We have all been waiting in anticipation for Jetstar Hong Kong to start and from what I am hearing that will be very soon.
I myself am looking for an option to my current job over the boarder at Shenzhen Airlines. I fly the A320 and have a Hong Hong ATPL and licence. I get all my updates from a friend that knows a pilot at Jetstar Hong Kong. She informs me that the Jetstar Chief Pilot intends to turn the Airline into a Pay to Fly airline, and any Co-pilot wanting to get a captaincy there has to stay on Co-pilot money for a long time to pay for the conversion training. This is paying to fly in my opinion and this scam is the lowest practice in the airline industry ever devised by the bean counters and corporate management wannabes.
My question is; is this even legal in Hong Kong and is this normal practice for other Qantas group airlines to practice these tactics? I for one don’t want to go from a good airline with high monthly remuneration (admittedly living in China) to one that employs this most disgraceful method.
With all of the high profile accidents worldwide due to the inexperience of pilots (in particular ones that paid to get an airline job) these days and the severe pilot shortage in Asia, will this Chief pilots plan pay off or is he going to cause the Airline to fail before it even starts?
What are your opinions? Should Co-pilots need to pay to be Captains in this market? I know what my answer is.
