Air Japan (AJX) B767

[Lepo]

Hi Lepo,

I am sorry you did not manage to pass, you seem to have invested a lot of time and study on it. Many thanks for the very detailed account, will be a favourite post in the future, no doubt.

I understand that had you pass, the medical would be the next step?

Another question, did you make your assessment on the sim, seated on the LHS or RHS?

All the best in your next endeavours!

BF

Yes, they send you the result of the screening later in the evening and if you're successful the next step is the medical exam.

When applying for FO position you can choose to sit on the LHS or RHS. Your visual approach will be with left turns if seated on the left or right turns if seated on the right.

[eddiet]

Hi guys,

Spent 2 days reading through most of the pages here and have a few questions. Are layovers always minimum rest (or 24 hours whichever shorter) or are there any longer layover periods depending on destination?

I understand that you do not have to pay Japanese tax as you are not employed by a Japanese company. I'm assuming that you would be considered employed by the contract agency? Pls correct me if I'm wrong.
Coming from a country where we are not taxed on foreign sourced income, does that mean I don't pay tax? or do I have to pay tax for the country the agency is registered?

Thanks in advance for any info! Cheers

[jrmyl]

Hi guys,

Spent 2 days reading through most of the pages here and have a few questions. Are layovers always minimum rest (or 24 hours whichever shorter) or are there any longer layover periods depending on destination?

I understand that you do not have to pay Japanese tax as you are not employed by a Japanese company. I'm assuming that you would be considered employed by the contract agency? Pls correct me if I'm wrong.
Coming from a country where we are not taxed on foreign sourced income, does that mean I don't pay tax? or do I have to pay tax for the country the agency is registered?

Thanks in advance for any info! Cheers

Layovers are generally of the shorter duration. Usually the max is 24 hours. Right now we only have 1 that I can think of that is longer. There is a seasonal reduction in flights to Chengdu so on occasion you will have 2 full days there. I have never had it though. :ugh:

As far as tax, no one on here can answer that question. You will need to talk to someone in your country who does taxes to find out. We are employed by the agency as that is where our paycheck comes from. It is your responsibility to make sure taxes are paid to your country if necessary. For US pilots Crew withholds federal taxes.

[yellowcontrails]

Fact or fiction that a few recently have left for UPS?

[jrmyl]

Fact or fiction that a few recently have left for UPS?

Fact, not sure how many though.

[Fratemate]

4, I think, with a 5th desperate to go but doesn't seem to have fared so well in the selection process as the others.

[yellowcontrails]

one got sacked for getting into a fight with his sim partner whilst in training.

[Fratemate]

Are you saying that an ex-AJX pilot got into a fight with his sim partner whilst in UPS training or are saying an AJX trainee got into a fight whilst in AJX training?

[yellowcontrails]

Are you saying that an ex-AJX pilot got into a fight with his sim partner whilst in UPS training


Yes, this.

[The Dominican]

https://youtu.be/hSb7mlz7Hag

[Who stole my meds]

Does Air Japan / JCAB require an accident / incident report?

[The Dominican]

Does Air Japan / JCAB require an accident / incident report?

Back in the day when I applied, I declared a ditching I had in a C172 back in 92, they asked for the report but for me it was easy since I just pulled it from the NTSB website.

That was one of the things that I was worried about since the requirements state "No accidents or incidents" but they said (Back then mind you) that since it wasn't a 121 operation and I wasn't ruled responsible (Oil pump failure) then it was OK.

My recommendation would be to talk to the agent and explain the particulars, they might be able to give you a more "Up to date" answer since the hiring team seems to have a different approach than the folks I interviewed with.

[Who stole my meds]

Thanks Dominican. Will Do.

Back in the day when I applied, I declared a ditching I had in a C172 back in 92, they asked for the report but for me it was easy since I just pulled it from the NTSB website.

That was one of the things that I was worried about since the requirements state "No accidents or incidents" but they said (Back then mind you) that since it wasn't a 121 operation and I wasn't ruled responsible (Oil pump failure) then it was OK.

My recommendation would be to talk to the agent and explain the particulars, they might be able to give you a more "Up to date" answer since the hiring team seems to have a different approach than the folks I interviewed with.

[goodSK]

Dear Guys

I've read through the threads and really into this airline
BTW looks like training seems a bit somewhat abnormal? or peculiar? during JCAB and line training
I heard rumors like pilots are required to "memorize" every single letters in every jeppensen chart such as MSA and etc
When I ask some pilots for the reason why they were into applying for Japanese airlines but decided not to, they say training is too hardcore
Are they very different from rest of the world's airline?

and I do appreciate this thread
Thank you for infos

[eddiet]

Layovers are generally of the shorter duration. Usually the max is 24 hours. Right now we only have 1 that I can think of that is longer. There is a seasonal reduction in flights to Chengdu so on occasion you will have 2 full days there. I have never had it though. :ugh:

As far as tax, no one on here can answer that question. You will need to talk to someone in your country who does taxes to find out. We are employed by the agency as that is where our paycheck comes from. It is your responsibility to make sure taxes are paid to your country if necessary. For US pilots Crew withholds federal taxes.

Thanks for the good info! :) and hope you get that Chengdu flight soon enough. ;)

btw, any FOs here with AJX? Pm me please! thanks!

[Fratemate]

I heard rumors like pilots are required to "memorize" every single letters in every jeppensen chart such as MSA and etc

Absolute rubbish. Whoever you've been talking to has obviously never actually done the training if they're saying things like that.

The training is long and it is tedious. There is no reason for it to be as long as it is and they could probably cut it in half very easily and 66% wouldn't be too much trouble.....but they won't. It's just a slow race to the finish.

The actual training is not difficult but it's not training. The Japanese learn by rote and they assume that everyone else does. SO guess what you've got to do? In ground school you do have to learn ridiculous numbers like airport design splays etc but you're given a very good idea what you actually do have to learn. In the simulator you're expected to turn up having studied all the stuff that is relevant to the session and you will still be asked irrelevant questions that you won't know the answer to but the instructor does, so he's very clever and knowledgeable. You say 'thank you for your wise words and instruction' and get on with the sims. During line training you will get five different versions of the same way of doing things and according to who you're flying with, that's the way it's done. See above for your response.

You'll get some instructors who expect FOs (they don't normally question captains because they are all-wise) to know the names of VORs, instead of XMC etc but once you're checked out they really don't care. If they're talking about things like that then you're doing okay.

So, in summary, it's long and there's plenty of trivia but memorising MSAs etc is just nonsense spouted by someone who's probably never set foot in Japan.

[goodSK]

Dear Fratemate

Thank you for your truly insider's info
I do appreciate it

and how do you see about company's command upgrade difficulty
I know by reading through the thread that it is active upgrade program but just wanted to know how the insiders feel about

[turbine_ranger]

Thanks for the great info guys!

Saw a picture of JA803A the other day, says Air Japan on it. Glad to know it's happening :)

[Who stole my meds]

And I've seen JA873A (the R2-D2 Jet) with Air Japan written on the side near the registration.

[gtseraf]

yep, it's happening, course 1 on the go now, AJX will start 787 ops with the summer schedule, later this month.

For now, there are no plans for new-hires to go on the 787, they will be placed on the 767. Not sure how the numbers will work in the future but I would expect it may be a few years before any new hires see the 787.

[Catalytic Ignition]

Great to hear that B787 Ops will be entering service soon!!!

I'm keen to apply for the said B767 NTR position with AJX but gentleman & ladies, pardon my ignorance, or maybe even perhaps this question has already been answered through on one of the pages on this thread: What is meant be Jet Command instrument rating?

Unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with this particular requirement. Am I led to believe that they are looking to recruit pilots with Previous PIC hours on a Jet??

Thank you in advance Everyone.

I apologize if this has been answered somewhere else...

Regards

[jrmyl]

I'm keen to apply for the said B767 NTR position with AJX but gentleman & ladies, pardon my ignorance, or maybe even perhaps this question has already been answered through on one of the pages on this thread: What is meant be Jet Command instrument rating?

Unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with this particular requirement. Am I led to believe that they are looking to recruit pilots with Previous PIC hours on a Jet??


Regards

Here are the requirements from the Crew website for the f/o position. I'm not 100% on that "command instrument rating" but I think if you have an ATP then you are good. Best bet would be to email one of the agencies and ask them.
:ok:
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
FIRST OFFICERS:
Total Flight Experience in excess of 3,000 hours
Commercial Jet Experience in excess of 500 hours
250 hrs. PIC -or-
250 hrs., of which 70 hrs. are PIC and remaining experience is PICUS/P1 Under Supervision (PUS) -or-
500 hrs. PICUS/P1 Under Supervision
100 hrs. PIC Cross Country;
200 hrs. Cross Country;
100 hrs. Night Flight;
75 hrs. Instrument Flight;
Valid ICAO Member State ATPL
ICAO Level 4 English
ICAO Valid Jet Aircraft Type Rating (SIC/Co-pilot Jet Type Ratings accepted)
Valid Command Instrument Rating
Valid ICAO Member State Class 1 Medical Certificate

[Catalytic Ignition]

Thank you for the reply jrmyl.

I will check with the agency. I'm pretty sure that you are onto something here by meaning that an ATPL should have you covered.

I hope that you are one of the guys moving onto the Dreamliner. Magic machine!!!

Hopefully I will get a sniff from the agency after I get my docs into their office. Great forum this. Really one of the very few very mature & decent threads I have ever had the pleasure of going through...

Will keep you fellas posted.

[jrmyl]

Nope, not going to the 787 for at least a year or two. Going to wait to see how it all plays out regarding the checking and such. Don't really fancy going through their training just yet. Just feel like going in and doing my job for now.

[Lepo]

Some passenger routes in which the 767 will be replaced by other aircraft soon:

Osaka Kansai - Beijing - A320neo replaces B767-300ER. Effective 1OCT18.
Tokyo Narita - Dalian - B787-9 replaces B767-300ER. Effective 01MAY18.
Tokyo Narita - Taipei Taoyuan - B787-8 replaces B767-300ER. Effective 15AUG18.
Tokyo Narita - Xiamen - A320neo replaces B767-300ER. Effective 01JUN18.

In about 1 or 2 years the B767 at AJX will be basically an all cargo operation.

[Catalytic Ignition]

It makes perfect sense. The 787 economics is much better than the 767 so I guess because they own the 767s why not keep them flying freight. Makes business sense.

787 could be a great rating to get though.



Some passenger routes in which the 767 will be replaced by other aircraft soon:

Osaka Kansai - Beijing - A320neo replaces B767-300ER. Effective 1OCT18.
Tokyo Narita - Dalian - B787-9 replaces B767-300ER. Effective 01MAY18.
Tokyo Narita - Taipei Taoyuan - B787-8 replaces B767-300ER. Effective 15AUG18.
Tokyo Narita - Xiamen - A320neo replaces B767-300ER. Effective 01JUN18.

In about 1 or 2 years the B767 at AJX will be basically an all cargo operation.

[BUSH PILOT]

Great thread, so much info! I've finally read through from post 1 and just have one question.

I saw a little while back someone asking about passing the medical with a 'Right Axis Deviation' on their ECG, or a 'Right Bundle Branch Block' but never saw a reply.

I'm in the same situation and wondering if anyone is currently working there or had any experience with above issue. There are no restrictions on my medical and the licensing authority at home has never had an issue with it.

I've asked one of the agencies but still waiting for a response so thought I'd try my luck here as well.

[iggle piggle]

I got through with an axis deviation, I think it’s left, can’t quite remember but they never mentioned it.

[Fratemate]

I know two people with right cardio bundle branch block. ECG computer spits it out, doctor looks at ECG and dismisses it. Both have no restrictions on their medicals.

[BUSH PILOT]

Awesome, thanks for the quick replies! Good to know it shouldn't be an issue, now just got to make sure I make it through to the medical!!

[The Dominican]

Has anyone else heard that Peach will get some of the 76 freighters to operate them on their certificate?

Interesting times indeed.

[bringbackthe80s]

Has anyone else heard that Peach will get some of the 76 freighters to operate them on their certificate?

Interesting times indeed.


Really? why is that interesting for them? just a bureaucracy thing?

[The Dominican]

Just keep at it...., you will eventually get it.

[atldrvr]

Has anyone else heard that Peach will get some of the 76 freighters to operate them on their certificate?

Interesting times indeed.

Keep it in the freighter configuration and you could really pack in the passengers :)

That is sarcasm just in case bringbackthe80s does not get it :ugh:

[bringbackthe80s]

Keep it in the freighter configuration and you could really pack in the passengers :)

That is sarcasm just in case bringbackthe80s does not get it :ugh:

Nice joke

There it is

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/61093-ana-considers-placing-b767s-with-peach-vanilla-air

[gtseraf]

I think you will find that the 767's mentioned in the article are the passenger versions, not the freighters.I believe that ANA group has a total of 46 767 in total, a mix of -300., ER, F and BCF variants.

It is pretty obvious that the machines possibly destined for Peach and Vanilla will be PASSENGER aircraft.

But then, as we know, anything is possible!

[The Dominican]

That is the only thing for certain....., that we just don't know anything for certain. LOL!

