ANA Cargo ( AJV ) Interview

[Luke Street Walker]

I am trying to obtain any information regarding the new cargo operation that ANA and Japan post are setting up ? I have an interview in May and am trying to find out schedules / destinations and general working conditions. Also it is my understanding that I will be provided with a japanese working visa, with the tax implications my responsibility ? Based on the offer and my findings I believe it to be between 32 and 39% .....F/O / Capt respectively ?
Anyone at AJX care to offer their insight ?

[ishi59]

Luke.

All I can say is " may the force be with you"

The Ajx guys flying the schedules now and indeed, for the past year or so, have seen what it s all about. They were given the option to move across, a very generous offer was made, more money and immediate payout of some bonuses, etc. So far the response has been lukewarm (to be generous). I would venture to say that very few, if any of the guys have "rushed forward" to take advantage of this generous offer.

The new hires will be on a "C" scale salary with some issues, rebate travel, etc still unclear. As you quite rightly state, the residence and taxation issues are also very unclear. One of the contract companies is advertising the flexibility in the future with reduced rosters being an option. They omit to mention that this offer is at the company's discretion, i.e. when they have too many pilots. I don't see this happening for a looong time to come.

The operation will be out of at least 3 or more Japanese airports, Kansai, Haneda, Narita, Nagoya for sure now. The pilot wil be positioned between the airports. Positioning will take place by air, by bus (for which he will receive no credit towards overtime). This ground transport positioning does not feature in duty time and one can expect to position by bus, a/c then by bus again,chweing up 4 hrs or more, THEN, having to do an all nighter, 2 sectors or more.

Little thought is given to the effects of overnight flights and time zone changes. Rostering does not allow for adequate rest between duties and fatigue management is non- existant

All I can say is, be careful. This contract, as good as it sounds and as good as it can be, is at present very tough and could get a lot worse.

[serious flyer]

Luke,
What date is your interview?
Are you going via Parc or Hawaii Aviation?

[VONKLUFFEN]

Ichi:
Thanks for any extra info. Are you an AJX pilot? Where did you get the latest info you kindly provided us?
HACS is offering either Air Japan or Japan Express, one is Pax and the other is cargo?
Can you choose which one you want to join?
How much $ it takes to live in Japan , family of 4 in real world not Jet Set life...
Do they fly to Hawaii and if so what does the pattern looks like.
Any idea how the rosters look now in Air Japan ....
How much is a good contract in Japan?
What does the future looks there? I read in flight international ANA will have 400 retirements begining 2007 and to last 5 years.
What else captain...You have control

Take care

[moon_towers]

Vonk,

Just giving some ideas,either AJ or Ajx it depends from what company you got in,the Jap only except by a few leaser to supply the expat crew(contract base)
Talking expense,you'll find out i.e by this threats or other source (it depends on you how u spend,but I found out TYO it's more higher compare to other city in Jap,but you still find food etc with reasonable price,though!
AJ they have schedule to Honolulu vv,Ajx flying only within Jap cities.
The Jap have their own procedures,so you have to except their system!:uhoh:

They need the flightdeck so badly ,especially after 2009,:{

Hopefully it helps,

m_t:ok:

[cool hand]

Hi guys,

Got an interview with AJV on the 9th 10th of May...wandering if you could enlight me about the assessment.

Thanks

[Luke Street Walker]

Thanks for your comments Ishi. I have actually been in touch with a friend of a friend of....etc who has been with AJX some time now. Apparently as you state all of the current pilots at AJX declined the supposed lucrative offer to go to AJV ( the new freight co ) and have now since been threatened with redundancy due to impending over staffing ! I find this very hard to believe when the ANA group have so many retirements due and at the same time are continuing with there current schedule of interviews ?? If this is true I don't think i really want to be wasting my time going thru' this process ...
your thoughts....or facts pls,

[Sushi Muncher]

