Month ON-Month OFF
I was working for another Chinese carrier for over 6 years and decided to leave once our base was closed. I was considering the Hainan contract for either the 2 week ON, 2 week OFF or the 1 Month ON, 1 Month OFF based on the fact that living in PEK, CAN or XIN were not an option for me and my family. Once I received their updated and 'improved' contract I began my due diligence. Since, these contracts should effectively allow for a patterned roster, I put together a spreadsheet allowing for the proposed scheduling. Additionally, since I was commuting from North America, I wanted/expected to be deadheading in business class like I did with my former company (when I wasn't operating from my base). I had other concerns with the contract, such as the very punitive nature that is renowned at Hainan and the subjectivity of the other 'payments.'
However, my biggest concern was the wording of how the schedules were going to be produced, that is; "a pilot will receive a MAXIMUM of 14 days OFF" or a "pilot will receive a MAXIMUM of 28 days OFF." I then changed the language to "a pilot will receive a MINIMUM of 14 days OFF" and "a pilot will receive a MINIMUM of 28 days OFF" per month. You can guess the response, sorry Hainan won't change the language of the contract. Continuing my diligence, I was fortunate to meet (just prior to my departure) a former Hainan pilot who had just joined our company. In our discussion, he confirmed my worst fears. He stated that for the first couple of months you may in fact get the 14 or 28 days off, then gradually they start to reduce this amount until you are somewhere between 8-10 days at home , AND on 2/3 the salary AND flying primarily domestic operations because they only need you for 50 hours per month.
I wouldn't advise working for this company but I understand everyone's needs are different. Just go with your eyes open and give up any expectation of having a real life with a real airline.
Last edited by CEA330Driver; 7th Oct 2015 at 17:34.