A4G,
If you meant that you thought the system let the guy down then that is what you should have said. You could have said why you felt that way and then could have even given some suggestions on how the system could be improved. Hopefully those with the power to change these things might even read them and maybe they might take the ideas on board.
Now back to the original thread...
Checkthrust,
The previous posters are correct, pollution can get quite bad and this would be a consideration if you have children.
Lifestyle in Hong Kong has been well covered in other threads, do a search. Some people take to it well, some don’t and moan about it all day long. Most of us I guess are somewhere in the middle.
The company has been steadily expanding for years, so progress to command can be reasonably fast. However, expansion will inevitably stop one day and this will leave a bunch of unhappy FO’s, frustrated at having to wait for normal attrition to upgrade. No-one really knows when the expansion will end.
Once the aircraft doors are closed it is one of the best airline jobs around. Good equipment and a great bunch of guys to fly with. We have a few fools as does any organisation, but the percentage is a lot less than other airlines I have worked with. Standards are pretty good, with virtually all the captains you fly with well up to the job. The flying is interesting (sometimes very challenging) although the night stops are not very glamorous (eg Nanjing, Hanghou, Taipei, Shanghai. Beijing etc). It is short haul so don’t expect to be sitting by the hotel pool for 2 days.
Personally, I have found the training fine with all the guys professional and keen to help. Several I found to be outstanding. I have come across one or two who I felt were too picky (everyone knows who they are) but you get them in every company. Some guys deal with it better than others (see various postings on this and other threads).
It is short haul so we do not get long blocks of days off. Single days off are not uncommon. The company and union are cooperating to trial a new system of fast track rosters where crews work harder and longer when they are working, and subsequently get a big block of days off. If it works out it will bonus for those of us who want to get away from Hong Kong for a period each month.
They are short of crews at the moment, particularly on the A320 where the crews are all working hard. Overtime kicks in at 75 credit hours with double time kicking in at 80 credit hours. It is really good for the first couple of pay packets but after a few months it would be just nice to have a normal roster.
There is rumoured to be an announcement sometime soon regarding an equity swap of some kind between some of our owners (ie CNAC Swires, Cathay Pacific, CITIC etc). Lots of rumours, but zero communications from the top, resulting in a perception among the staff that the company is drifting along rudderless. Morale among local staff is poor. No-one really knows what it will all mean for the Dragon. My guess is will probably mean closer co-operation between Cathay and Dragon and so better job security, at least for pilots.
The company is focusing quite ruthlessly on cost cutting, which includes frequent attempts to “reinterpret” our conditions of service. Some Dragonair hopeful commented on another thread that this is the way of the world now and that we should get used to it. Hmmm… Well, most of us just want to be left alone to get on with the job with the contract as per the one we signed up with. Until that happens we are in contract compliance. Basically it means we work strictly to the terms of our contract, without extending duty into discretion etc. As AG4 said above, the union committee, with the support of the crews, are committed to maintaining our conditions. We already get paid less than our CX colleagues and there are few who would say that in comparison we don’t earn what we get.
I cannot speak for the B747 freighter crews but from all reports they are very, very unhappy due to really poor roster stability.
I hope this helps with your decision checkthrust.