Things in Air Japan are getting decidely authoritarian in AJX. The AJV operation requires 18 existing captains and 16 existing F/O's to VOLUNTEER (kamakazi) for this awful operation. They have tried to put a cash sweetener to attract people over, however no takers, WHY? because the schedule they propose will kill a black dog. Long Haul, multiple time zone flying east to west followed up with insufficient rest by local China freighters, in between catching planes, trains and buses to move between the 4 bases they will cover simultaniuosly. These people have shown a contempt for fatigue and give lip service to safety, no thought has gone into this operation, and they are band aiding the whole thing. That's why the incumbents don't want to know about it.
The contract agencies are providing them with a strategy to force people into this operation. These managers are fanatics. What will happen next? A full on Bushido charge against the existing pilot group (frontal assault). They have done this before. Very good at threatening,natural bully boys, just like 61 years ago.
So you guys thinking about comming here remember everything you are being told is a lie. You will be on C scale. You will only get 8 days off per month (6 days at home after traveling. You will work yourself to death, how will you feel only getting 5 nights sleep every seven days due to the scheduling practices ( losing 2 nights sleep every week). Your contract will only be 3 months long because when they want to change it they will slam you with a threat to terminate you with 3 months notice, just like they are about to do with us.
These are a nasty lot, liers and cheats. It just aint worth it, very unhappy place. If you think you want to work in Japan, join NCA, they are really happy there. This is the worst of a bad lot. Stay away for you sake

[smat]

And DON'T FORGET WAC (ANA Subsidiary) which had been shutted down about 10 years ago (June1996).
They also used Gaijin pilot through contract agency.
Company gave them 3 months notice and terminated contract.

[serious flyer]

Folks,
This contract seemed a very good one before reading all your information.
Fair money, commuting, etc. But :uhoh: !!
You sure saved me a trip to Japan, because if I'm called I won't be going.
Just one final question: If you were going by a well known agency like Parc, wouldn't it be responsible for the fulfillment of the contract?
Rgds.,
SF

[on the glide]

Guys,Just be careful during the process in tokyo they will collect you in a crew room in shin-takanawa and they will handed additional paper that you have to "agree" cause you already got there:}
So just be careful with these biz....:uhoh:

I'd guess this kind of job it's best for the retirement gent's:hmm:

good luck anyway

[misterpotatohead]

Sushi

Why so angry. AJX/AJV is almost best job available! Rostering is very easy, I think western pilots mostly weak pilots because of all complaints.

[Strawhead]

Unfortunately I have no brain, like in movie wizard of OZ.......maybe this is why I agree with Mr P. Head. ( Use caution ).
Western Pilot almost good. Here at AJX we only have one "pissed off pilot" !
Schedule is velly good, please more pilot you come work for ANA sushi plane. :eek:

[Roadrunner]

Now now girls.

[VONKLUFFEN]

Well, now we have :confused: two opposite points of view. Which is :ugh: the correct one?
One thing to ask, what is :D good , what is :{ bad?
Of course all depends where you come from, what your goals in live are, what do you consider a good airline and so on. Hope we can get some answers where the :cool: emotional intelligence takes the lead.
Happy landings:ok:

[hungryblackdog]

VonK,
I think you'll find that there is only *one* point of view here and that a certain amount of sarcasm has crept into this thread. Sorry to disappoint. Yep, different jobs for different people.
Now, where's my NCA application . . .

[Luke Street Walker]

Ishi / Absolutely, thank you for your pms.
I have since been forwarded a proposed schedule for the freighter along with a couple of existing Air Japan schedules and as Sushi pointed out, would probably kill a black dog......at the very least leave him a hungry-black-dog !
Back to the point, how is an airline like ANA an IATA and Star Alliance member able to issue rosters suh as these ? Surely the F&D's have a time zone or at the very least a local night flying allowance written in ? What about a rostering protocol ? Last question.......I am told that all the schedules not just AJV or AJX but also ANA are done by hand ??? This, if true I can not believe.......Japan.....computers.......:hmm:

[VONKLUFFEN]

Luke any chance to share the proposed roster? It would be interesting to compare points of view in favor or against. By getting half of the info is hard to follow up.
thanks

