Hi everyone,
I am enquiring about the general workings of this contract and the lifestyle it provides. First of all thanks to all those regular posters and the helpful info that has been shared on this forum (Dominican’s "training" post on page 72 was particularly interesting and a few lessons I have already put in my bag of tricks for the future).
I was pleased to read that you can generally commute on your last day of duty. A few q's on this:
1. Is it possible to change between a confirmed provided ticket and the $2k allowance on a month to month basis?
2. Can you usually get a business class seat or does it never happen due to loads or other staff with higher priority?
3. Do other carriers in the alliance honour the staff travel, i.e. Qantas and Lufthansa etc.?
4. Can you take your annual leave as a block after your guaranteed consecutive time off? i.e. 17 days on then 1 travel day + 10 days off + 1 travel day + 12 days annual leave (for a total of 24 days off), then return to work?
Living in Japan.
5. Do most people share a crash pad or just pay for a hotel for the nights that they are at their designated base between trips?
6. Does this cut into your salary dramatically?
7.Does the company or contract agencies assist with finding your feet during initial training or is it a case of being thrown in the deep end and sink or swim?
On the line:
I have read a few posts about rosters and fatigue. In my current position some months I feel like superman on low hours and reserves. Other months the early starts followed by back of the clock max hours and duty changes make me feel like a zombie.
8. What are the average hours per swing of an FO/crew? Do rostering push the limits?
9. If rostering make an illegal roster and you notify them do they rectify it? Are you persecuted?
10. Can you bid for trips, layovers, days off etc. Can you extend a swing and get more days off?
Thanks in advance for any info or comments. If I have missed something covered in previous posts, sorry, I have read quite a lot lately.
I am keen to hear from people currently in the trenches or recently hired.
Cheers
VneII
ps. if you don't want to post just pm and I will get back to you. thanks.