[steveafa]

That news of Vanilla, Peach was old info already 6 months old :D

[jaiveerjhala]

Hi everyone

I am new here. Have been thru the thread on AJX here and have to say it very helpful and answers most of the questions. I have my pre screening tom in MIA.

Just wanted to know if its just the Visual Circuit for the pre screening or there will be a interview and written test as well.

Thanks in advance.

[The Dominican]

Hi everyone

I am new here. Have been thru the thread on AJX here and have to say it very helpful and answers most of the questions. I have my pre screening tom in MIA.

Just wanted to know if its just the Visual Circuit for the pre screening or there will be a interview and written test as well.

Thanks in advance.

This prescreening thing wasn't around back in the day but from what I understand it is just the SIM:ok:

Good luck.

[Lepo]

Hi everyone

I am new here. Have been thru the thread on AJX here and have to say it very helpful and answers most of the questions. I have my pre screening tom in MIA.

Just wanted to know if its just the Visual Circuit for the pre screening or there will be a interview and written test as well.

Thanks in advance.


Pre-screening is just a visual traffic pattern on the sim. Nothing else.

[Lepo]

ANA outlines Air Japan Boeing 787 operation in S18

ANA in last week’s schedule update filed additional changes to its summer schedule, which sees following service to be operated by Air Japan Boeing 787 aircraft during summer 2018 season.

Tokyo Narita – Dalian eff 01MAY18 1 daily 787-9
Tokyo Narita – Honolulu eff 25MAR18 1 daily 787-9 (NH184/183)
Tokyo Narita – Shanghai Pu Dong eff 26MAR18 1 daily 787-8 (NH919/920)
Tokyo Narita – Singapore eff 01SEP18 1 daily 787-8 (NH803/804)

https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/277681/ana-outlines-air-japan-boeing-787-operation-in-s18/

[drop24]

One thing I can't find after reading this thread is a sense of the rosters. How many of your 20 days on are you flying? Is there a lot of back of the clock overnight flights? How long are the pairings and how much are you flying in a month? Thanks.

[jrmyl]

One thing I can't find after reading this thread is a sense of the rosters. How many of your 20 days on are you flying? Is there a lot of back of the clock overnight flights? How long are the pairings and how much are you flying in a month? Thanks.

Schedules vary widely from month to month. There is no real set type of schedule. What you can count on is having 1 day off every 7. That is all they have to give you. But saying that, I usually don't work 6 on 1 off.

Looking at April's schedule, I have 4 days off and I am there 22 days. But I also have 3 standby days. Seems I get used on standby about 30% of the time.

I have 13 flying sectors and 8 of them are back side of the clock. We have anywhere from 1 day to 5 day pairings. Looking at April it looks like my longest is 3 days and shortest is a loooooooong 1 day. :mad:

Average flight time per month is around 50 hours. If you have more passenger pairings you will have more hours of flying than if you have cargo pairings. Cargo pairings are usually shorter flights.

[drop24]

Thanks for the great info. How are the JCAB duty hour limitations? I assumed because the position is salaried the company will roster you at max duty but 50 hours sounds reasonable. Are the Air Japan limits more strict that the JCAB?

[Fratemate]

You will never get anywhere near the annual limits. I think one year I had 470 hours but the rest all fall around 450 or below.

We have our own set of Scheduling Guidelines, which AJX use when constructing the rosters. They are significantly better than the JCAB limits, which basically say you can work 15 hours a day, have reduced rest and all of this may be extended if required. The JCAB limits have no place in modern aviation and are an absolute joke as far as fatigue risk management is concerned. Our SGs are a very positive step in the right direction. They're not absolutely ideal because the guys that managed to implement them were dealing with a mindset based on the JCAB thinking but they still do a lot more to help our schedules than not. There are still night to day duties and there are plenty of pairings where you do wonder if any consideration has been given to sleep cycles etc but tell me an airline nowadays where this is never the case. If you can find one, apply to them :}

I am similar to jrmyl. I end up working 6 in 7 but that does not mean I'm flying for 6 days. I'll have standby and probably get called 20-25% of the time. Working 6 days straight and then one off is quite rare and it will normally be something like 3 day duty, standby, 2 day duty, blank day. Sometimes there are much longer stints (up to 9 days), with a blank day downroute but I would say 80% of my flying is made up of 3 day trips.....at night :)

[Who stole my meds]

From the outside looking in that all sounds very positive (bearing in mind I'm in the same part of the world flying to most of the same places but pushing 900 a year). It'll be interesting to hear what the 787 rosters & work patterns look like in due course.

[Flydude737]

I just curious about how many people are going to take the interview. The pass rate looks pretty low.:bored:

[Lepo]

Just out of curiosity, NRT has been awarded an extension on its operating hours.
The new operating hours will be from 05:00 to 00:30.

Also, runway 16L/34R will be expanded to 3500m by 2020.

[Catalytic Ignition]

Hi everyone, any guys with assessments in May & June??

[bringbackthe80s]

How is the introduction of the 787 going, it started in March right?
Are they transferring based on seniority I guess?

[Fratemate]

First 787 course started in January and they've all passed all the JCAB stuff. The second course started in March and the third is slated for May. You can see the pattern :) I'm pretty sure the first course has finished the line training stuff as well.

The first two courses were captains only and were, mostly, done on seniority. With JCAB and ANA Mainline looking on with a LOT of interest, AJX wanted to make sure they were all going to pass, so some people may have been bypassed. To be honest, I haven't even looked at the list to see if that's the case but it is what we were advised was going to happen in the emails prior to the courses starting.

The May course will all be FOs and there's eight on every course.

After that we don't know but it should start being a mixture of captains and FOs. There will be more captains because there are a whole heap of FOs who either can't 'bid' for the 787 because they haven't been in long enough or they've been in too long and would rather get a command on the 767 instead of being stuck in the RHS of a 787 for the next 4+ years.

Allegedly, after course 1 & 2 it should go to seniority but they reserve the right to pick who they want. They doubtless will and don't really need to give a reason because we don't actually have a seniority system, we have no union representation for such (and the contract companies might as well not exist for that sort of thing) AND because that's what they said could happen. So, I'm sure we'll see the usual junior suspects on the 787 course (if they can drag themselves away from butt kissing in the office) ahead of people who have been there significantly longer :*

[B757UK]

First 787 course started in January and they've all passed all the JCAB stuff. The second course started in March and the third is slated for May. You can see the pattern :) I'm pretty sure the first course has finished the line training stuff as well.

The first two courses were captains only and were, mostly, done on seniority. With JCAB and ANA Mainline looking on with a LOT of interest, AJX wanted to make sure they were all going to pass, so some people may have been bypassed. To be honest, I haven't even looked at the list to see if that's the case but it is what we were advised was going to happen in the emails prior to the courses starting.

The May course will all be FOs and there's eight on every course.

After that we don't know but it should start being a mixture of captains and FOs. There will be more captains because there are a whole heap of FOs who either can't 'bid' for the 787 because they haven't been in long enough or they've been in too long and would rather get a command on the 767 instead of being stuck in the RHS of a 787 for the next 4+ years.

Allegedly, after course 1 & 2 it should go to seniority but they reserve the right to pick who they want. They doubtless will and don't really need to give a reason because we don't actually have a seniority system, we have no union representation for such (and the contract companies might as well not exist for that sort of thing) AND because that's what they said could happen. So, I'm sure we'll see the usual junior suspects on the 787 course (if they can drag themselves away from butt kissing in the office) ahead of people who have been there significantly longer :*

Thanks for the info Fratemate! Obviously I know you don’t have a crystal ball but how do you see this affecting recruitment on the 76? More required to replace those transferring to the 78 or less required as they phase out the 76? Anyone who does have a crystal ball feel free to reply....

[bringbackthe80s]

First 787 course started in January and they've all passed all the JCAB stuff. The second course started in March and the third is slated for May. You can see the pattern :) I'm pretty sure the first course has finished the line training stuff as well.

The first two courses were captains only and were, mostly, done on seniority. With JCAB and ANA Mainline looking on with a LOT of interest, AJX wanted to make sure they were all going to pass, so some people may have been bypassed. To be honest, I haven't even looked at the list to see if that's the case but it is what we were advised was going to happen in the emails prior to the courses starting.

The May course will all be FOs and there's eight on every course.

After that we don't know but it should start being a mixture of captains and FOs. There will be more captains because there are a whole heap of FOs who either can't 'bid' for the 787 because they haven't been in long enough or they've been in too long and would rather get a command on the 767 instead of being stuck in the RHS of a 787 for the next 4+ years.

Allegedly, after course 1 & 2 it should go to seniority but they reserve the right to pick who they want. They doubtless will and don't really need to give a reason because we don't actually have a seniority system, we have no union representation for such (and the contract companies might as well not exist for that sort of thing) AND because that's what they said could happen. So, I'm sure we'll see the usual junior suspects on the 787 course (if they can drag themselves away from butt kissing in the office) ahead of people who have been there significantly longer :*

Great thank you

[Fratemate]

Thanks for the info Fratemate! Obviously I know you don’t have a crystal ball but how do you see this affecting recruitment on the 76? More required to replace those transferring to the 78 or less required as they phase out the 76? Anyone who does have a crystal ball feel free to reply....

I certainly don't have a crystal ball but in my opinion (and it's worth the price you're paying for it) I think they'll need fewer pilots in the company as they shrink the 767 freighter fleet. Basically, the 787s will replace the 767s in the passenger role but ANA has announced they will be reducing the 767 freighters by 3 or 4 (I can't remember exactly how many).

But all is not lost and they still want plenty of pilots and they're not getting them. We'll be losing a bunch of QF pilots soon and there are a few who have applications in with the US majors (and some who have already gone that way). We've got some retirements coming up and the 2020 Olympics on the way, so they're still recruiting.

You've been sitting on the fence for ages 757. Are you coming or not.....it can't be that difficult :-)

[Flighthawk]

Does anyone have any idea how strict they are on the 500 hours on jet in the screening process. I meet all the requirements except the 500 on jet. I have plenty of time on large commuter turboprops (Q400) but not sure that will count. I'm currently captain on a regional jet but just barely cracked 250hrs PIC. Not sure whether to apply until having the 500 hours on jet?

[Catalytic Ignition]

Having gotten through the very early stage of being invited for an assessment. I can assure you that they are very strict with exactly what the ask for. They scrutinized every single hour logged & wanted a very comprehensive list of exactly which operator you worked for doing the work.
Hopefully I will proceed further than the assessment but I will update the group in any event.

[Flighthawk]

When I read through the contract details, it said they only want the last 6 pages of your logbook? Is that true?

[Flighthawk]

Having gotten through the very early stage of being invited for an assessment. I can assure you that they are very strict with exactly what they ask for. They scrutinized every single hour logged & wanted a very comprehensive list of exactly which operator you worked for doing the work.
Hopefully I will proceed further than the assessment but I will update the group in any event.

I've been in and out on wether to apply based on my experience to go to Emirates or do this contract so tough decisions........

[Catalytic Ignition]

That is correct they only require the last 6 pages for the application. Company validated of course. I cannot comment at all first hand about flying for Emirates but have a few buddies there. You will find a very different management style than what you are used to. Also terms & conditions that can be changed at any moment in your favor but usually not. The training culture from what I hear is also not the best. I cannot comment first hand but these are the noises I hear. Goodluck & make the right Decision for you & yourself alone!!!

[Fratemate]

They may want the last six pages of your logbook for the application but on day one, when you join, they will want you to have all your logbooks so they can check you meet the requirements for conversion to a JCAB ATPL. Make sure your numbers all add up :)

[gtseraf]

That is correct they only require the last 6 pages for the application. Company validated of course. I cannot comment at all first hand about flying for Emirates but have a few buddies there. You will find a very different management style than what you are used to. Also terms & conditions that can be changed at any moment in your favor but usually not. The training culture from what I hear is also not the best. I cannot comment first hand but these are the noises I hear. Goodluck & make the right Decision for you & yourself alone!!!

You will find that the culture here is very different to any Western culture. The individual is expected to comply with the rules and requirements of the group. Many decisions are made here based on company requirements with little or no consideration given for personal circumstances. This often translates to being expected to do perform duties which, in many other companies, would be considered unacceptable.

It would not be unreasonable to ask oneself why they have been recruiting non-stop for many years yet, the crew numbers are hardly growing.

[Who stole my meds]

It would not be unreasonable to ask oneself why they have been recruiting non-stop for many years yet, the crew numbers are hardly growing.

Probably the most profound point I've seen made about this contract.

Very sobering.

[The Dominican]

You will find that the culture here is very different to any Western culture. The individual is expected to comply with the rules and requirements of the group. Many decisions are made here based on company requirements with little or no consideration given for personal circumstances. This often translates to being expected to do perform duties which, in many other companies, would be considered unacceptable.

The 787 transition being a perfect example.

[bringbackthe80s]

The 787 transition being a perfect example.

How so? You mean for some people being bypassed?

[A320 Skipper]

Gentleman, does someone know if it is possible to apply again if failed at any stage of the interview process?

