Every month, there is a pilot/management meeting to make suggestions and air grievances. Don't get too exited it's really a dog and pony show, but most of your suggestions will be balled up and filed appropriately under we don't give a sh#$ category
Like many places, it's all for show and the only guys that go there including one of my friends live in a world of their own delusion that company really is listening. Well, HKA like many places, only listen what they want to hear and what works for them.
Recently one those meetings occurred and here are the highlights:
CAPTAIN UPGRADES
Apparently I was way wrong about the upgrades pass rate at HKA, I had heard it was 50-60% or so. In the meeting, 23rd FEB 17, it's apparently 38% pass the gauntlet . Let me say that again, 38%.
Well, I new the upgrade process was rough but that's pretty rough. Keep in mind these are guys that have been at the company a number of years and previously at other airlines not cadet programs. So, it's rough.
Here's my take on things: If you are a DEC you will have a much easier time with the interview process and a lot more latitude to join HKA. However, once you're in. By about your 1st PC, you can expect that you performance needs to be sharper than your interview and in line with the company standards.
However, for the FO that wants to upgrade, it's a merciless gauntlet complete with dragons to take you out. It really is a crazy process. The minimums are what they are and I have seen that they do take guys who don't necessarily meet all the minimums but have been there a number of years and at least have 2000hrs on company jets plus other hours and factors of course. But it normally involves if I remember correctly 2 panel interviews then you wait for awhile to get the results; then 2 PC checks; company exams on OM-A company policy SOPs aircraft systems etc then a board is confined to evaluate all the candidates etc and they decide who will start upgrade training. Oh don't forget to factor in the secret file which will include sick calls and any nasty notes.
This process can be lengthy and if you fail 2x, you are FO for life. Keep in mind this process use to be harder than this, early part of 2016 to mid last year was when things changed as they needed to make upgrades happen. But in this process unfortunately, they made perfection the enemy of good enough but i guess that has always been the case. You are hardly ever going to have a perfect upgrade candidate, there is a maturation and period of time needed to develop into a real CAPT once you get your 4 bars. So, I think they focus too much on trying to get guys to show up perfect and it creates an intense amount of pressure. Plus the process isn't comfortable at all, I am not saying you have to cuddle with the guys and gals. But they seem to make it into a KGB integration and a few of the instructors who have the final say are complete you know what. so, good luck!
Apparently the 40 T requirement will not go away anytime soon.....this is based on the long standing belief in the industry that if you have 10000 RJ hours then flying a 737 is a bridge too far. It's just the system, I don't write the rules.
Oh! keep in mind that seniority really is irrelevant here like most other places in the world. It only matters who fly's first on long haul flights or who gets to sleep first that about it. Beyond that it doesn't really matter one bit. Having said that, this means you can be upgraded out of order in terms of the seniority list. It's not the most transparent system in the world like a lot of places.
TRAVEL
They are trying to implement a new travel program which will allow you to use more ZEDs with other company's. But I heard that for a long time and it still didn't come to true when I was there.
Update: April 2017, HKA will announce MyIDtravel. This program is run by Lufthansa. But it's not clear how many companies HKA will have access to since I believe you have to have a reciprocal agreements or belong to an alliance.
Update: 28 May 2017, No My ID travel at HKA. I am not so optimistic about this since the companies loves control over your freedom. If they join this program, the data about peoples travel doesn't come to the company and they really want this information; just in case they need to fire you for something.
ROSTER
Stand by days are not going away either. You still can have 6 days in a row of stby's and 9-11 days of it in a month.
note: Be careful too when you arrive at HKA, they like to use what I call amorphous type words in the contracts or proposed changes or guidelines. Words like," Pilots who are eligible for a 3% pay increase." Here, eligible is the amorphous word, it's not concrete, but it should imply to you loop hole or several in the companies favor. They sometimes never define what it is deliberately so that if you have an issue they can at the last minute decide what eligible means. This is the HKA way! Good Luck!