[AHH_ALMOSTGOOD]

kenichiwa all,

yes for those that are sceptical about these threads they are all 100% true, as sarcastic as they maybe but true indeed. For those interested about coming to or thinking about AJX/AJV have you got rocks in your heads. It all sounds lovely and rosey on paper but until you are actually there you dont know what has hit you.
For those asking about the Flight and Duty times, well putting it straight your are a foriegn pilot you dont need sleep and rest and for those who do then your are week. Anywhere else in the world yes these F&D's are illegal but here where the people are yellow best pilot in world they are too unless of course you are foriegner. They make there own rules it seems like and you are ordered to comply.
Why has an office gone through 10 girls doing a simple job in 5 yrs, simple because they get treated like s:mad: t, and they are japanese, so you can imagine what its like if you are a not japanese.
No one has gone or volunteered for this new frieght company as attractive as they have made it (yeah right) simply because it is f:mad: d up and full of lies. For 5yrs nearlly now the AJX guys have been lied to directly to there face been treated like a dogs been given duties two crew cant nearly do let alone just one crew and now here they are expecting them to jump hoops to go to this new frieghter company so we can do 3 sector night frieghters into china followed by a day frighter followed by a night frieghter followed by a north american trip crossing god nows how many time zones for min rest then returning to do the same. And they wonder why they arent fighting over each other. The money they are offering actually works out less than what they are on at AJX. Yes really!!!!
Bring a very big suitcase because you will spend your life catching buses trains planes before and after duties positioning as there will be 3 main airports to fly out of but all based at the only one where slots are minimal, smart little tuckers arent they.
And for the record Yes all the rosters ANA and AJX and soon to come AJV are all done by hand. like you said before Luke for a computerised country like Japan where you get a mobil phone before you are even born its pretty truckin hard to believe. SMART did I say sorry, we must have all forgotten it took them two bombs to relise they had lost WW2. do I need to say anymore.
There will be day frieghters to but only the japanese pilots will get them as they are preciouse little pieces of work.

Anyway enough talking, for those that are interested good lukc to you but remember you will be on a C or D scale by the time you get here and hope you dont like life as it will age you an extra 10 years quicker, but remember Ana will become the biggest airline in the asia region by 2009 ( how, nobody knows) but hey you are only nearly good so use more caution.

Saya nara

(spelling not so good):yuk:

[Sushi Muncher]

Pretty much sums it up, spelt like our ops manual. I believe they are about to get very heavy, so all prospective AJV/AJX pilots watch this space very carefully. They are saying they will start to make people redundant who don't accept the AJV deal. This will showw the world what they are really made of.
As it now stands, your tenure is as long as you comply with these fanatics, if you have principles, and feel they aren't reasonable you will be looking for another job. All the current guys are.
Good luck and good night

[Strawhead]

Vlonk,

As HBD point out Mr Spud and I are very scarcastic but share same point of view. Please come fly for us ......we ask ANA pilot but they say NO and they have very big union with much more strict F&D's : So we have to use ehmm, I think you say 'freighter dog' like on pprune forum..........here we just call them 'western pilot' !
In fact this thread have many reference 'dog'......maybe u all go fly in korea, they luv western dog.

[misterpotatohead]

Me, I do not understand sarcastic. Trust me, I want to make system very good for western pilot:\ If pilot cannot do flight all night with 3 sector, than have long flight to America, so can rest on flight, then very weak:p

[AHH_ALMOSTGOOD]

First i should say sorry for my little out break earlier on, I"M almost sorry, so there, thats as good as it gets.
Its just I get a little emotional when there is a little round guy with a head like a spud that is trying to give orders dictate the way for the futures of some guys at this trying time in the land of the rising sun. Incompetance always brings tension to a company and it has been seen numerouse times here and looks like they never see the big picture. anyway.....

By the way with the threat of redundancies if no one volunteers for AJV as AJX will become overstaffed, WHY are they still interviewing for AJX, I think just another scare mungering tactic by these little big bullies.:ouch:

Come on people pull your head out of your a:mad: s and see that there will be no one budging on the current conditions.