Thank you:ok:

[B757UK]

I certainly don't have a crystal ball but in my opinion (and it's worth the price you're paying for it) I think they'll need fewer pilots in the company as they shrink the 767 freighter fleet. Basically, the 787s will replace the 767s in the passenger role but ANA has announced they will be reducing the 767 freighters by 3 or 4 (I can't remember exactly how many).

But all is not lost and they still want plenty of pilots and they're not getting them. We'll be losing a bunch of QF pilots soon and there are a few who have applications in with the US majors (and some who have already gone that way). We've got some retirements coming up and the 2020 Olympics on the way, so they're still recruiting.

You've been sitting on the fence for ages 757. Are you coming or not.....it can't be that difficult :-)

Thanks!! Haha I’m nowhere near the fence - the application will go in the day I have 3000 hours! Looking like back end of this year if not early 2019!!

[dboy]

Hello

I got also approached by CAE to work for this outfit.

I was wondering if there are here european pilots working for them? Is the commuting part on your 12 days of doable? Face it, only 12 days off and doing a long commuting flight and facing a jetlag, i can imagine it is pretty hard.

Some info. Tx

[Fratemate]

I was wondering if there are here european pilots working for them? Is the commuting part on your 12 days of doable?

Read the thread and your questions will be answered.

[dboy]

Yes i know you can extend the days off with your holidays.

But i just wanted to hear the feedback of european pilots about the commuting, if they think it is doable or not. For me it would mean every time a flight of 12 hours.

Grts

[Fratemate]

We have plenty of European pilots and they commute each month. So, yes, it's doable. I don't know what feedback you'd expect. 12 hours in an aircraft is very personal. It sounds like you think that's a lot but I wish I had a single sector 12hr flight. AJX pilots are subject to the same jetlag as other humans so we're going to be just as knackered as you think you will be. There's no getting round that I'm afraid and, yes, you do spend quite a few days getting over it when you get home and when you arrive back in Japan.

Some have single flights, others two and many have > 12hrs.

You 'make' time when going home. You 'lose' when going to work.

Long commutes are a pain and a waste of our lives. Don't apply for a commuting contract if you don't want to commute 12 hours.

[dboy]

Hello Fratemate

thank you for the info. This deal for me would be great (i am single, no wife, nor kids), except the little days off you have where you have to recover from the jetlag. Once recovered after a few days in Europe, i already have to move again to NRT....to recover again!! I am still amazed that ppl can cope with this.

Still trying to read all the pages here to make up my mind.

tx

[BoxFly]

dboy,

I think I can save you some time reading. Yes the commuting is fatiguing. On top of that the schedules are fatiguing. All of us east/west guys are fatigued the first couple days.
You do have the ability to make a back to back schedule and reducing your commutes to 6 times a year. However that comes at a price too. As I said the schedules are fatiguing. Without a break for 30+ days it compounds.

The bottom line is if fatigue is your #1 concern then this is not your gig.

[dboy]

Thx Boxfly. Got already at page 40 though. Seems a nice company to work for BUT indeed the 12h commuting, fatigue and travelling across time zones is going to kill me. Plus i have to pay a lot of taxes in my home country on this salary. Rostering i have no clue but believe your words. Another minor point, starting to commute on my off days....... If i take 14 days off i will be max 11 real at home. Off time for me is a big issue, i am not 20 anymore.

tx.

[The Dominican]

There is always Ryanair and Easy Jet......., great salary and rosters, and all your sectors within a time zone or two...!

Go go live the good life....!

[dboy]

The Dominican,

i have read really constructive comments of you on this thread. I did not write of the “joining idea” entirely. Yes i am based in Europe but also never see my home at all. It sounds very ironically, but when working for Air Japan, i would see my home more often than staying in my current company. I see home max 10 days every 9 a 10 weeks! Anyway, still thinkng about the pro’s and cons.

AJV is providing 10off days and 2 commuting days. Is it possible to decide taking only, let’s say 5 off days and the rest transfering to next month?

tx

[drop24]

I see some other airlines requesting a no incidents/accidents letter. Does Air Japan or the JCAB request this? I don't know if my authority issues such a document.

[Half-Pint]

I see some other airlines requesting a no incidents/accidents letter. Does Air Japan or the JCAB request this? I don't know if my authority issues such a document.

As far as I remember AJX required a licence verification from the issuing authority and had a field for any "accidents or serious incidents" on the application form (through PARC).

My authority (ZAF) issued a "Licence Verification" document which basically stated the licence I held and that I did not have any current or pending investigations. This sufficed for AJX when I interviewed with them back in 2016.

HP

[2023]

Yes i know you can extend the days off with your holidays.

But i just wanted to hear the feedback of european pilots about the commuting, if they think it is doable or not. For me it would mean every time a flight of 12 hours.

Grts
Hi, i commute to Germany. i got my 10 days off + 2 vacation days + 2 commuting days.
You can go home the same day you arrive form your last flight, and you have to be back (tokyo) 9 hs before your flight. So, most of the times i arrive home the SAME day of my last flight,
so one of the Commuting days is a DAY OFF!..
13 days in a row at home!
You can do back to back too (14 + 14)

[dboy]

Hello 2023

tx for your reply. Can you explain what this back to back schedule means?? Never heard off.

I am still considering it, but have to find out a bit how it works with the taxes. In my homecountry i pay my ..s of.

[Fratemate]

Back to back means you can join one month's days off onto the next. So, for instance, you could have last 14 days of June (10 days off + 2 commuting days + 2 vacation days) and add them to the first 14 days of July (or even more if you have other vacation days to use.....of your 24 per year). You will, of course, then have to make up that time by spending longer in Japan and could find yourself 5-6 weeks away from home. Some people do this a lot in order to reduce the jet lag by having two commutes and, also, saving one commute and getting $2000.

As has been said all along, probably the best bit of this whole contract is the flexibility of the days off and long may it continue because it is the only thing that is keeping some people here. AJX management realise this but there are a lot of envious people in ANA and they don't like the 'freedom' we seem to have, so there is continuous pressure for AJX to gain more control of the days off and they would like nothing better to have set blocks and/or allocate time off. If this ever happened then I would certainly be on the next flight out of Japan with many others but that doesn't mean they won't keep nibbling away.

And kind of on that subject, yes it is true that AJX requires an absolute minimum of 9 hours for you to rest before a duty, having commuted into work. BUT they are being very generous in allowing that and it is absolutely imperative that people don't abuse it or muck it up for everyone else by not managing their inbound flights or getting sufficient rest before a duty. The contract call for you to commute into Japan on the last day off and they could enforce that if anybody screwed up. The original 'alleviation' was put there so that Oz commuters could arrive early (before 0600) on the first day of duty because to arrive the day before would mean leaving the day before that i.e. a day off instead of a commuting day. It is not meant to be there as a free-for-all to push the limit. I say all this because you should not plan to come to AJX based on getting in to Japan with minimum time to spare. As with all 'privileges' be it staff travel, days off, extra payments etc there will always be some ******** who spoils it for everyone else. You should plan on that ******** doing exactly that and the 9 hour 'alleviation' not being an option in order to best compare your time off. In other words, plan for the worst and hope for the best.

[The Dominican]

"As has been said all along, probably the best bit of this whole contract is the flexibility of the days off and long may it continue because it is the only thing that is keeping some people here. AJX management realise this but there are a lot of envious people in ANA and they don't like the 'freedom' we seem to have, so there is continuous pressure for AJX to gain more control of the days off and they would like nothing better to have set blocks and/or allocate time off."

Not sure where you are getting that notion from, but the impression I have as of late is that with the movement at mainline and upgrades coming at less than 5,000 hours total time, the raise they got not too long ago and further announcement of another 16 billion on new spending on A/C's is that the mainline folks are not really paying too much attention into what's happening at AJX.

[The Dominican]

I could be wrong but line integration on the transition period (the mid month mark) and the Christman Holiday allocation is more of a factor into some of the ideas being floated around with bidding, rather than some mainline guy that earns 400K a year being envious.

But I admit that lately I've been keeping the finger off the pulse.....

[Kraus]

ANA pilots requested the same days off selection protocols that AJX have, the catch was, they wanted to keep their generous layover conditions of two local nights etc. ANA said no.

[Fratemate]

Okay, given TD's firm grasp of the non-essential and seizing on a trivial point that makes absolutely no difference to my original reply, I'll try again with the offending words removed. As you see, the rest of the post is unaffected:

Back to back means you can join one month's days off onto the next. So, for instance, you could have last 14 days of June (10 days off + 2 commuting days + 2 vacation days) and add them to the first 14 days of July (or even more if you have other vacation days to use.....of your 24 per year). You will, of course, then have to make up that time by spending longer in Japan and could find yourself 5-6 weeks away from home. Some people do this a lot in order to reduce the jet lag by having two commutes and, also, saving one commute and getting $2000.

As has been said all along, probably the best bit of this whole contract is the flexibility of the days off and long may it continue because it is the only thing that is keeping some people here. AJX management realise this but there is continuous pressure for them to gain more control of the days off and they would like nothing better to have set blocks and/or allocate time off. If this ever happened then I would certainly be on the next flight out of Japan with many others but that doesn't mean they won't keep nibbling away.

And kind of on that subject, yes it is true that AJX requires an absolute minimum of 9 hours for you to rest before a duty, having commuted into work. BUT they are being very generous in allowing that and it is absolutely imperative that people don't abuse it or muck it up for everyone else by not managing their inbound flights or getting sufficient rest before a duty. The contract call for you to commute into Japan on the last day off and they could enforce that if anybody screwed up. The original 'alleviation' was put there so that Oz commuters could arrive early (before 0600) on the first day of duty because to arrive the day before would mean leaving the day before that i.e. a day off instead of a commuting day. It is not meant to be there as a free-for-all to push the limit. I say all this because you should not plan to come to AJX based on getting in to Japan with minimum time to spare. As with all 'privileges' be it staff travel, days off, extra payments etc there will always be some ******** who spoils it for everyone else. You should plan on that ******** doing exactly that and the 9 hour 'alleviation' not being an option in order to best compare your time off. In other words, plan for the worst and hope for the best.

[Goteze11]

Many thanks to all of you who has been wrote very useful and helpful information about AJX especially Fratemate, Dominican and other currently working pilots in AJX. I read pretty much every threads from the begining and they are all super meaningful to me and helped my decision to whether or not I apply this position.
Oh by the way, with regarding to Fratemate last comments, what does ‘Oz’ commuters mean?? [/left]

[Lepo]

Many thanks to all of you who has been wrote very useful and helpful information about AJX especially Fratemate, Dominican and other currently working pilots in AJX. I read pretty much every threads from the begining and they are all super meaningful to me and helped my decision to whether or not I apply this position.
Oh by the way, with regarding to Fratemate last comments, what does ‘Oz’ commuters mean??


​​​​​OZ = Australia

[drop24]

Does anyone just stay in Japan on their days off if they can independently get residency? Does Air Japan frown upon this at all?

If you were to make your home somewhere reasonably near Narita airport how much time could you spend at home during your working period? Do you have to be a certain distance away in case of last minute call outs?

[jrmyl]

Does anyone just stay in Japan on their days off if they can independently get residency? Does Air Japan frown upon this at all?

If you were to make your home somewhere reasonably near Narita airport how much time could you spend at home during your working period? Do you have to be a certain distance away in case of last minute call outs?

You could stay in Japan on days off if you wanted. No need for residency. Air Japan has no idea if you are here or not, unless you tell them. Many people have apartments or houses in Narita and several are renting apartments in Tokyo.

Right now they have no set distance on sitting standby. (I personally think that is a mistake, but that is just me) However if you come in on a shore pass then you are limited to the Narita/Tokyo area. If you want to go explore the outer areas on days off you need to enter on passport.

[drop24]

Thanks for the info. How much time are you spending on standby typically? Also, how many overnights are you typically getting at Narita during your monthly days on?

[jrmyl]

one is required to report for duty, no later than 2 hours after being called out on standby. (source, some obscure office policy document, issued about 13 years ago)
Yes, another one of those obscure "rules" that we are supposed to know and abide by. It's amazing how many of those keep popping up in the last two years.

Standby's per month vary. Some months you will not have any. Other months, like this one for me, you will have 6 of them. Nights in NRT vary also. You can count on being there 2 nights every 7 days since you have to have the 1 day off. There just really is no set amount of standby or nights in NRT.

[VarigMD11]

Quick question regarding the ATPL licence....I am currently an F/O on the A320, and in my country (EASA member state) I am unable to attain a full ATPL until I do my P1 Cpt on the type I am rated on.

As such, I would like to know if it is possible to go through the whole AJX selection process with provision of attaining a full ATPL (at my own expense) before the start date if I am successful. Has anyone been in the same position as me?

[dboy]

@Varig

Can you not unfreeze it with your next lpc/opc? I just had to do a raw data ils. It should be a tick in the box.

I guess you need to have it before starting the application?

[Lepo]

Quick question regarding the ATPL licence....I am currently an F/O on the A320, and in my country (EASA member state) I am unable to attain a full ATPL until I do my P1 Cpt on the type I am rated on.

As such, I would like to know if it is possible to go through the whole AJX selection process with provision of attaining a full ATPL (at my own expense) before the start date if I am successful. Has anyone been in the same position as me?

