The 350's will arrive in 2018 and are additional.
Any of you guys who are promised a 20/10 commuting contract - and if its a 'deal breaker' if you don't get it - be VERY careful. Don't give up a secure job to come here if you're depending on that. They'll promise the sun, moon 'n stars to get you signed up, but its one of THOSE places where they feel no compunction whatever in later changing the deal at their whim and to suit themselves.
Its a Chinese Airline, without the big bucks and guaranteed commuting.
Normally those benefits would counterbalance that "Chinese Attitude" that you have to learn to accept up North. But in HKA you'll get the full-on Chinese Attitude, without the benefits.
When you take money from these people - they OWN you,. Body mind and soul. You exist to serve. Nothing else is remotely important.
Whatever they promise, get it in writing, and be ready to walk when they don't deliver.
Otherwise, be prepared to join the ranks of the slaves they already abuse.
Oh, by the way, one detail you should consider - you get no 'freebies' to commute home. You pay for your own tickets. HKA Staff Travel is a PITA to use and you'll soon prefer just buying direct from the airline you'll be travelling with. The price difference is usually minimal anyhow because their Staff Tickets are overpriced. The application process is Byzantine, sheer drudgery.
The problem then arises that you may plan on going home on your last duty day (after your final flight). Forget that. The first and last days of your block days off will be spent travelling, because if you make a plan to go earlier they'll inevitably change your roster at the last minute.
They will never facilitate your commute by finishing you early before Days Off. They actually have a policy position against that because it encourages pilots to take risks with fatigue and missed connections.
Even if you do manage to get a swop (very difficult) onto an early finish - be prepared to get a phone call just before it starts telling you you're now switched to a duty with a late finish - thus screwing up your travel plans and probably costing you a full fare ticket. Happens all the time. There is no Roster Stability. There are no limits on the changes they may give you, only legal Min Rest and Max Duty limits.
Another favourite is to pull you off a flight (maybe your early finish before Days Off) and put you on a late Reserve, along with maybe another 10 reserves they already have.
So again your full-fare ticket gets flushed, along with your home plans, and you'll simply sit on your ass in HKG twiddling your thumbs when you could have been on your way back to your loved ones. They don't give a s**t.
They own you, so eat it and smile.
Last edited by ROW_BOT; 4th Sep 2016 at 07:37.