Show me the money and DAYS OFF!!!!

[Luke Street Walker]

Sorry guys I have one more question......On the old contract I understand you were paid a nightly allowance ?.. now it would seem they have changed existing contracts and new contracts to a monthly allowance of 884 USD ?
Based on the proposed AJV schedule I have seen, surely the 9 or 10 day north American run would have been in excess of the 884 let alone if you include all the other China flights scheduled afterwards ??
Begs the question , why did you agree to this change when you will surely be worse off ??

p.s. could all the other "would be's" stop sending me pm's .....sorry I can not reply to all of you !! Maybe if you ask the question yourself you will receive pm's from AJX guys as I have .....thanks.

[Roadrunner]

My contact tells me there was no agreement, the bums just changed it anyway. Spud and his band of merry tossers seem to do what they wish now days, hence the total breakdown of moral in the company.

Oh and by the way, the company have, from the beginning, had their own creative interpretation of the allowances section of the contract. The contract stipulates that allowances will be paid the entire time a crew member is out of his base from on blocks into the out port until off blocks at the out port heading back to base. They have never paid as per this, so I am told, as their intent was never to pay the allowance during any flying duties. Hence the allowance stops and starts whilst a pilot is out of his base.

Go to AJV at your peril... They do not deserve dedicated professionals and do not honor contracts..

[Sushi Muncher]

Hey Luke Street Walker,
What u mean why did we agree to this. We weren't asked if we agreed on didn't, they just imposed it. This is their new way of democratically dealing with a contract, just like they would in North Korea.
This has become a very unhappy place. Most of us are just waiting for the end of contract bonus before we p:mad:s off without notice. Wait and see how they spin out then.
A lot needs to come to a head here, clean out the fanatics and dead wood. Then it might be rebuilt successfully. You just don't want to be on this dead horse if you don't have to until the blood letting is over

[NZLeardriver]

If one wanted to live in Osaka, how many days off there are you likely to get?

[Sushi Muncher]

Pretty much impossible to work out at this stage. AJX is closing KIX base as of August, flying going back to ANA. That leaves AJV, with US trips and China freighters. There will be heaps of deadheads as you won't be able to cover all your flying out of KIX as you will be the only pilot in that base, so you will have to position up to Narita and Nagoya to operate flights from there. You could only count therefore on your 1 day off in 7 .
If you want to live in Japan you would be far better off working for JEX/ AIR DO/ SKYMARK

[VONKLUFFEN]

How about be based in Nagoya, is it possible? I have been around Asia quite a long time and I'm immune to the system. From all the expats any that is happy? ( yes i know , ..." Vonkluffen you really are stubborn...." ) never mind someone must be out there hi hi hi. Try hard to find it guys. If so, ask him to give his point of view.
HL

[misterpotatohead]

Vonk

Yes, very stubborn or a wind up. Unbelievable to be intersted after all information provided. maybe disguised japanese spy???;)

[VONKLUFFEN]

:) Come on , also good sence of humor. Spy , na. Let me know where can I buy you a beer and you will see my skin colour.:ok:

[Strawhead]

Well his smiley face looks yellow to me Spud !

[VONKLUFFEN]

That's a good one! But it is not the case. I am really trying to get info from all points of view, even I'm talking to my wife now :eek:
How many days off in between duties? Monthly block time? Any idea? After having all the info I may or not join, but that is my decision. I appreciate your concern about my well being guys. The last thing I want to do is to put your group in a weak position , considering the threats of redundancy. However, as I read, many will leave anyway. I need the money and the reason is a legitimate one but I rather keep it privet.
HL :ok:

[Leviathan]

What's the latest news?
Have any of the AJX guys agreed to transfer to AJV yet? With such a blanket rejection of the current offer, surely the company will have to come back with a better deal re: schedules etc. Where else will they get crew for the operation.
I dont get it,the rosters I saw were the usual format and all featured 10 days off consecutively, some with leave tacked on to the days off. How often do you not get 10 consecutive? Thats the whole point of this contract is it not?
How long is the Chicago trip? I gather it is via Anchorage as well. Any other North American trips in the pipleline. If one of the AJX guys could PM me please, I'd like to see an example of the proposed schedule and ask a few other q's.
Thanks Leviathan

