The Demise of Hong Kong Airlines

[hkehkaunited]

United Please

Dear fellow pilots,

I am sorry to hear that all of you are tortured by a group of brutal beasts. I wish you, from both side HKE & HKA can be united together because it is the only way to gain your respect from the company, to show that you have the sense of professionalism and to survive. For those who decide to leave the company for good. I am happy for you. For those who decide to take the ****, the following is my personal suggestions:

First of all, whatever the company presents in the meeting is just a proposal only. It should not be considered as a finalization. It is your right and responsibility to raise any concerns and suggestions.

2) The HKE pilots association needs to stand up for all the pilots in both side, try to reduce the damage to minimum (for instance, profit sharing should be introduced in to the contract.)

3) The HKE pilots association should represent all pilots (members/non-members) to seek for legal advices including new contract comprehension from either labor department or law firms. In additional, any further contacts with the company, your own lawyers should be presented or represent.

4) All pilots should claim their gratuities before signing the new contracts (otherwise, you may not be able to collect it at the end of your 3 years service or you will lose it when you find a better job before finishing your 3 years service. Anyway since they want to end your present contract it is better to clear everything before signing a new one.)

5) Whatever promises the company makes in the meetings needed to be presented in the new contract, such as command up-grade, A330 or A320 conversion (in the company expenses) opportunities prior to any new joining pilots in the future.

6) Pay schemes for new joining pilots in the future should be either same as what you are getting in the new contract or your pay scheme should be automatically altered if there is any improvement.

7) The company needs to freeze the pilot recruitment for a period of time, in the case your flight time and pay can be guaranteed, and also jobs can be guaranteed for that period of time. And also all the flight hours which may generate every month should be evenly distributed to each pilot within 5 hours margin. Otherwise the company needs to pay the differences to prevent from either corruption or special instructions from management. Flight swap should be done with public address by the crew member.

Remark: Anything they guarantee needed to be in black and white. Don’t take any verbal promise.

Management thoughts

1) Company will start taking new pilots once you all sign the new contracts (they have the money donation from all of you) it is because they are afraid of the flight operations will be interfered with the present pilots.

2) The pay for new pilots will most likely be higher than you all, because that how the market price is for A330 & A320 type rated pilots as you know (if they are going to operate the A330 & A320.)

3) The command up-graded will not happen again in this coming year or 2. Why? It is because they don’t have the need. Furthermore the company knows that most of you will leave once you get enough PIC.

4) A free A330/ A320 conversion course may not offer to everyone. Why? It is because these 2 type ratings are more valuable than the B737-800 and getting popular in the world. In order to enhance the cost control, they may even ask you to pay for the type rating. Once again, they believe most of you will leave once you have 500 or more hours on type. So why should they by the way? But if you pay for your own type rating they know that you will stay at least for a year or more to build enough hours, but they will pay you less. If you don’t pay for your type they will claim that you are not qualified to the new fleet they can by all means lay off you or ask you to resign with very little compensations. So they will be in the win-win situation.

Believe me they are indeed extremely scared about you guys and girls united together at this moment. They are just bluffing of closing the business. It is because there is not turning point for the company by the fact that they have lost so much in the past few years.

At the end, for all pilots, you all have families to feed. The reason you travel thousands miles to Hong Kong because of the better pay scales, the better service conditions and the better opportunities. If you take whatever the company offers to you right now, I can guarantee that you will be treated like **** in the future with no respect from them at all. So think carefully before jumping into it.

Good luck!!