I'd say the Japanese are very strict about their requirements, so they probably won't accept your application without a full ATPL.
But I'd recommend sending a message to CAE Parc or CrEW, they should be able to confirm that for you.

[avi8safely]

By the way, are those with native English and “All Nippon” call sign actually Air Japan pilots? Or does ANA recruit expat pilots as well?

[Fratemate]

Yes.

No.

:)

[Fratemate]

Not correct!

You're not paid by Air Japan, you're paid by the contracting agency. You are paid gross and it is up to you to sort out your tax. The number of days we stay in Japan does not affect AJX one iota because they have nothing whatsoever to do with our salary or our tax apart from giving the agencies the money to pay us.

We have Japanese with JCAB ATPLs flying for AJX i.e. NOT Mainline ANA. They are hired by the same contracting agencies as non-Japanese. They are also paid gross and expected to take care of their own tax affairs.

What you're saying may apply to other contracts where the company pays the pilots directly. This is NOT the case with AJX, so what you've said is incorrect for this situation.

[Townie]

Been following for awhile, and I have read the entire thing so please forgive me if the answers are embedded somewhere in the history.

Can your spouse/family also live in Japan? If not "sponsored" by Air Japan are there other options, such as self sponsor, sponsored by spouse, by "fake company" or only through employment?
Do they extend medical and travel benefits to your spouse/family?
How long are present times to upgrade? Know it can vary, but maybe someone can provide some historical data, or has some foresight into the future?

Thanks

[Fratemate]

I'm finding it difficult to think of any AJX families living in Japan where at least one of the husband or wife are not Japanese. That's not to say there aren't but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Some guys have had their wives/girlfriends (not at the same time) staying in Japan for a long period but I think they normally come in on a tourist visa, as opposed to any sort of residential visa. I know nothing of the sponsorship schemes since I wouldn't subject my family to living in Japan.

ZED travel is open to your spouse/close family in accordance with the 'normal' industry standard. In other words, wife, kids, parents etc bit not your uncle Bob.

Medical depends on which contract company you use. Crew have got the best medical package and it is worth prioritising them if you apply because that package is worth a lot. It includes your family and everyone I've spoken to who has cause to use it has been impressed. Not so, Parc. Their use if BUPA Global does the job most of the time but there are plenty of horror stories where guys are having to pay bills themselves and then having to chase BUPA for non-payment etc. NOT what you need when you're off sick. Parc also has an 'excess' payment of GBP200/year and you have to pay extra if you want to include family. It is a vastly inferior package to Crew.

Nothing has changed really with upgrades. They're still assessing at around the 3.5 year mark and slotting in courses shortly thereafter. It doesn't seem to worry them being overborne by captains and there's no specific strategy to split 50/50. Being able to fly captain/captain actually allows them flexibility in having more 4 stripes than 3. I think it will be at least 3 years (possibly more) in the seat before we see any FOs go from right to left on the 787. I don't think ANA Mainline yet have a 787 upgrade program so we'll really be behind the curve on that score. Not that it will concern new joiners for the time being.....maybe in 7 years or so :) .........maybe

[Absolutely]

Not sure where that rumour came from Fratemate. ANA have had an upgrade programme on the 787 for many years, just like any other fleet. They also have 2 upgraded female captains on the 787 now.

[Fratemate]

Haha, it actually came from one of our Japanese 'management' captains, so that is definitely stupidity on my part listening to him. I had also heard of the two female captains, so should have joined up the dots instead of transmitting the evident rubbish from one of our 'betters' :(

[SoFarFromHome]

Good morning all AJ pilots,

I thought I would write and introduce myself, perhaps one day in the future I will have some information I can add on here to help.

I have been interested in this contract for a number of years and with a number of friends working there it has slowly dawned on me that its almost a perfect match me and the family. I do hope I am lucky enough to be invited for an interview.

Enjoying reading through all the posts and thinking about where I can find a 767 sim to go through the profile a few times before the check, if I make it to an interview that is. It certainly sounds like a very good position, with the time off, flexibility and a great group of pilots and company to work with. I have heard all about the good and the bad, and happily still feel its a great fit.

Inspired to get back in the books and give it my very best shot.

Regards,

SFFH

[danny_chi_1975]

Not correct!

You're not paid by Air Japan, you're paid by the contracting agency. You are paid gross and it is up to you to sort out your tax. The number of days we stay in Japan does not affect AJX one iota because they have nothing whatsoever to do with our salary or our tax apart from giving the agencies the money to pay us.

So in this case, you could stay in Japan during your days off, but you might have to pay up to 40% tax. Is that correct?

[The Dominican]

Your taxes in Japan are based on you obtaining legal residency in the country, not on you spending your days off in Japan. But you must NOT overstay your shorepass days nor overstay your visa. That will open the proverbial can of worms

[jrmyl]

So in this case, you could stay in Japan during your days off, but you might have to pay up to 40% tax. Is that correct?
No. We are not responsible for any tax in Japan. We are not employed in Japan. We are "offshore" contractors employed by agencies in other countries. That is why we only do international flights and are not allowed to do domestic flights. We enter Japan just like any other pilot would on a shorepass or on our passports. We have no residency card. (unless you have ways to get one on your own) So if you want to stay here on your days off you would just enter on your passport and stay just like any other tourist would. Has nothing at all to do with us flying these airplanes.

[MD7]

Asking for a friend here what is the eye examination medical for JCAB. Friend has had eye surgery still maintains class 1 medical. He's licence is Canadian and he wants to know how rigorous is the medical especially for the eye or is there no problem as long as he maintains the required eye sight for the test. Corrected vision is 20/25.

[danny_chi_1975]

No. We are not responsible for any tax in Japan. We are not employed in Japan. We are "offshore" contractors employed by agencies in other countries. That is why we only do international flights and are not allowed to do domestic flights. We enter Japan just like any other pilot would on a shorepass or on our passports. We have no residency card. (unless you have ways to get one on your own) So if you want to stay here on your days off you would just enter on your passport and stay just like any other tourist would. Has nothing at all to do with us flying these airplanes.

Japan's double tax treaties are in line with the OECD Model Treaty with respect to the tax-exempt treatment of foreign employees temporarily working in Japan. Such employees are generally tax exempt if they fulfill the following three criteria:

they are present in Japan for not more than 183 days in any 12-month period commencing or ending the fiscal year concerned
their salary is paid by a non-resident employer
none of the salary is borne by a permanent establishment in Japan.

This rule applies to non-resident too. Thats why I think if people stay in Japan during days off would exceed 183 days, and it makes exemption invalid.

[drop24]

What is the long term outlook for Air Japan? For those of us with 30+ years until retirement what are the chances these contracts will still be around that long? Are there a large number of pilots that have made it their career company?

[777-200LR]

Drop24,

With all my respect to your question, I’m only half way through my aviation career and am witnessing big changes across the aviation world. The pilot shortage is evident in all corners and is showing the true colors of the way the airlines are dealing with it. Some choose to lower the minimum requirements, avoiding big pay rises but flooding their pilot base with less and less experience. In the US, some of the regionals are taking on DECs and even offering work permits, this was not even heard of 10 years ago. Chinese carriers continue to up the pay to lure in experience pilots.

The truth is, nothing can be predicted. Human nature is to quickly forget (only 15-20 years ago, the US airlines were in free fall, many of them going into chapter 11 protection), no one in Europe was recruiting and Emirates & Cathay was a highly sought after job!

My advice to you is do you research before you commit to anywhere, expect that your needs will indeed change (single, married, family, kids, divorce, etc) and almost no one stays 30 years in the same airline!

[The Dominican]

What is the long term outlook for Air Japan? For those of us with 30+ years until retirement what are the chances these contracts will still be around that long? Are there a large number of pilots that have made it their career company?
Death & taxes brother...... That is the guarantee!

When I got my first "Welcome to your last job in aviation" speech back in 1989 I took to my crystal ball with a hammer.

I can't even tell you what the outlook will be for me in this company and I've been here 11 years.

[drop24]

There's over 100 people retiring per year with 30+ years at my airline so I'm not sure what you mean by that. It's pretty common at many legacy carriers worldwide. Or did you mean only expat contract pilots?
What is the history of Air Japan's foreign contractors? Has it been working this way since they started 17 years ago? When JAL kicked all the foreigners out what was the reasoning and could something similar happen at this company? ie They have enough locals to staff all positions.

[jrmyl]

There's over 100 people retiring per year with 30+ years at my airline so I'm not sure what you mean by that. It's pretty common at many legacy carriers worldwide. Or did you mean only expat contract pilots?
What is the history of Air Japan's foreign contractors? Has it been working this way since they started 17 years ago? When JAL kicked all the foreigners out what was the reasoning and could something similar happen at this company? ie They have enough locals to staff all positions.
AJX has been running along pretty much the same since the beginning. Just went from one company to two and then back to one. Of course something like JAL could happen here. All it takes is a downturn in the economy for a while and ANA starts losing money and shrinking. Who will be the first to go? We will.

As the others were alluding to. There is no guarantee in Aviation. No matter where you are employed. Just ask the Eastern or PanAm pilots. I bet they felt pretty secure at one point.

[Koan]

No. We are not responsible for any tax in Japan. We are not employed in Japan. We are "offshore" contractors employed by agencies in other countries. That is why we only do international flights and are not allowed to do domestic flights. We enter Japan just like any other pilot would on a shorepass or on our passports. We have no residency card. (unless you have ways to get one on your own) So if you want to stay here on your days off you would just enter on your passport and stay just like any other tourist would. Has nothing at all to do with us flying these airplanes.

For example if one wanted to fly to Hokkaido for a week, etc. between trips instead of "commuting home" would immigration allow the pilot to enter on Passport (US/ 90 day visa exempt), instead of a shorepass?

Any chance of hiring FOs on the 787 in a few years? (I should have the type)

[Fratemate]

For example if one wanted to fly to Hokkaido for a week, etc. between trips instead of "commuting home" would immigration allow the pilot to enter on Passport (US/ 90 day visa exempt), instead of a shorepass?

Yes, you can use your passport to enter Japan after your last trip before your days off and then use the length of the tourist visa to visit places. Many people who use ZED tickets will use their passport after their last trip because they may not get on with the standby ticket and then it's a real pain getting a new shore pass sorted out. Only snag with passport is the Japanese putting a sticker in your book and taking up half the page, so make sure you've got lots of spare pages.

Any chance of hiring FOs on the 787 in a few years? (I should have the type)

Well, eventually they will because they'll get rid of all the 767s but this is going to take quite some time. The latest information we had from the Company was there would be no direct entry onto the 787 for the foreseeable future. Your guess is as good as any as to how long that would be. Being type rated would almost certainly go in your favour for the interview but it won't make much difference to the course. Assuming you're lucky enough to have another type rated pilot to pair up with in the sim, then you'd be exempt one of the checks and a bit of ground school but that's about it.

[Koan]

Thanks for the info. I have the JTT card already, no more stamps at NRT/NGO/HND/KIX. Recently had an unscheduled overnight. After pfaffing about for 3 hours with MX immigration held us for about half an hour while they searched for the original shore passes.

[TheDuke2]

Good day, can anyone possible give me some feedback on how it is to work for ANA? Lifestyle, family time, schools, etc.
Thanks

[flyer142]

Good day, can anyone possible give me some feedback on how it is to work for ANA? Lifestyle, family time, schools, etc.
Thanks

Maybe ok to review last 142 pages........nothing much has changed. other than biz class seat commute- couple more days off, some sort-of sched guidelines that they obey here-and there.

[drop24]

I think you'll find it quite hard to get an idea on what it's actually like to work there from just reading this thread. The most there seems to be is along the lines of 'it varies from month to month' type posts.

[The Dominican]

I think you'll find it quite hard to get an idea on what it's actually like to work there from just reading this thread. The most there seems to be is along the lines of 'it varies from month to month' type posts.
Maybe because it varies from month to month...!

I don't think you will find another thread that has more honest and straigh forward details than this one.

[heavydane]

Honestly, if You expect US style trip trade, drops and stay at home when You don't feel like working, please do not come her! If like most of us here You realize that the two weeks at home every month comes at a price, then put Your hat in the ring and we would love to see You here.

Best regards
Heavydane

[Catalytic Ignition]

Hi Everyone

I have just attended an unsuccessful attempt at the AJX screening. The screening was very professional. The conduct & presentation is second to none that I have seen anywhere yet. The interview is very relaxed with actually a very different approach I found. From the moment the first question is asked there is a real feeling that they are wanting to hear from you how exactly the commuting type of business will suite you or not. They also really want you to pass the assessment.

The questions were very orientated around how will your family deal with the long duration of the type rating training etc. A few techno questions too. I had 3 Captains & a lady from HR.

Before the interview there is a very thorough Briefing on the 3 SIM profiles(did I mention thorough). I would suggest you knowing the Pitch & thrust settings for each phase (segment of flight ) without thinking. He quized me on a few during the briefing to gather my study preparation etc. I must admit the SIM would be IMPOSSIBLE to fly the way they want you to without knowing these. Yes you could get away by doing it your way but then again you would then be sliming your chances.

