Well, I would say this, you are absolutely right about this and I have tried to allude to this in my previous post. Europe, America, and other parts are experiencing changes that are a function of the changes in Capitalism or shifts in the economic realties of those areas; and that is a separate thread for this all together. The regional industries have never been good, and that's being generous, in North America, Europe, Australia, South America or even Asia. I join here with a guy from Brazil who told me about things in the South American market that would make regional flying in the US look like paradise. I know guys who have flown for Vueling, Wizz, Easy, Translates airlines, Go Jet etc etc I get it. I do agree it is possible, and I said this in my first post, if you keep your head down stay off the radar, don't try to change anything and bow appropriately, life at HKA can be manageable. But don't think for one moment, underneath all the money that Hainan can throw at HKA in certain areas, doesn't lie this under belly. My apologies, I also get you work there now and I no longer do and there maybe a measure or desire to defend certain things.
But have a look at where many companies are concentrating their recruitment even HKA, South America, Brazil right. Why? Because I know many guys who came to China with me who said the training pay they received 9k at a Chinese Airlines was almost 2 times more than they made in Brazil, maybe! One guy I know, said this, it's more money that I need. This was just training pay, so you can imagine what he thought about full pay for a Chinese Airline, Wow! One of the things my friend said is, I try not to make them upset with me for anything, so I he never talks back and kisses ass appropriately to win a certain favourability he believes. But when we talk about things, he goes on and on about how many crazy things are with the company. But that's privately, because publicly here you keep your head down, pass your medical and PC and you get another 6 months of great pay. But these companies understand the desperation of pilots in these places and seek them out because they will be just happy to have a job and certainly more likely to go along and shut up
I NEVER hear doctors speak the way some pilot's speak. Doctors never say, well you should be happy with just having a job or stop complaining about the work life or rules etc etc or Lawyers, or foot ballers etc etc but who knows, I only know a few in those professions. But I know they all want the most money for the amount effort and dedication they put into their careers. They want to work at the best hospital or clubs or firms that treat them the best, certainly fairly. Clubs, Law Firms, Hospitals, go out of there way to recruit and keep the best people. Period end of story. EXCEPT pilots, they should go along shut up about it and bow your head, bend over and lube up. Why? I think some pilots don't know their own value. As I am typing, I have a QRH out in front of me, I am looking over the computer reset tables, next I will review some items in FCOM ATA 22, some SOPs, and I want to finish the day with a look at the GPWS modes and EGPWS functioning. Why? One, I want to pass my damn PC, not just barely, with no comments. It's part of being a professional pilot, just like Doctors, Lawyers, etc etc It's my day off. So, all I am saying is that, we should demand better from the companies that we work for, not just go along to get along. It's why I left HKA. The money that I make in China makes up for risk that I take by being in China and rules that I don't agree with that make life harder here and why I won't stay in the long run. This is also why I commute on my contract. If you are full time, the company can screw with you anyway they want to and you have to submit for approval when you want time off. Right now we fly 70-80 hours, in the high season it will be closer to 90 hours block. But that's ok, because that goes into my over time pay which is north of $200 per hour. If I fly over 53.4 hours a month, I get over time pay here. At the end of my duty time, I run smartly back to Europe and hang with my lady friend for multiple weeks, recover, and do it all again;oh by the way, the company reimburse my air travel, seriously. Again, I am just saying what was offered and what I experienced with HKA is less than what the pilot there deserve and my post are meant to highlight how that is for people who are thinking of joining. I justify my own bit of hypocrisy on the matter by saying, I am paid a **** load of money to put up with the B.S. other wise I wouldn't and why eat crap at HKA when you can do the same making far more in China. If anything, go to HKE first as your first pick if you just have to go to Hong Kong and burn thru your pay check.
There are not that many Americans at HKA to begin with, so I get it. You mentioned that if you smile and get along and don't try to change the system it's manageable on a certain level. But I would say again, it's where you are in life and what your expectations are for the company and career. I would say the perspective of a person who suffered life at say a regional especially a region first officer making dirt is different. So, for you, being hired by HKA, with the shinny jets, is a great opportunity to get typed and get heavy time fly the A330, A350. This sort of thing is very common for guys who go to many places. Beyond that, I think my posts are still quite valid if you take the time to read what I have posted;but this is also just from mine and my friends perspective on HKA. I get that some may decry maybe a bias, but I have spoken to guys who recently left HKA and who are still there and my own experience with HKA.
I said from the first post, I broke even with HKA. But not everyone does. But I say ask other guys that work for HKA or have been there. It's not about do I think they are the worst place, I have no love for other places from what I have heard. But I have knowledge about HKA and it's world. If I am going to say Emirates as I wanted to back in 2005 era, I sought out people who worked there or stopped and asked why. I got that it was from there perspective etc etc. But that's all it is, a perspective on the company from a fellow pilot which I think helps you decide what you will likely be getting yourself into.
I am planning another thread on my experience in China one of maybe 100 threads that have been posted over the years, it might be more of the same or different. But I am just putting the information that I found from my perspective that I think would have helped me before I landed. For me I have always said of China, the money can make the pain go away for a while but only for a while. Everyone has a different pain tolerance or threshold, so how long you stay in China depends. I think most people would be surprised at some of the dangers and pitfalls and penalties that can come from working in China. I will document it later for those of you who want a current perspective on things.
Again, I have said in all my post about HKA, if you need a job. Get in there, you have to feed yourself and your family and/or loved ones and at the end of the day it's a job. It's always worth going to the interview; but like I said, it's a first date. You really won't know until you are six months in. I liked the vast majority of HKA crews and instructors I came across save but for the ones I highlighted in my first post; but that's pretty common anywhere you go in terms of instructors. Clearly, life has been good for you at HKA, but my experience when I was there was that it wasn't for many people and for many of the reasons I have listed in previous post. Just talk to certain guys who left to go back to Cebu or Philippines Airlines why they left and you probably know who I am speaking about. But at the end of the day, you have to decide what works for you and doesn't. I think of this forum as just that, a forum, you are still able to try to discern what you think you can handle or not handle. What you think is plausible or not plausible of what is being said. Would I do HKA again, NO. I wouldn't, but listen, I got 2 type ratings, I broke even, and made some good friends who feel much the same way I do. Ok back to the QRH and FCOM.