Thanks Redjet...
For the record I am not a newbie at the airline game, nor at long haul. I have 30 years of flying experience and about 6 years of medium to "ultra" long haul. I have worked for 6 major airlines in that time, including the 3 biggest in the world.
I am built for long haul....pure and simple. I am also realistic about how things are and how things can be. So far, Vaustralia has lived up to all that they have promised me and more. Is the salary crap??? YES!!! But as I get older I realize it is more about loving the job and less about getting rich. My kids go to private school, I have a house, a boat, a motorcycle and no debt besides the mortgage.
I believe that my Captains sleep extremely well, and that is the direct result of the experience that I and the other First Officers bring to the cockpit (most of us have been 737 or A-320 captains in the past). If they don't sleep well they shouldn't be a captain.
Will VOZ survive? I believe that if any airline will survive across the Pacific we will. I have worked for both our rivals on that route and can guarantee that we are head and shoulders above one and at least equal to the other. As I stand at the door and say goodbye to the passengers I have heard the "way better than Qantas" at least 20 times.
I have done 6 trips in the past two months. Really that is all you can realistically do and it has been very easy. How do I recover so easily? Because I never leave Sydney time. We depart Sydney in the evening, I usually get the first rest as I am a early to bed, early to rise guy, I sleep from about 10 pm to 4 am Sydney time, which is just about my normal sleep pattern. We get into Los Angeles at 1630 local, late morning on the body. I stay up until about 4 am local/9 pm Sydney and sleep till noon local/5 am sydney time. We depart for home 50 hours later in the Los Angeles evening, but afternoon on the body. Most captains do a 2 rest period on the way back, usually 90 minutes - 2 hours on the first rest and then 4.5 to 5 on the second. I usually watch a movie and eat dinner on the short rest and sleep on the 2nd. Get into Sydney at 7 am, get home by about 10:30 am on the commute. Have a sleep for a couple hours if the kids are in school, don't sleep if they are home. Go to bed that night around 9-10 pm and sleep a little extra than nomal, maybe 9 hours and I am"back to normal".
Compare this with my last airline, where at times I would have to get up at 2 a.m. drive 2 hours and 15 minutes to work for a 5 am sign on, Fly 4 sectors (boring sectors!!) with a hurry hurry hurry attitude, block in 9 hours after our first block out, and drive 2 hours home in traffic to get home around 1700, in bed by 8 pm to do it all again the next day. Way less money to do that as an F/O and after the government takes there cut, only slightly better salary doing it as a Captain. So for me, easy decision.
As for the meals....I don't know what class they come from but they are better than my last airline, worse than the other airlines pre 9/11 but better than post 9/11. The bottom line is I don't worry about it. The coffee is good, if I want fresh fruit it is available and the meals are good. I got bigger issues to think about than that.
Lastly, the hotel has been extremely good. They bend over backwards to keep us happy as once we start MEL-LAX we will take about 40% of their capacity everynight. Although a bit far from the shopping and such, there are great restaurants and bars a short walk away. I also puchased a 150cc motorscooter that they let me keep in the basement garage so I can get out and do things all around the southland. I am trying to get a group of pilots to go in on 4-8 scooters that we will have available. Transportation is key in Los Angeles!
So keep slagging. I am old enough now that I don't succumb to peer pressure. I love the job and the people I work with and will continue to have a positive attitude until I see a reason not to. If we make it we do, if we don't, we don't. I have been around the game long enough to know that their is always another flying job and you make it what you make it.
There are risks in everything you do....take them when you can, hunker down when you can't.