My ultimate undoing was not knowing intimately these pitch & power settings. I knew them but not in my sleep so to speak, & when the workload got high, it is these especially thrust settings that can save your bacon. Because you could then set the thrust & concentrate the hell out on your scan & pitch etc. Everytime you change thrust there is a pitching change & everytime you take flap there is pitch change. These are basics but your workload is high if you don't know what ballpark thrust to set to unload some RAM to scan, adjust & hold.

I am disappointed I did not make the cut but ultimately I leave the above post to aspiring aviators for the same role. It might just help you by reading this.
Awesome Gig to have not got unfortunately...

Safe skies!

Best of luck!

​​​​

[PalmtreePilot74]

If you want to fly for a Japanese company still, I've heard Nippon Cargo is gong to be interviewing again in late summer early fall. Check with Parc or HACS to see if you qualify. I must worn you though, I heard the place is falling apart by the week and some how with half the fleet parked they still need more pilots. That might tell you something...

[Catalytic Ignition]

Thank you for the heads up Palm tree Pilot. I still have a pretty decent job at the moment on a good machine. This attempt at AJX would have just made me have more time with my family though.

Didn't know that things were not in good shape at NCA...

Safe skies!!

[Remains positive]

Afternoon All,
A great Thread chaps and after having spent the past couple of days reading all of it I think it covers pretty much everything.There is only one question I have which relates to my family. The wife is from South America which I understand is commutable (notwithstanding a post I read about four hours ago relating to a South American who had his application turned down) however the length of the commute I think will prove too much. My question is this. Has anyone had any experience of moving their family (wife and two kids in my case) to a country closer to Japan, namely Vietnam, Thailand or Indonesia? We are all on UK passports (not that that may make any difference) and currently living in the M.E. so the prospect of them moving to the far east is attractive to them, and of course to me with them being closer to Japan. She doesn't want to go to the UK. Something about the weather.
Of course it will no doubt be prudent to get professional advice if or when the time comes however at this stage all I can ascertain from the aforementioned countries is that they offer work permits, which I would consider to be more restrictive than just permission to live, without the opportunity to work. The attraction for them being receiving foreign income into their country by way of house rental and schools fee's etc.If anyone has had any experience of obtaining temporary residence permits or equivalent, for their families in other countries I would be very grateful for a heads up.
If only I was single and didn't have to worry about schools everywhere I went......

Gracias Chico's

[drop24]

Would anyone be willing to post some of their monthly schedules from the last year so we might get an idea of what to expect?

[iggy]

@remains positive Thailand is rather tough regarding working permits unless wifey happens to be what whichever company in Thailand is looking for at that moment. If she is a qualified teacher she will get an offer on the spot. I have quite a lot of experience in Thailand myself and I would not advice anyone to move here before securing a job, specially when there are kids involved. RP's only come after 5 years of paying taxes locally through a work permit, and the list of professions banned for foreigners is quite long.

Viet Nam, on the other hand, is much more simple. Visas are easy to buy and you can set up your own company, which will open the door to an RP for you and your bunch. After that is just a matter of network and time before she finds something she will really like, instead of having to accept any job to avoid getting in trouble with immigration. No limits for foreigners, I have seen white guys selling beverages on the beach!

Quite a large South American community in both countries so she won't feel alone, I'm Spanish myself.

Indonesia, I've got no idea about.

Mucha suerte y escribeme si necesitas algo mas.

[wisecaptain]

Remains positive - I have lived in Malaysia for several years on their MM2H visa program. Its valid for 10 years and renewable for another 10 thereafter. There are several websites dedicated to MM2H.
Our children attended GIS,Garden International School which was fantastic.We bought a huge 2 story apartment in Mont Kiara in 1999 and have had a super lifestyle. Malaysia is very easy to live in and we have explored all of SE Asia,China,Australia+NZ. Highly recommended !!

[Remains positive]

Wisecaptain and Iggy.

Many thanks for your replies. That is certainly encouraging. It now seems that my work is cut out sorting the wife and kids out in one of the aforementioned countries, before of course that small task of applying, being accepted and getting through all the training at AJX.

Cheers chaps

[smiling monkey]

Just wonderIng whether they accept an FAA ATP with the limitation ‘ATP circling approach in VMC only’. Or does that have to be removed before applying?

[Vpilot53]

Hi Guys.

Can an Australian Pilot explain to me how the Tax works. Its my understanding you dont pay Tax in Japan. But so we pay the full wack back in Australia? Or is there a way to get around paying the full wack?

Thanks in advance

[Fratemate]

Vpilot53, there are too many variables to give you an individual answer. Your pay, from whichever contract agency, is gross and it is entirely up to you to sort out your tax in your tax jurisdiction. Since you have paid no tax in Japan then no dual taxation applies and, so, your gross pay will be subject to tax......if you meet the resident criteria. The first thing to do is visit the ATO website and see if you do fall under the rules that govern residency. The second thing to do is call or write to a bunch of overseas tax specialists and see what is the best deal that can be provided. Some seem more liberal and 'educated' than others in which rules can and cannot be applied.

You won't get a clear-cut answer because we are all individuals but I think most have ensured they take full advantage of any ATO overseas allowances.

[jpn crj driver]

Just wonderIng whether they accept an FAA ATP with the limitation ‘ATP circling approach in VMC only’. Or does that have to be removed before applying?
Hi S M

I am not at Air Japan so I can not speak to their requirements, however we have hired a number of people with the restriction and it was no issue with the JCAB... When you do your JCAB ATR course you will be trained on the low circle and will be checked during your JCAB Check... Should be a easy answer from any of the Crew Leasing Companies, just shoot a email to one of the recruiters...

Kampai, Jpn Crj Driver

[drop24]

Already August. It must be a busy month at Air Japan with Obon season. How are your schedules for the month? Days worked, flight hours, and Total Time Away from Base?

[PiffTheMagicDragon]

I have lived in Malaysia for several years on their MM2H visa program. Its valid for 10 years and renewable for another 10 thereafter. There are several websites dedicated to MM2H.

Hello Wisecaptain, could I ask you what agent u went through for the MM2H visa? During ur time in Malaysia, did u have to pay taxes there on ur Japanese income? Cheers

Hi all and thanks for your inputs throughout the years, is there anyone else out there that chose a country in SE Asia to live in and relocate his family to while working with Air Japan? Cheers

[flamingmoe]

Will the recent decision to recruit non-JCAB DEC’s cause any delay to current FO’s upgrades, or is it a case of growth and attrition outpacing their ability to train?

[flamingmoe]

I’m curious to understand the reasons why they’d struggle to recruit, yes the money isn’t on par with China, but from the outside the job seems to be much more appealing, and the commuting deal is far superior. I think there’ll be plenty of applicants, wether they survive screening is another story.

[contrails8]

Good day.

I just wanted to find out if there is anyone who has attended the assessment recently. Any recent tips you can offer??. What are the reasons many people are unsuccessful.

I have gone through the entire thread, I am just inquiring about the latest info.

Thanks

[Lepo]

Good day.

I just wanted to find out if there is anyone who has attended the assessment recently. Any recent tips you can offer??. What are the reasons many people are unsuccessful.

I have gone through the entire thread, I am just inquiring about the latest info.

Thanks

I wrote a very detailed post about the screening process here on early February.
Nothing has changed since then so you can use that post as a reference.

[Armani]

FYI!

This contract only looks good on paper, but once you are here you realize it’s not.
There is a very good reason they now accept Non-JCAB captains.
Your chance of passing as a DEC is approximately 50% as they fail you for no valid reason.
We have had several high calibre Captains with JCAB licenses and years of experience in Japan, yet they fail them for no valid reason, as they are good and professional mates.
Its just the rotten company atmosphere and the Japanese Kabuki (Please understand)
They always lock on to one or two people during training and give them a very difficult time x 7 months.
Also for the first month you have Darth Vader monitoring you in ground school class to cross examine your attitude.
This place is in a downward spiral, and have been for some time.
Flying mostly cargo flights now, and the few good destinations we have including HNL will go to the Japanese as the A380 will arrive. Expats returning to their respective home countries to work for less, but obtain a better quality of life.
i have worked here a while now, solely because age wise it doesn’t pay off to go elsewhere.

I do not recommend coming here unless you are desperate.
Japan is no longer what it used to be, and is no longer competitive.

cheers

[drop24]

Doesn't sound good Armani. How are the schedules now?

[30000andabove]

They've just failed 4 out of 6 guys going for Captain upgrade. No explanation why.

[Armani]

drop24

I cannot share any schedules obviously, but it’s all inline with what I mentioned in my previous post.

Good luck Mate

[Konyagi]

67% command upgrade failure rate! That’s ridiculous.

[Fratemate]

67% command upgrade failure rate! That’s ridiculous.

I think you need to put this into context. First of all the guys that failed aren't actually on the upgrade course, they're being assessed for upgrade, so they really haven't failed. You might think I'm arguing semantics but the reasons for not being put through to the next stage could be far less damaging for an FO's future than if he failed the actual upgrade course.

Over the last 5 or 6 years we have had many FOs join, NOT ALL, that had a fraction of the experience that was seen historically and I think this is starting to show. AJX stick to their side of the bargain and begin assessment at around 3.5 years but some of these guys are just not ready. I can't think of any other large airline that would assess someone for the command of a 767-sized aircraft after such a relatively short time and certainly not with the experience some of them have. I haven't looked at the list of those who didn't make it through the latest assessment but a quick squint at who I think would be in the frame would certainly make me think twice about 2 or 3 of them and it's not even my place to do so.

There will be others who don't get upgraded because of previous indiscretions. You may well say that's unfair but you only have to read this thread and realise that the Japanese are not good at confrontation but they don't forget, either. I'm not talking about genuine mistakes but deliberate actions which may have embarrassed AJX. I am quite sure they put a big X on that first assessment but you'd never get to actually know the reason because......see point about confrontation.

I feel sorry for those who don't get through the assessment but also feel AJX are setting unrealistic expectations. They won't change the 3.5 years because that is what they've done from the first FO to upgrade and at least we should give them credit for abiding by this. Many pilots will see this opportunity to upgrade very early and it has been a major selling point for encouraging people to join but it is a sad fact of life that some are simply not ready when it comes to upgrade time and just don't have the experience to fall back on when it's going for a can of worms and they need to be in charge. There would be huge dissent if they changed the system to assess at more realistic times e.g. base it on experience, with 3.5 years as the minimum, but if they continue to do what they do then we will continue to see some guys assessed as 'not suitable yet'.

Do not think, for one minute, that I am forgiving of certain of the Japanese assessors. One is a malicious XXXXX and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near an aircraft, let alone a management position where he has such a say in the future of the FOs. The trouble is, we always seem to have one and as soon as he goes we get another.....usually just the one. I can't argue sensibly for any FO that is assessed badly by someone who just really doesn't like anything in life, especially Gaijin FOs. Luckily they are very few and far between and, usually, saner minds prevail.

[drop24]

Why can no one talk about schedules? Are they so individually unique that it would be easy to identify the poster?

[manillaorbust]

Where do you guys layover? Is it mostly in China?

[jrmyl]

Where do you guys layover? Is it mostly in China?

We layover in:

Kansai
Naha
Taipei
Hong Kong
Ho Chi Minh City
Bangkok
Yangon
Singapore
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Chengdu
Xiamen
Dalian

So almost every city we fly to. Just not every night of the week at all places.

[jrmyl]

Why can no one talk about schedules? Are they so individually unique that it would be easy to identify the poster?

I think it's because one persons schedule is nothing like another persons schedule. Plus they are never the same from month to month. The only thing that ever changes at this place is the schedules. NOTHING else ever changes, or ever will.

[drop24]

Would you say you are overworked? Is fatigue a major factor? How much of your month is night flying? Do you switch to day flying often?

[Fratemate]

1. Overworked? I would say no, compared to other airlines. My medical normally sees me writing between 450-500 hours for the year on the form. They will try and ensure they write the schedules such that we will have one day off in seven but that roster will most likely have standby days where you're not called and occasionally groundschool, emergency training, sims etc. With normal days off, commuting days and vacation days they only have you for 197 days per year.

2. Tiredness is certainly sometimes a factor but show me a 24 hour airline where it's not. It's not nice flying from RGN to NRT through the night but you're never going to see daytime only flying in an organisation such at AJX, so you have to suck it up or go and get an office job somewhere. I don't think fatigue is an issue at the moment. It has been in the past and at one stage the scheduling was really going downhill as far as fatigue mitigation was concerned. However, for the most part, I believe they've listened to what has been said and now try to schedule more sensibly. In my opinion fatigue is brought about by cumulative knackering trips, not an individual trip interspersed with others. Maybe I've been lucky but I really don't see others doing multiple knackering trips in a row and being genuinely fatigued. Tired, sometimes, yes but (at the moment) I don't see fatigue as a major factor.

3. Probably half the roster is night flying. There are some passenger day trips and maybe one or two cargo day trips but most of the flying will be either day into night, vice versa or a day flight to somewhere (e.g. RGN) and a night flight back. If you're scared of the dark then don't apply.......to almost any airline.