[dalflyer]

Could anyone at AJV/AJX please post or PM a typical monthly freighter roster. Does anyone also know what the US trips will look like and what kind of layovers can one expect. Any help would be appreciated...:ok:
Thanks in advance.
Dal

[mashed potatoe]

dalflyer,

The sample roster that is available was whipped up in a few minutes to try and satisfy some of the concerns, ie local residency, staff travel with a Freight company, and schedule, this of course, has been detrimental to AJX/AJV as it just shows what one thought about how fatiguing the roster will be not to mention less time at home.

Be careful, it has been said before, they are liars.

Lets mash the spud
MP

[NOT mrpotatohead]

Why Gaijin pilot not love our great leader?

He very great man.
Very honest and trustworthy.
He make very good decision.
All for good of Gaijin pilot.

You Gaijin pilot all very lucky to work for great company.
Too many waste time to tell lie here. Should be study book.

http://tombutton.users.btopenworld.com/images/Darth_Tater.jpg

[Hem-O-RRhoid]

Interesting reading your comments lads.

I did have an interview for AJV last month via HACS and based on everyones posts thus far, I'm considering not signing the contract. The guys at HACS are great. I've known them personally and can say nothing but good things about them. AJV on the other hand, I cannot comment on...... but certainly don't like what I've read so far.

If any of you out there have had any "positive" experiences with HACS and/or are presently in a commuting position for AJX/AJV, and you're not bitter, please pm me.

Cheers

[NZLeardriver]

What was the interview like?

[mashed potatoe]

The rat is also a liar, broken promises, be careful. Spud and the rat go hand in hand.

Hacs are great, assisting where they can and far more pro-active with their guys.

Hacs have a lot of good jobs to go to, AJV, think again, there is far better out there.

Mash the spud
PM

[mashed potatoe]

The new AJV proposal is out, boys and girls.......

Time to shread the spud

MP

[dalflyer]

And the proposal is???????

[Strawhead]

The straw so far...

So, we now give you freighter dogs a 3rd and final cut off date ! like you western pilot say " it is not over until the fat head sings ".

[VONKLUFFEN]

".....So, we now give you freighter dogs a 3rd and final cut off date !..." What is the meaning in plain english? I was not educated in a english spoken country , sorry.
HL

[NOT mrpotatohead]

You all very rucky AJX pilot.
Our great leader and his friends make good offer for AJX pilot to change to AJV pilot.
Signing bonus of US$30 000 for Capts and US$20 000 for FOs.
You all rery rucky!

Be careful Gaijin pilot, our great leader not stupid.
Make sure you read all the fine print before you sign your life away!

Good ruck.

http://products.priceclash.co.uk/images/nodrop/220/B0009Y5REQ/toys/playskool-mr-potato-head-spud-trooper.jpg

[Leviathan]

To the AJX guys (unhappy or otherwise).....

For the benefit of future joiners.

It's apparent that money is not REALLY the issue here but the bruising schedules/ night flying/ inter airport positioning etc. and days off.

So will throwing money at the problem fix the issues for you guys?

Have they offered to come around on schedules, days off etc.?

If any current AJXers would be kind enough to PM me that would be great as there are a couple of us about to sign that would like to hear from someone on the inside about some of the more minor issues.

Back to the Deep

Leviathan

[VONKLUFFEN]

Keep the info public... if there is nothing to hide. If not possible also PM me ... , still in holding pattern here. Be good!

[guy gin]

The job is not sustainable .. .and no amount of money will fix it. := what is the price for your health and safety???
Question: How many AJX management does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Answer: Can't be done as they are all too busy trying to stick the pinapple up the contract pilot's :mad:
Regards,
Happy AJX pilot (NOT!)

[Floyd94]

Ill bring this back up...How many legs do you guys typically fly in a day? What about dead heads? How many days off do you get on layovers?