Does anyone have any info on this company? I read the Vietnam airlines thread and have a general idea about living there. I googleed them and have a basic outline of the company but have some other questions:
QOL? Schedules ? Commuting (Hawaii Commuter)? Can u fly on Aussie carriers since they own part of Pacific? Chances of upgrade? are the A320's still on their way? How does aussies owning minority stake affect the future of this company? good I expect Are there pilots leaving this airline or are they hiring for growth?
Looking at my options overseas and new to the Contract thing thanks for replying. Will be commuting from Hawaii to future jobs in this part of the world hopefully.
They have been advertising, I'm interested in the f/o slots. I am trying to work out if it is ok money or not. They say you take home $6400 USD per month which includes the accomodation allowence and an allowence for travel. They also say that the before tax salary is $9000USD. Is the tax rate really that high? Can anyone living in Ho Chi Minh give an idea of what sort of lifestyle that would provide ? Does it have a good reputation as a safe carrier? Cheers.
I have been living a commuting lifestyle in VN, HCM/ Saigon... and working/flying in the USA. I will try to answer specific questions about the nuts and bolts of life here. Will not answer why I am doing it, other than its my game and it has an end plan that fits my situation, rather simple ... I wish..... :-)
VNAv8R what is the rent for a two or three bed apartment in a nice part of town? I read about $1000-1500 is this accurate, and how much would you be spending on essentials like groceries and travel by cabs or is the public transportation very reliable.
What is the reputation of this airline considering you seem to be a local who does not work for them?
How is the health care system there i.e. hospitals?
Could you also talk about the negative things about living there, sound like a fun place to experience but not reading much negative news about Vietnam which is good I guess?
Oh yah on the pacific airlines website on the top right hand corner you can change the web site to english if you have not noticed.
A lot of information is already covered on the Vietnam Airlines thread, a three bedroom apartment in the "good" part of town is $2500.00 plus per month, I consider district 1, Anh Phu and Phu My Hung the good area.
If the contract is anything like mine it will say that Vietnamese taxes have been paid, in which case it's tax free.
The contract I am looking at for Pacific 73 f/o is $6400 a month US after tax. total. I am contemplating this for two reasons, one for a bit of an adventure, and two, to save a little bit of money. In your opinion VNav8r , if I lived in share accomadation , could I have a good standard of living on that sort of money while saving a little as well....say $1000 a month? plus two trips to ausi per year. cheers.
The current pay at Jetstar Pacific is USD 6400 monthly for FOs and 9000 for Captains (plus a contract completion bonus of USD 12000 after two years). Salaries are free of tax. These numbers may increase in the near future for two main reasons:
1. The launching of two new Vietnam based airlines (VietJet and SpeedUp) both of which will operate 737s and pay more than Jetstar Pacific. 2. The introduction of A320s at Jetstar Pacific later this year. Vietnam Airlines pay 320 drivers considerably more and for JP to attract sufficient crews they will need to close the gap. And if 320 pay needs to go up the management says that 737 pay will be increased to match it.
That's the theory. We'll see what happens.
Jetstar Pacific is a good and friendly airline to work for. Most of the crews are reasonably happy here and few are leaving. Parc Aviation is the dominant agency - they are reliable and fair to deal with. Virtually all the new positions are due to expansion. Approximately 8 FOs will be upgraded to the left seat this year and there'll be more opportunities for advancement as time goes by.
Qantas/Jetstar management is in place - standards in all departments are improving rapidly, engineering and operational support is good and the roster is busy but relatively stable. There are two options: 6 week on/2 weeks off or 22 days on/8 consecutive days off. Either way, most pilots are clocking up about 150 hours in any two month period including leave. This pace is not expected to slow any time soon.
HCMC is a fun place to be (especially you're a single guy ). Climate is tropical, food is great and locals are friendly. Plenty of info about living here on other threads and websites. But it's getting expensive - particularly district 1. Rents are going up by about 15% each year. Difficult to find anything decent for less than 1200 dollars per month in popular areas. And the traffic and f**kin' hooters...well, you get used to it.
I've been here about a year and no regrets.
Last edited by Capt.Pugwash; 3rd May 2008 at 12:19.
will 737 ex-pats be able to transition over to the A320? or when JetStar Pacific is all done with the 737 the expats job will be terminated with none able to transition over?
We currently operate four 737-400s based in HCMC with two more to come. One will be based in Hanoi for six months. The 320s start arriving later this summer and the first two aircraft will be based in Hanoi. The 737s will be around for at least two or three years and when they are phased out it is expected (but not promised) that 320 conversion courses with some kind of bond will be offered for those wishing to stay.
That's the general plan but things are very fluid and can easily change.
Hey Captain P, I'm still trying to figure out if $6400 USD a month net is good money or not when you are living there. Would you consider it to be better than $100k Ausi a year gross living in Ausi? I'm after an opinion on money, not lifestyle etc. I know many people would prefer to be in Ausi but I am keen on a few years of adventure, seeing something new etc. Cheers.
I can't really comment on the money as it depends on your personal lifestyle and the stuff you like to blow your wages on. There are higher paid contracts for FOs elsewhere but not many that offer a real chance of upgrade. And it's certainly a bit of an adventure.
As an Ausi, you could apply directly to Jetstar in Australia - jump through their hoops, get a contract out here for a few years on the 737 (I'm assuming you're type-rated and experienced) and you'd be on the Jetstar seniority list from the beginning. A few pilots with Australian citizenship have already done this.
Last edited by Capt.Pugwash; 5th May 2008 at 04:58.
cjam, wasn't addressed to me but I will try to give you an answer, if you are good about managing your money, you will have no problem having fun and putting some money in the bank, you could probably share a accommodation for around 400 to 500 without a problem, you can buy a little moped for $1000 new, if that's not your style, taxis are dirt cheap, to dry clean a pair of pants, about .70 cents, beer is about one dollar, mobile phone bills for me run about 50 dollars per month, food is cheap, easy to go out and spend less than $7.00 per person which includes lots of beer, if you net $6,400.00 that still leaves a lot at the end of the month. Also, a coach ride to the nearest resort from HCM is about $7.00 for the four hour trip, when you arrive, most rooms are between $4.00 to $60.00, three course meal for $6.00. Hope this helps.
Personel income taxes in Vietnam