4. Again, I believe they have listened to what they've been told about the day/night switching and tried to reduce it. I don't mean during a trip (as I've mentioned above) but if a trip is, for instance, a night cargo flight and your next trip is a day passenger return flight then they'll generally split it with a standby duty or a day off (blank day) if you're close to requiring one. Going from day to night is not normally the problem as you have the time before the night flight to try and rest but the other way round reduces the options and that's why they'll try to stick something in between.

[The Dominican]

There are many cultural idiosyncrasies and politics evolved with this job, there is also a risk in terms of the variable pass rate as we have discussed over a decade now on this thread! But it also seems that we are preaching to the choir!

Lets be honest, if cultural BS and pass rates weren't a factor at other gigs, Would you even be reading this thread?

[NineInchSnail]

Hi Guys,

Thanks to all of you who have been contributing to this great thread full of very useful information. I have a couple of questions to whoever will be able to help:

1) Is it possible to request a special flight to be able to commute home on the last day of duty? For example asking for a flight landing early morning to catch an early afternoon flight.
2) Are all layovers 24h or can it be longer?
3) How does the company feel about sick days being used while at home? Any need for a medical certificate if that happens? Any red flag if that happens 1 or 2 times per year?

Thanks and happy flying to all!!

[drop24]

What happens if you fail your captain selection or your upgrade course? How many chances are you given? If you fail are you fired or are their career FO's there?

[Armani]

What happens if you fail your captain selection or your upgrade course? How many chances are you given? If you fail are you fired or are their career FO's there?

It varies.
if you are a Direct entry Captain and fail you most likely will not get a second chance, although we had a guy approximately 4 years ago they failed twice even though he had several years experience in Japan.
They seem to fail 50% of the Direct entry captains
If you are an FO and you fail the evaluation, you will have another chance after some time, usually a year. Iif you fail the Captain upgrade training most likely you are done.

Rotten things are going on here, and you stand a chance to fail despite your best effort.
I have seen this company ruin several blokes careers for no valid reason.

Think twice before coming here, and use your interview wisely to evaluate the threat you will face.
You will see it immediately at the panel interview.

Cheers Mate

[gtseraf]

for FO's upgrading, the policy is one gets 2 attempts at the upgrade, including the upgrade evaluation. After the 1st unsuccessful attempt, usually a 1 year wait is required before another go. After the second failed attempt, generally the FO will have the opportunity to continue on an FO contract. Policies here are, at times, somewhat fluid.

[dboy]

Concerning the upgrade evaluation, does this mean ppl will fail for the most stupid reasons?

[Fratemate]

They seem to fail 50% of the Direct entry captains

You keep quoting this number, Armani, but what evidence do you have that this is correct, because it is certainly at odds with what I have observed?

Very few pilots have joined as DECs in the last few years, especially since they required a JCAB ATPL. I haven't followed the progress of those in great detail and it may well be that a proportion did not get through but when we had DECs without a JCAB ATPL then nothing like 50% failed, in fact I'd be surprised if it was even 10%.

I'm not suggesting that people don't look carefully at all aspects of the job before leaping but stop trying to scaremonger with blatantly false information.

[Armani]

F-mate,

Of course there was only a matter of time before you had to step in.
We have had quite a few conversations over the past years you and I, so I know you all too well.
Your reputation among the blokes at AJX is that you are a Big mouth.........You are the Fake News of AJX.
We know you like this job, and that you think you are part of the Japanese elite, but please let other people have a say as well. You may not like that people have different opinions, but you need to lay off the Kool Aid mate!
Pehaps take up some hobbies outside of aviation !

Saying that I’m trying to scaremonger with blatantly false information while admitting that you “haven’t followed the progress in great detail” is quite unprofessional and unnecessary. In your opinion anything negative about AJX should be discussed somewhere around the streets of Narita, but you fail to understand that this website isn’t solely yours, and people thinking about joining deserve the truth, don’t they!
I have worked here many years just like you, and I am stating facts.
I would say that in the future we have to agree to disagree.
See you around the patch in Narita.
Thats all I have to say about that.

[The Dominican]

Nothing says "Professional pilot group" like a good'ol fashioned catfight on a pilot's bitchboard! LOL

[Barry Mundie]

Too much time in the Goldfish bowl that is Narita,

[Kraus]

Fratemate realistically represents the goings on at AJX. The fashionable brands contribution, can be measured by the first sentence.

[Fratemate]

We know you like this job, and that you think you are part of the Japanese elite........Pehaps take up some hobbies outside of aviation !

Haha, I don't know who you've been talking to but it evidently isn't me if you think I fit into any of those descriptions. I can't say that I dislike every aspect of the job because I don't but I'm pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. I'm not a hater of the job but I'm also not a lover. There are plenty of things that need to be improved and I've made my feelings known both verbally and in writing to the Company and I do not think things need to kept secret from any potential joiners etc. But let's have facts and proof, instead of unsubstantiated numbers. I have no desire to be part of the "Japanese elite" (whatever you may think that means) and definitely don't qualify for that. As for hobbies outside of aviation; I don't know why you think that matters but I have nothing to do with aviation when I go home and don't consider it a hobby. I may have done once but kids, sailing and certain sporting activities take up enough of my time without adding aviation to the mix. Maybe you're referring to my private G5 but I don't consider that a hobby, more of a necessity.

ALL of your posts have only ever been negative. That's fine if you feel that way but just because someone has a balanced view doesn't mean they are "drinking Kool Aid" (ridiculous expression). You said, "They seem to fail 50% of Direct entry captains". I have said I do not believe that is correct and asked you to support your statement. Just because I am at odds with your spurious statistics does not mean that I am some sort of Company stooge; it just means that I've never seen that sort of failure rate. I very much look forward to seeing your proof of your statement and backing up an opinion that is different to mine.

[drop24]

How many days a month are you guys typically overnighting in Narita vs layover away from base?

[The Dominican]

drop24, Out of a 16 day roster (taking 10 off + 2 commuting days + 2 vacation days) you will be about 8 nights in Narita give or take.

[gorce]

Sorry to interrupt your heated discussion gentlemen but I would like to ask all of you an "environment psychological" question...How do you all coupe with the risks associated to natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons, radiation, contaminated foods, and so on?Do you feel on continuous threat? If not, do you consider it as a kind of psychological denial?

[jrmyl]

Sorry to interrupt your heated discussion gentlemen but I would like to ask all of you an "environment psychological" question...How do you all coupe with the risks associated to natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons, radiation, contaminated foods, and so on?Do you feel on continuous threat? If not, do you consider it as a kind of psychological denial?
If you go through life worrying about all of that stuff, you will die an early death. It is what it is. Those types of things can happen almost anywhere in the world. When this last typhoon went through Kansai, I was in the hotel at the KIX airport. It was what it was. I rode it out while filming a lot of it. Then after it was gone, me and the f/o walked around looking at the sites and all the people trying to get out. We then retired to our rooms and relaxed while watching movies on our laptops.

You just can't let things you can't control affect your life.

[heavydane]

I would like to second Fratemate.
Dont know what Armani has been drinking or smoking, but guess it ain't coolaid!
This is not the perfect job, but since very few of us can join Delta as senior Captains, this is close to the top.
14 days at home every month, decent to good money and not having to deal with the Chinese, that's not bad in my book.
For info, I came as JCAB DEC, its not that difficult. If You come with worldwide wide-body experience, its a matter of opening Your ears and shutting Your mouth, except for the obligatory Yes Sir and Ohh I see, then You will do fine.

Best regards
Heavydane

[nugpot]

its a matter of opening Your ears and shutting Your mouth, except for the obligatory Yes Sir and Ohh I see, then You will do fine.

Best regards
Heavydane

That is probably good advice anywhere in the world. Unfortunate that so few follow it ....

[bringbackthe80s]

Sorry, just ti be sure. You guys confirm that when you get your JCAB licence you keep your European/FAA licence as well right?
The Jcab will not ask you to renounce to your original licence right?

Thanks

[jrmyl]

Sorry, just ti be sure. You guys confirm that when you get your JCAB licence you keep your European/FAA licence as well right?
The Jcab will not ask you to renounce to your original licence right?

Thanks
No. Does any country do that?

[pilotchute]

Renounce your licence? How on earth would they do that? Are you maybe getting confused with countries who make you renounce a citizenship?

[bringbackthe80s]

Excellent that’s good then. I was just asking because within Europe you can only have one licence from one country. If you have a German licence you need to renounce to it when you get say a Spanish licence. But that’s because they are both within EASA I guess. I just asked to be sure. Thanks

[LiteralCactus]

Hey guys,
Thanks for a sencirely amazing forum. I’m an F/O at a US regional and I’ve been considering applying for the 767 gig for a while now.
Something that was touched on before but I wanna confirm, what’s the upwards movement like? Honestly I want to do the super long passenger legs ideally in the 787 and I don’t mind putting in my time in a 767 but if I’m going to be stuck doing freight my career there it might be a deal breaker.

thanks again folks!

[jrmyl]

Hey guys,
Thanks for a sencirely amazing forum. I’m an F/O at a US regional and I’ve been considering applying for the 767 gig for a while now.
Something that was touched on before but I wanna confirm, what’s the upwards movement like? Honestly I want to do the super long passenger legs ideally in the 787 and I don’t mind putting in my time in a 767 but if I’m going to be stuck doing freight my career there it might be a deal breaker.

thanks again folks!
Not sure what you mean by "super long passenger legs" but the only long leg the 787 has right now is the HNL flight at 8 hours. Most others are just to China/HKG and back. I guess you could call the SIN leg long but I don't. Here's the deal. You get hired here in the 767 flying both passenger and cargo. You can ask to transfer to the 787 after a bit. (not sure of how long you have to be here for that) But in the meantime you will be doing the 767. Freight is not that bad of a deal. Sure you fly a lot at night but so does the passenger flights. Best thing about the freight is you don't have to worry about any passengers or cabin attendants in the back during turbulence. Makes it a much more relaxing flight.

My question to you though. As a US pilot why would you want to come here with the hiring environment at home right now? You will make more money and have a better retirement in the US.

[LiteralCactus]

My question to you though. As a US pilot why would you want to come here with the hiring environment at home right now? You will make more money and have a better retirement in the US.

Thanks for the response!
Honestly I really want the opportunity to go live and work outside the US. I figure I’m 26, no spouse or kids, now is the time to do it. And if I dint like it im only committed to 5 years.

[heavydane]

Ok one word, seniority!
Get a job with a major now and come here later, not the other way around. Get a number and then explore the world on Leave of absence.

Respectfully
HD

[niodatchi]

I have been working at a major airline in Canada for the past 12+. I have been a wide-body Captain for 7+. I have put in the time for my company to get up to a comfortable spot where I can have great choice of schedule. I still have 24 years to go before I retire.I typically work between 6 to 9 days a month doing trans-Atlantic flights to great European destinations. My family and I live in Japan. Thanks to my employer, I still keep my seniority, union protection and great paycheck. I found that this is the best life for me and my family. So here is what you can do: Get a job at a major Airline in the US.Build seniority, then, explore or move to anywhere in the world you want, while keeping your job in your country of origin...
Works well for me!
Gambatte!
Nio

[bringbackthe80s]

I would say that among mere mortals like myself the chances of doing what you are doing apply to probably 0.02% of the pilots population.

[Daddy Fantastic]

Do new joiners still have to do all the JCAB exams which take about 10 months or so and are you allowed to have your family with you during this period?

[APBabySitter]

Daddy when I looked at this job last year the people at Longreach said I wouldn’t need to do ALL the JCAB exams as I hold an Australian and HK ATPL. As usual you have to do their law exams and maybe one other but I can’t remember. I doubt they would have changed this rule in the past 12 months but you never know. Give one of the recruiting firms a call or send an email, they are very helpful as their bottom line relies on filling seats.

[Fratemate]

You'll spend the first couple of weeks in the classroom preparing for the air law and radio exams. You will be adequately coached to pass. After that you'll do your 767 ground school (assuming you're not type rated) and there's an exam for that. There are various minor exams throughout the rest of training, as there would be with any other airline e.g. performance. So long as you do a reasonable amount of studying you'll have no problems. During the simulator training you'll do your type rating test and then the ATPL test. After that they'll give you 10 days off while they sort out your licence with JCAB and then you start your route training/IOE/line training/OJT (delete as required).

Your entire training will take around 6-7 months. During this time the company will pay for your family to travel to Japan once and they provide 7(?) nights of hotel accommodation for them. After that, assuming you're married, your wife will get another free ticket to come to Japan but no hotel the second time round (unless it's changed since I did it). AJX will provide an apartment while you're in Tokyo doing your training and then accommodate you in the MyStays Hotel in Narita during OJT. During this time it's entirely up to you if your family visits or stays. So long as they don't exceed the days limit on the tourist visa they can stay with you. I would suggest it's probably not a good idea in the very beginning as you'll need to put in a bit of work and it's likely to be better without distractions. After that, however, it's up to you.

[Daddy Fantastic]

You'll spend the first couple of weeks in the classroom preparing for the air law and radio exams. You will be adequately coached to pass. After that you'll do your 767 ground school (assuming you're not type rated) and there's an exam for that. There are various minor exams throughout the rest of training, as there would be with any other airline e.g. performance. So long as you do a reasonable amount of studying you'll have no problems. During the simulator training you'll do your type rating test and then the ATPL test. After that they'll give you 10 days off while they sort out your licence with JCAB and then you start your route training/IOE/line training/OJT (delete as required).

