Freight DogsFinally a forum for those midnight prowler types who utilise the unglamorous parts of airports that many of us never get to see. Freight Dogs is for pilots and crew who operate mostly without SLF.
I wonīt post payload and other destails... but let me put it this way. ACG is doing pretty well. Better than we all expected.
Payloads don't mean anything anyways, it's the yields that matter. You can have a near empty VVIP 744 with one rich customer on board paying a good price that makes money versus a 744F full with "rubber dog sh!t out of Hong Kong" that loses money.
One can swim against the (economic) current, but it only makes you tired and you won't get anywhere. ACG can try to hurt everybody by trying to muscle themselves into a very difficult market by dropping prices, but let's see how long of a financial breath those shady Russian investors have...
I also heard from different sources that they are doing a good job! Anybody know if or when another aircraft is joining the fleet? Do you really have to live arround Hahn, or is it possible to commute from other parts of the country?Heard a rumor that TUI pilots can go for three years to ACG and then back to TUIFLY.
Snoopy, how many off days do you have between the flights, and how long are your trips in average?Regards Zapper
Trip Time is four to six days with three to four days off in between. At the Moment we do around 75-85 Blockhours a month, what is pretty nice, cos overtime pay starts at 60+ hours But I guess this will go down to 60 hours when they reach the crewfactor they want.
Most of the pilots don't live around Hahn, some guys commute in by plane, some drive 80km, 200km, or even 400km into HHN.
I have flown already for five different companies, ACG is my sixth, and it is the first one, where I really hope it stays in business until my retirement.
@CargoMatatu
Thanks mate. We all do our best, to keep it running
@snoopy747
Hi there, I must say, I am impressed! 6 Companys in letīs say 8 years, wow! Now you are 33, and you hope your 6th Company will bring you thru to your retirement! Thats another 34 years!! Good luck!
Cheers MD11f
Well, the other five are still in business. I just don't liked it there. ACG is really nice to work for, and it suits my personal situation best of all. Eight years was a good guess, but its twelve years now to be exact.
Pilots...... we should be the worst of human kind.
One minute a collegue comes as says that heīs enjoying his new company, beeing happy, etc, and on the next minute you have dozens of mad dogs barking .
And please donīt come with the " down to heart" bull###.
What you donīt reallize is that if one airline goes down, guess what? You could be the next one.
Since we have so many aviation laureates in this forum, you guys know better that anyone else thatīs the way aviation goes. A BIG DOMINO.
Even if you fly for a so called " Big company" just refresh yor minds with cases like Pan Am, SwissAir, Varig, etc, etc, etc
Anyway, wish you all safe flights back home .
First flight on 28. july, was it? And now after 3 month the company is doining pretty good? Oh come on, thats bullshit. Maybe they are on track, maybe they are on their business plan, but they are loosing money and they do have low prices to get into the market. I did a start up with a Cargo Airline, always full, bust after 2 years. And that was in better times.
No Cargo Airline is doining good at the moment, lets hope for ACG that they have enough money to survive these difficult times and stay in business until they realy start to make some profit.
@Patroni, of course they share their datas with the pilots, like always "Dont worry we are doinig better than expected"
Cargo is picking up far quicker than expected actually and loads and more inmportant revenue are picking up day after day at most Cargo/ Night Freight Airlines. Within Europe as well as Long-Haul to Africa and Asia.
Well, I don't blame people, that are suspicious of a new start-up. On the other hand, ACG may be able to take advantage of the fact that Cargolux nearby in LUX are not expanding.
Luxembourg is a chapter on its own, The space for expansion at ELLX is limited, the local lobby regarding Airport Noise, etc. poweful, yet the LUX goverment does not want Cargolux expand to other bases such as HHN.
This very well might be a good opportunity for ACG. If they can eventually manage to get proper freighters (i.e. 747-400F or even 747-800F) instead of the BCFs, then they really could steal a good portion of CX and even LH cargo business. HHN Airport is very flexible and a great place to do business.
....And they have some nice Ex-Oasis guys on board....Is DM still doing the SIM or is he to be seen in the Pubs around the globe again...???
Iīm not going to argue with you negative-thinkers. I am just going to enjoy flying here. Thatīs all from my side.
I wonder though, why did you even reply in the first place posting vague and unsubstantiated 'insider knowledge' that the company is doing better than expected?
Anyway, keep on sticking your head believing fairy tales. If it doesn't work out as planned (like it did in those 5 previous companies) then you can always start looking for company number 7...
a) Detailed Company Information doesn't belong into an open discussion forum. That is why it is "vague". We are better informed at ACG than you might think.
b) Read previous statements better, before you post. All the companies I worked for before are STILL in business. I worked for exec, low cost, legacy; in Germany and as an expat. I made my experience.
It is really impressive how all the self-announced business experts from outside know better how the standing of the company is, than the companyīs people themselves. I wonder why these people still sit in a cockpit to earn money. They should run own airlines, when they are so clever... or they just aren't ? who knows... Pro-Pretenders are everywhere.
Come on Robby, take it easy.
Hard times specially for freight, a startup always loses money, the question is how much. If you say ACG is doing pretty good, it might be a little optimistic.
To know exactly how pretty good the company is doing after 3 month, you have to be CFO of the company.
can you get more than 4 days off in a row and/or get them back to back (end/beginning month) and have less off days between the trips?
Are there any plans for upgrading FO's?
Thanks and I hope your company keeps on going like this
Wohoo, what new info that a starup is losing money at the beginning Really ? I always thoght you get an airline like this running for free... you really need money for this ???
Well, some people even call this "investment". Fact is, that the flight operation itself is profitable. ACG is not flying, just to fill the planes. We have no fixed route network that we MUST fly regardless of payload, like many others...
@conch
at the moment we have three or four days off between the trips. Schedule is total unpredictable at the moment. The experienced FOīs will be upgraded when the "old captains league" from Lufthansa & Co is too old to fly. This will happen sooner or later
But I guess this will go down to 60 hours when they reach the crewfactor they want. 
Really ? I always thoght you get an airline like this running for free... you really need money for this ??? 
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