. How hard is it to go back and forth.

 

[AdlerDriver]

For you guys based in Hong Kong. What's the QOL there like. How many days on/off/reserve? Do you guys ever get to come home or is it even possible to visit home on a regular basis. How hard is it to go back and forth.

Since you're not getting any response, I'll give you what info I can. I'm not in HKG but talk the some of the guys there regularly.

Most guys I talk to are happy there. The housing allowance is reasonable and allows guys to get something in the ball park of 1500 sq. ft. (which is pretty good for HKG). A large percentage of the pilots live in Discovery Bay which allows them easy access to the airport and night life/entertainment, etc.


Reserve is the same in HKG as anywhere else at Fedex. 4 week bid month (28 days) you get 15 on/13 off. 5 week bid month (35 days) you get 19 on/16 off.


The best lines have 20 off/15 on (5 week month) and 17 off/11 on (4 week). The worst have 16 off/19 on (5 week) and 14 off/14 on (4 week).


The trips there are a little unique compared to other domiciles. While the pilots are based in HKG, most of the trips start and end in Guangzhou (CAN/ZGGG). This requires scheduled ground or air deadhead transportation from HKG-CAN and back to be included in each trip. It's about a 45 minute flight or ~4-ish hours by ground.


Most trips that start with a DH flight from HKG-CAN seem to have a CAN layover with the actual revenue flying starting the next day. This is also the case at the end of the trip, with a layover in CAN prior to the DH flight back. Some trips start or end with DH flights to/from other cities just like the rest of the Fedex domiciles.


The trips that begin with scheduled ground transportation from HKG-CAN seem to be more likely to operate immediately upon arrival at CAN (no layover). You just ride up, report for duty and fly one leg somewhere else. There are also trips that have immediate GT scheduled back to HKG after the last leg of the trip into CAN with no layover. These trips with GT on either end are much fewer in number than the ones with DH flights. It appears that probably 90% of the trips start and end with DH flights in and out of CAN to/from HKG or some other city.


It's very likely that some pilots who want to get home ASAP are taking an immediate flight, train or car ride back to HKG after their trip gets to CAN rather than layover and fly back the next day. So, they can probably get home at least a half-day earlier and still be on the pay clock too. That may not be worth the pain depending on what they did during their last duty period.


As far as getting back to the US, it's not too hard. Fedex has a regular flight from SZX-MEM. There's also HKG-ANC and quite a few from ANC to the lower 48. Those would probably be the two easiest airports to jumpseat out of. How often you try to make it back and forth would probably just depend on your personal pain threshold. Riding a Fedex jumpseat is usually way more comfortable than all but the best first class accomodations on a pax carrier.


The domicile isn't really set up for commuting from the U.S. There are some tax rules that require pilots to actually be in Hong Kong a certain number of days per year. Some pilots have gotten into some hot water lately because of this and I'm not really sure how that has played out. I don't think you can be restricted from commuting if that's what you wanted to do, but it would be a hard commute unless you could hold one of the few single departure lines. Most lines have 3 to 4 trips spread out across the month. A few have 1 big trip or 2 smaller trips.


Hopefully that helps a little. Maybe a HKG guy will be able to get you some firsthand info.

 

[staledog]

Once again, AdlerDriver comes through with a no BS answer of everything I wanted to know! Thanks buddy!

 

[ABITRATOR]

Thanks again driver for being very informative and remaining professional at the same time.

 

[AdlerDriver]

No problem. Happy to help.

 

[propjob27]

Curious if you were offered a job offer into an FDA ?

 

[AdlerDriver]

Curious if you were offered a job offer into an FDA ?

When I was hired they only had one A300 base in Subic Bay, PI (SFS/RPLB). The base had been established for some time and was basically filled. If I wanted to go there, they probably would have let me eventually but at the time they need 727 S/Os in MEM.

 

[propjob27]

Not you, I meant original poster.

(I've been based in SFS, HKG, and now CGN)

 

[ABITRATOR]

No I haven't, I'm just gathering as much info possible on a company I'd love to work for. I've been told that most new comers are being assigned FDA base. Just inquiring, that's it. Thanks again for all of your imput.

 

[PreContact]

Reserve is the same in HKG as anywhere else at Fedex. 4 week bid month (28 days) you get 15 on/13 off. 5 week bid month (35 days) you get 19 on/16 off.

Is this true even for domestic fleets, like MEM 727/757/A300? At UPS, we do 15 days RSV for international domiciles, but our domestic folks enjoy some variety, 3 one, 4 off, 7 on 7 off, etc...

 

[AdlerDriver]

Is this true even for domestic fleets, like MEM 727/757/A300? At UPS, we do 15 days RSV for international domiciles, but our domestic folks enjoy some variety, 3 one, 4 off, 7 on 7 off, etc...

I didn't mean those reserve days were all in a row. Those are just the days on/day off split for the 4 week or 5 week bid period. All fleets both domestic and international have varied reserve lines published.
They range from one big block of R days to 4 blocks spread across the month in all fleets.

 

[PreContact]

OK that makes sense thanks.