Your entire training will take around 6-7 months. During this time the company will pay for your family to travel to Japan once and they provide 7(?) nights of hotel accommodation for them. After that, assuming you're married, your wife will get another free ticket to come to Japan but no hotel the second time round (unless it's changed since I did it). AJX will provide an apartment while you're in Tokyo doing your training and then accommodate you in the MyStays Hotel in Narita during OJT. During this time it's entirely up to you if your family visits or stays. So long as they don't exceed the days limit on the tourist visa they can stay with you. I would suggest it's probably not a good idea in the very beginning as you'll need to put in a bit of work and it's likely to be better without distractions. After that, however, it's up to you.

Nice one FrateMate, good info.

If I did do this job I would want my family with me as I have a 1 year old so I would not be prepared to not see her or hardly see her over a 6 to 7 month period.

I understand the pressures of a type rating as I have done a few but to me not seeing my family would just not be worth it. So as long as they have no issues with me having my family there I would take a look.

Do you have to start on the 767 or can you go straight to the 787?

DF

[proflyer9]

Hi. Been following ANAs post for some time.
Was disappointed to see their requirement for NTR Captains with Non JCAB license. Have well over 6000 + hrs but PIC time is only 3000+. I don't understand their logic - how does one acquire 4500 hrs Jet PIC time with 6000 hrs TT? Are there any chances of lowering their PIC requirement?
Cheers

[galdian]

Daddy
Would suggest you have a decent look at previous posts as they cover this...and the Japanese mentality does not change.

You are there to serve the company, your family concerns are pleasant but inconsequential.
You are there to complete THEIR requiements, your desires/needs are inconsequential.

Your want/need to confront them about a family issue is the start of the slippery slope of being "unsuitable"...if the slippery slope hasn't already been started for any number of reasons during training to date.

Worked in Japan for another operator but believe the mentality is consistent, happy to be corrected if all of a sudden happy/cuddly/fluffy has become a thing in corporate Japan.

And straight onto the 787? Interesting delusion I would have thought.
Cheers.

[Broomstick Flier]

Fratemate,

I am current on the B767 (SIC), do I get some kind of waiver on the theory/simulator part?

Cheers,
BF

[heavydane]

We seem to be going in circles on this thread.
There is a lot of good information on T&C, quality of life etc. in this thread.
How ever the issue of training and specifically the length of training keeps popping up in various questions and theories about possible workarounds.
Forget it people, there is no way around it. This is a very good gig and the price af admission is 6-8 month in Tokyo/Narita getting used to the lokal way of doing things, typed and checked to line.
I realize this can be difficult to grasp if one works someplace where a type rating can be done in 2 weeks, but thats not the case here.
My advise for anyone interested in this job is to sit down with Your loved ones and find out if You have the support to do this.

Sincerely
HD

[galdian]

BF

Your time will get you in the door/get you the gig if all else goes well.

After that your time is worthless as not in a Japanese aircraft operating to Japanese procedures and standards.
It is inferior experience and flying.

You will do a full endorsement process to Japanese standard - whatever exactly that is - whether typed or not.
Just the way it is, their trainset, like it/accept it or don't take the ride.

Above post by HD hits nail firmly on head.

[Daddy Fantastic]

Daddy
Would suggest you have a decent look at previous posts as they cover this...and the Japanese mentality does not change.

You are there to serve the company, your family concerns are pleasant but inconsequential.
You are there to complete THEIR requiements, your desires/needs are inconsequential.

Your want/need to confront them about a family issue is the start of the slippery slope of being "unsuitable"...if the slippery slope hasn't already been started for any number of reasons during training to date.

Worked in Japan for another operator but believe the mentality is consistent, happy to be corrected if all of a sudden happy/cuddly/fluffy has become a thing in corporate Japan.

And straight onto the 787? Interesting delusion I would have thought.
Cheers.

Pretty much settles it for me...I wont bother as Im not prepared to put my family second or deal with that punitive culture in an airline. Why Asians dont change this is beyond me, they must be gluttons for punishment I guess!!

[fighterkok]

Pretty much settles it for me...I wont bother as Im not prepared to put my family second or deal with that punitive culture in an airline. Why Asians dont change this is beyond me, they must be gluttons for punishment I guess!!

DF,

I understand your family concerns, but looking at your rant on the other threads (777/787 common type), your attitude and personality are completely unsuitable to work for the Japanese. Good luck if you do apply.

FK

[Fratemate]

Broomstick Flyer,

If you're type rated on the 767 then you will be able to do the shorter course IF they manage to pair you up with another type rated pilot. Basically you don't have to do the 767 groundschool or the systems trainer thing (an FMC trainer etc) and you don't do the type rating exam or sim check ride. You will train for the ATPL check only, although it is all the same stuff. In all you save approximately 3 weeks to 1 month.

DF,

No, you can't go straight to the 787. In fact nobody is going to the 787 at the moment because they've suspended the conversions courses while they try and get their engines sorted out. It doesn't matter to ANA that they will have to type rate you on the 767 and then the 787 later. There are plenty of people ahead of you to convert and they will do that according to the date of joining. At the moment you can't even bid to convert for the first year.

As far as bringing your family is concerned, nothing has changed form the previous advice I gave you. You could have them in the apartment during the initial training and then in the hotel during your OJT. Only you will know if that arrangement will work but if you expect them to pay for an extra room in the hotel or give you any preferential treatment because you have a baby in Japan then forget it. As far as they are concerned they are providing you with accommodation during training....which is not an unreasonable approach to take. As for their attitude towards family; well, they're certainly a bit different but if you want to work in their country then you put up with the way they do things. Japanese men live to work and many of them think we are the same. Most of the Japanese pilots assigned to AJX understand the difference but the general Japanese populace wouldn't have a clue that their thinking is not the same as everywhere else. If I had a one year-old with me then I wouldn't even mention it to them. Just get on with the training and no-one will be any the wiser. Of course, if those living arrangements do affect your performance then they will not make any allowance for the fact that you chose to have your family there and nor should they.

[Daddy Fantastic]

Broomstick Flyer,

If you're type rated on the 767 then you will be able to do the shorter course IF they manage to pair you up with another type rated pilot. Basically you don't have to do the 767 groundschool or the systems trainer thing (an FMC trainer etc) and you don't do the type rating exam or sim check ride. You will train for the ATPL check only, although it is all the same stuff. In all you save approximately 3 weeks to 1 month.

DF,

No, you can't go straight to the 787. In fact nobody is going to the 787 at the moment because they've suspended the conversions courses while they try and get their engines sorted out. It doesn't matter to ANA that they will have to type rate you on the 767 and then the 787 later. There are plenty of people ahead of you to convert and they will do that according to the date of joining. At the moment you can't even bid to convert for the first year.

As far as bringing your family is concerned, nothing has changed form the previous advice I gave you. You could have them in the apartment during the initial training and then in the hotel during your OJT. Only you will know if that arrangement will work but if you expect them to pay for an extra room in the hotel or give you any preferential treatment because you have a baby in Japan then forget it. As far as they are concerned they are providing you with accommodation during training....which is not an unreasonable approach to take. As for their attitude towards family; well, they're certainly a bit different but if you want to work in their country then you put up with the way they do things. Japanese men live to work and many of them think we are the same. Most of the Japanese pilots assigned to AJX understand the difference but the general Japanese populace wouldn't have a clue that their thinking is not the same as everywhere else. If I had a one year-old with me then I wouldn't even mention it to them. Just get on with the training and no-one will be any the wiser. Of course, if those living arrangements do affect your performance then they will not make any allowance for the fact that you chose to have your family there and nor should they.

I completely agree with everything you have said...their train set and all that. However I would not put up with that crap in Asia so would not even bother going...I wount be belittled or talked down to by an employer and will certainly never allow them to make me put my family second to a job.

I would make it clear to them we are doing them the favour by being here not the other way round...so in my case just dont bother going!

[Daddy Fantastic]

DF,

I understand your family concerns, but looking at your rant on the other threads (777/787 common type), your attitude and personality are completely unsuitable to work for the Japanese. Good luck if you do apply.

FK

You are probably right, I wont put up with that nonsense and allow myself to be treated like a second class citizen...life is too short!

[bringbackthe80s]

What FK said

[Global Aviator]

And that’s certainly your perogative.

If however you want to be an expat pilot you play by the rules of the train operator or don’t play at all.

Grass isn’t always greener, but the few I know here certainly enjoy the off time benefits! Sometimes in life one needs to give to get, well if that’s what’s wanted.

[Daddy Fantastic]

I have no problem with any of that but there still needs to be professionalism, a just culture and to treat your employees like human beings...

Not we gave you a job so be subservient and grateful for life because now we own you mentality...who in their right mind wants to put up with that crap!!

[bringbackthe80s]

It seems to me you are talking about things/people you don’t know anything about

[Bahamapilot]

We seem to be going in circles on this thread.
There is a lot of good information on T&C, quality of life etc. in this thread.
How ever the issue of training and specifically the length of training keeps popping up in various questions and theories about possible workarounds.
Forget it people, there is no way around it. This is a very good gig and the price af admission is 6-8 month in Tokyo/Narita getting used to the lokal way of doing things, typed and checked to line.
I realize this can be difficult to grasp if one works someplace where a type rating can be done in 2 weeks, but thats not the case here.
My advise for anyone interested in this job is to sit down with Your loved ones and find out if You have the support to do this.

Sincerely
HD
Well Said. I've been following this thread for a few years and it hasn't changed . I've been in and out of flying,now back in again. Wish I had the jet experience to apply, I would certainly give it a shot.

[Kyapitan]

Great information folks... Questions: & I’m sorry if they were posted before.

1. Does anyone have any recent info for the interview, atp 25 question test (what chapters to study in ATP), and sim evaluation. I’m currently waiting to hear back about an interview show date.

2. Also, will the JCAB B767 rating be recognized by the FAA?

[Broomstick Flier]

Broomstick Flyer,
If you're type rated on the 767 then you will be able to do the shorter course IF they manage to pair you up with another type rated pilot. Basically you don't have to do the 767 groundschool or the systems trainer thing (an FMC trainer etc) and you don't do the type rating exam or sim check ride. You will train for the ATPL check only, although it is all the same stuff. In all you save approximately 3 weeks to 1 month.


Thanks for the clarification Fratemate, it makes sense to reduce a bit the course length.

Now a more operational question, on my current outfit we are allowed to do a lot of hand flying, sometimes visual approaches, provided we comply with the stabilisation gates. Is this the case with AJX? I really enjoy flying the plane and "aviate" (not only push buttons). How is this seen within the company?

Thanks for your contributions over the years,

BF

[atlanticjet]

In theory yes, sice that’s that a very big item in the copilots sim checks, VMC circuit. In practice, they will have a ****brick if you click everything off and go “raw data”. “Maybe not ok” is a very typical response here to almost all the expats. Not a bad gig, many good people here, time off is great, confirmed seat home is gold, but it all
comes at a price. Do your homework and come in open minded. Japan is a wonderful country, but not an easy one.

[Fratemate]

Yeah, as Atlanticjet says you need to choose your audience. As far as most of the Japanese are concerned first officers are unable to fly because they are not captains and only captains really have all the skills, experience and know-how to fly an aircraft. We know that is complete tosh but I think this is bred into them through dealing with their cadet training system that really doesn't train pilots but radio operators. All that piloty stuff is learnt on the line and, since they're learning, all FOs must be treated as students and can't be trusted :)

The important thing is you won't be flying with that many Japanese pilots (eventually) and the bloke in the other seat is likely to be much more 'normal' in the ways that you're used to. As far as I'm concerned if the weather is appropriate and by you hand flying you're not going to totally overwork me i.e. enough to reduce my already lacklustre abilities, then fill your boots. Turn everything off (but keep the engines going please) and have fun hand flying. If we can squeeze a visual circuit out of someone then go ahead and enjoy flying your big Cessna. There may be one or two 'Westerners' who don't share my thoughts on the matter but, for the most part, when you're not flying with a Japanese pilot then you can click it out and have fun. But see the first sentence again :-)

[Kraus]

Just don’t bloody drink anything and try to hop into the wrong flatbed/seat!

[Broomstick Flier]

Fratemate and Atlanticjet,

Many thanks for the answers. Very clarifying. Choosing the audience is something I already do on my gig, but low levels (or none) of automation are not frowned upon.

Is age vs. experience an issue? I started to fly later on my career (have been doing flight operations jobs since the mid-90s, though), but have been flying commercially since 2011, and I am a bit shy of 5K hours, with 44 years.

Cheers
BF

[Kyapitan]

Good Day Pilots,

At AJX while flying cargo. Is it an well oiled machine like UPS & FedEx thus, having cargo masters & weight & balance computations completed. Or does the pilot crew, have to get their uniforms dirty (load cargo) and perform weight & balance computations...

