"AJX has to make the realization that their contract has fallen behind....!"
Just fallen behind? I think you're being nice. It's crap AND fallen WAYYYYY behind the times (was good maybe 10+ years ago) - especially now when you consider flying 80-90% of your line in a falling apart POS they call the 767 freighters in the middle of the night through China and Naha. Pax, what pax airplane? See it maybe once or twice a month; usually XMN or HKG day turn (8+ hrs.flt time/ 12+ duty because of delays) after someone calls in sick and getting called out on standby...Who gets to fly the easy pax patterns? I don't know and I don't care; because I'll never fly them.
At least the Chinese carriers PAY you decent $ to work like a slave and live there (they pay the local taxes, even Korean)...AJX doesn't even pay any of your taxes or get you a work visa. Yet they have the audacity to schedule trips that would be illegal in most Western countries and fly you until you're literally fatigued. It supposedly has gotten better over the years, but I have yet to fly the "good" trips enough to notice. So in actuality, after you've paid your taxes back home, your take home will be maybe equal but probably less than a US Legacy FO of similar YOS and equipment when comparing their pay to our CAPTAIN pay. Compare Captain to Captain pay? Forget about it. All the little add on $ allowances on your contract? You'll more than likely spend all of it plus some more while doing your month here. It's just a ploy to make your "gross" pay look better and to lure you into commuting to work half way around the world to fly into China at night in a tired, old, beat up 767 freighter. There is no career nor a financial advancement here currently, if that's what you're looking for.
Yes, I am very happy here.
Disclaimer: I have only stated the facts in the above post regarding the current situation here at Air Japan. I am not discouraging nor encouraging anyone to join Air Japan. It is your decision and yours only at the end of the day.