Okay mate, see where you're coming from and where the confusion lies regardiing days off and $$s. Basically, the cargo side of things got 11 days off per month and the pax, 10 days off. As a result of this fantastic merger and no support from the agencies, complete apathy from the majority of the pax guys (with some exceptions) and some very unspirited responses of support from the cargo pilots, we've ended up reducing from 11 days off to 10 days off per month and, for captains, a reduction in salary of about $500/month. This is all so we're 'in line' with the pax guys, never mind bringing them up
Anyway, the comment regarding working a day off for free was reflecting the extra day off we will be giving up for no gain and, in the captains' case, a loss of $$s.
The cargo pilots fly mostly by night, the pax pilots by day; that is essentially the difference. If you're in Japan for 20 days then expect 2 or 3 of those to be off in NRT. You'll have 1 or 2 standby days and, possibly sims etc. The trips tend to be nightstops, although there are some trips where you'll be away for 4-6 days. FOr instance, a trip could be NRT-HKG-OKA...nightstop OKA.....OKA-HKG-NRT. Or DH NRT-HND. Fly HND-OKA-ICN...nightstop ICN.....ICN-OKA-NRT. For the 16-17 days you'll be rostered to fly, of your 20 days in country, your schedule will be pretty much full of such trips. There is a fair bit of deadheading but not nearly as much as there used to be. However, standby for HND's new runway being opened and we may well find a lot more of our trips being flown from there and more sitting in coaches/taxis.
Enough has been said about the Japanese system in this thread. Look back over it and make your own mind up. Good thing at the moment is it's Summer and the lovely Japanese girls cannot get skirts short enough