[jrmyl]

Good Day Pilots,

At AJX while flying cargo. Is it an well oiled machine like UPS & FedEx thus, having cargo masters & weight & balance computations completed. Or does the pilot crew, have to get their uniforms dirty (load cargo) and perform weight & balance computations...
You do not have to go in the back ever when doing cargo. It is normal to show up to the aircraft with cargo doors closed ready to go. On turns you can sit in your seat and take a nap if you please.

[Kyapitan]

You do not have to go in the back ever when doing cargo. It is normal to show up to the aircraft with cargo doors closed ready to go. On turns you can sit in your seat and take a nap if you please.

jrmyl: Thank you for the info, truly appreciated.

[The Dominican]

Good Day Pilots,

At AJX while flying cargo. Is it an well oiled machine like UPS & FedEx thus, having cargo masters & weight & balance computations completed. Or does the pilot crew, have to get their uniforms dirty (load cargo) and perform weight & balance computations...
Ah! The good'ol bear paws and cookie sheets, pilots shaking the nets to make sure the freight won't shift..., I'm glad to say that we just don't know what the hell you freightdogs are talking about!
There are a few things here that will make you shake your head, but outside of your walkaround, there is an army of people wearing white helmets and gloves that deal with that nonsense!

[The Dominican]

Fratemate and Atlanticjet,

Many thanks for the answers. Very clarifying. Choosing the audience is something I already do on my gig, but low levels (or none) of automation are not frowned upon.

Is age vs. experience an issue? I started to fly later on my career (have been doing flight operations jobs since the mid-90s, though), but have been flying commercially since 2011, and I am a bit shy of 5K hours, with 44 years.

Cheers
BF
Shouldn't be an issue, as long as you have the required experience.

[StinkyMonkey]

Hello gents! Any of you hanging around Narita on Saturday (3rd) interested in trading beers for interview advice? I've got a layover this weekend...PM me!

SM

[Stallone]

Question abt base in NRT

Where/what do u guys stay in when back in NRT?

How abt transport if u start/finish a duty not within train operation timing? I know Japan taxi charges are not for the faint hearted

Thanks

[jrmyl]

Question abt base in NRT

Where/what do u guys stay in when back in NRT?

How abt transport if u start/finish a duty not within train operation timing? I know Japan taxi charges are not for the faint hearted

Thanks
Some guys stay at the MyStays Hotel and others have apartments. Personal preference. As far as train times, that will never be a problem in NRT. NRT is a curfew airport. Last flight has to be off the ground by 11pm and first flight can't land before 6am. So no problems. If you arrive back in NRT after 9pm though they will provide a taxi.

[5000psi]

Some guys stay at the MyStays Hotel and others have apartments. Personal preference. As far as train times, that will never be a problem in NRT. NRT is a curfew airport. Last flight has to be off the ground by 11pm and first flight can't land before 6am. So no problems. If you arrive back in NRT after 9pm though they will provide a taxi.

How much is a rough estimate for a 1 bed apartment in NRT? And the MyStays? Just wondering how far the $550 stretches.

I like the sound of a taxi after 9pm. Makes them sound like a caring company... Do you invariably get the days off that you request still (ignoring Dec)?

Finally, Ive heard varying reports regarding upgrade, from 3 years, to expect to be a FO for the duration, and if the upgrade comes you're lucky. What's the truth? If I apply it'll a huge step away from the comfort zone, and probably the door closed for coming back due to age etc.

Thanks

[Fratemate]

Apartments seem to average out about $700-750 per month in NRT, plus your utilities. MyStays hotel is JPY7000 per night. I used to spend about 7 nights in NRT each month but recently I find myself staying more. 10 nights is not unusual and one guy I spoke to a few days ago said he has 13 this month. Either hotel or apartment, they need to increase the accommodation allowance.

The end of December and the beginning of January are always periods when you might be asked to move your requested days off if you didn't work them the previous year (or two). We have a system to try and ensure people get a fair chance of getting the time off but expect to certainly work during the period once in 3 years, if not every other year. Apart from this period you will almost always get your days off request. It may be an extreme but I have always got the days off I requested and it continues to be one of the best bits about this contract.

You will begin the upgrade process at around 3.5 years. Everyone gets the opportunity to undergo the assessments but not everyone passes. Normally they will allow you a second attempt about a year later. The vast majority pass on either attempt. Those that fail both attempts find themselves with 3 bars for the rest of their time with AJX. There are not that many. I can't think of anyone who has been offered a third attempt but I am sure someone else will correct me if I'm wrong. It's mostly a matter of studying every bit of trivial nonsense you will never need, smiling and nodding when you're told two completely different things by two different management pilots and just doing it their way, no matter how daft it seems. Once you get your 4 stripes you can engage 'Real World' mode :-)

[Who stole my meds]

Apartments seem to average out about $700-750 per month in NRT, plus your utilities. MyStays hotel is JPY7000 per night. I used to spend about 7 nights in NRT each month but recently I find myself staying more. 10 nights is not unusual and one guy I spoke to a few days ago said he has 13 this month. Either hotel or apartment, they need to increase the accommodation allowance.

Do ANA provide some sort of storage area at NRT for you to put your baggage whilst on an overnight or do you find yourself taking everything with you or just paying for a full 3 weeks in a hotel?

[jrmyl]

Do ANA provide some sort of storage area at NRT for you to put your baggage whilst on an overnight or do you find yourself taking everything with you or just paying for a full 3 weeks in a hotel?
AJX does have a locker room at the office at NRT airport. However it is not that large. We each have a locker to put uniforms and other items in and there are shelves for our overnight bags. If you are staying at the MyStays hotel they have a storage area for you to put your larger bags and such. You don't need to pay for 3 weeks in a hotel. Just whatever nights you will be staying there.

[Who stole my meds]

AJX does have a locker room at the office at NRT airport. However it is not that large. We each have a locker to put uniforms and other items in and there are shelves for our overnight bags. If you are staying at the MyStays hotel they have a storage area for you to put your larger bags and such. You don't need to pay for 3 weeks in a hotel. Just whatever nights you will be staying there.

So it's within the realms of possibility you could keep your winter coat & summer jacket at work along with the cap. That sounds ok. It'd get a bit cumbersome having to take that to and from Japan everytime you go out on break.

[jrmyl]

You don't need to take anything home with you if you don't want. When I first got here I purchased a plastic storage box that I kept in the hotel storage plus I had my large suitcase that I kept there. There are many guys who when traveling home only have their carry on, no checked luggage. I usually take checked bag just so I can bring personal items back with me from the US. Also, we don't wear a uniform hat anymore.

[Fratemate]

I kept my hat so that I could wear it around my living room, naked, and then salute myself in the bathroom mirror :}

I occasionally replace clothes from home but, in the main, I have a Japanese wardrobe that stays in Japan and never travel to/from home with anything more than a small carry-on case.

Uniform jackets stay in the locker at work. One has never been worn, the other normally gets its once-a-year wearing on a route check because mine falls in February and DLC or TAO can be cold at that time of year :)

Is a summer jacket something I'm supposed to have? I thought it was only the Japanese who wear lovely green, off-yellow and gaudy blue jackets to work.

[Who stole my meds]

HAHA jrmly & Fratemate, ok mean't to say a double breasted jacket (or something like that). You make everything sound a lot simpler than I thought it was going to be.
Thanks for your feedback.

[Stallone]

for those who stay in hotel, is there a special arrangement that you will always have a room to stay when u're back at base, even in peak season, and all at the same price?

Is there any special deals for crew?

or do u have to manually book the rooms through their websites, which prices fluctuate with seasons and also i'm afraid of duty changes that may end up me considered a "no show" at the hotel and my money forfeited.

[jrmyl]

for those who stay in hotel, is there a special arrangement that you will always have a room to stay when u're back at base, even in peak season, and all at the same price?

Is there any special deals for crew?

or do u have to manually book the rooms through their websites, which prices fluctuate with seasons and also i'm afraid of duty changes that may end up me considered a "no show" at the hotel and my money forfeited.
The MyStays has a rate of 7000 yen for crews. Not sure how guys are doing it now, but when I was there I would just tell them my next stay when I checked out from my current one. They would put it in the system. There is no credit card required to hold it.
I stayed there back when it was the Excel but I believe many of the same people are in charge. Back then they would hold rooms for you. For example, I was the last plane to land in NRT in 2011 during the big earthquake. Was supposed to be at the hotel around 3pm but didn't get there until around midnight. Of course with all the cancellations hotels were packed. When I walked in they still had my room available even though there were many, many people sleeping in the lobby.

[Konyagi]

On the medical subject, does anyone know what the cholesterol limits are?

[Willing to Fly]

I've now read all 150 pages of this thread.

No one has asked if you can split your travel. By that I mean, can you do a C-class ticket on the way in and a ZED on the way out?

Also, I only saw one reference on here but can you confirm that it is a 2 hour call out for standby days?

[jrmyl]

I've now read all 150 pages of this thread.

No one has asked if you can split your travel. By that I mean, can you do a C-class ticket on the way in and a ZED on the way out?

Also, I only saw one reference on here but can you confirm that it is a 2 hour call out for standby days?
I don't know of any set time frame for call out. From what I have always heard, it is just they want you there as soon as you can.

As far as travel. The C-class tickets they provide start in Japan to your country and end back in Japan. Round trip. Never heard of anyone trying to only take a c-class one way. Really wouldn't be a smart move as you lose your 2000 commuting allowance once you submit for the c-class.

[Stallone]

The MyStays has a rate of 7000 yen for crews. Not sure how guys are doing it now, but when I was there I would just tell them my next stay when I checked out from my current one. They would put it in the system. There is no credit card required to hold it.
I stayed there back when it was the Excel but I believe many of the same people are in charge. Back then they would hold rooms for you. For example, I was the last plane to land in NRT in 2011 during the big earthquake. Was supposed to be at the hotel around 3pm but didn't get there until around midnight. Of course with all the cancellations hotels were packed. When I walked in they still had my room available even though there were many, many people sleeping in the lobby.
Thank you for all the clarifications thus far

Another query abt tickets commuting home.
If we choose to take the US$2000 as cash, what sort of ticket prices are we expecting for ZED/ID fares, say an economy seat to Australia

[galdian]

Prices and (perceived) availability will vary with seasons.

Take the Commute option - THEIR responsibility if flights don't work out.
Take the $$ - YOUR responsibility if flights don't work out.

They do not appreciate being stuffed around by outsiders, contracts are easy to cancel for any number of reasons.
Cheers

[jrmyl]

Prices and (perceived) availability will vary with seasons.

Take the Commute option - THEIR responsibility if flights don't work out.
Take the $$ - YOUR responsibility if flights don't work out.

They do not appreciate being stuffed around by outsiders, contracts are easy to cancel for any number of reasons.
Cheers
Yes, contracts are easy to cancel for any number of reasons. However, if they were so quick to cancel contracts I can think of at least 10 people who would not be working here any longer. So apparently their need for pilots outweighs the easiness of cancelling a contract.

But you are correct on the responsibility. I always do the c-class option. 2000 just isn't worth it to me to be wondering if I am going to get home or not. Plus I can send my wife away for 2 or 3 times a year in first class on UAL using the miles we accrue.

[Stallone]

Yes, contracts are easy to cancel for any number of reasons. However, if they were so quick to cancel contracts I can think of at least 10 people who would not be working here any longer. So apparently their need for pilots outweighs the easiness of cancelling a contract.

But you are correct on the responsibility. I always do the c-class option. 2000 just isn't worth it to me to be wondering if I am going to get home or not. Plus I can send my wife away for 2 or 3 times a year in first class on UAL using the miles we accrue.
I see...

So is it set in stone that once you chose the money, you can only take the money, or can you have a choice every month either to take the cash or the confirmed tickets

Thanks

[jrmyl]

I see...

So is it set in stone that once you chose the money, you can only take the money, or can you have a choice every month either to take the cash or the confirmed tickets

Thanks
You make the choice every month. For example, I always do the c-class. However I will not be using a round trip in January since I am off from the 23rd December to 26th January. So my return in January is part of my December ticket. So I will tell my contract agency to pay me the commute allowance for January.

[Stallone]

You make the choice every month. For example, I always do the c-class. However I will not be using a round trip in January since I am off from the 23rd December to 26th January. So my return in January is part of my December ticket. So I will tell my contract agency to pay me the commute allowance for January.
good stuff, thanks for the info :ok:

[The Dominican]

So my return in January is part of my December ticket. So I will tell my contract agency to pay me the commute allowance for January.

When you skip a month on C-Class because you are doing back to back, it's pretty much automatic that you will get the commuting allowance, sometimes I do back to back and I've never talked to the contract company about it, I get the commuting allowance every time.

This has been my experience, I'm sure there is a horror story in there.

[WannaBeBiggles]

Given the rather large number of agencies offering the ANA contract, are there any people would recommend over the other?

[jrmyl]

When you skip a month on C-Class because you are doing back to back, it's pretty much automatic that you will get the commuting allowance, sometimes I do back to back and I've never talked to the contract company about it, I get the commuting allowance every time.

This has been my experience, I'm sure there is a horror story in there.
See and my experience has been just the opposite. If I don't send an email I don't get paid. Maybe it's because I only do it twice a year.

[jrmyl]

Given the rather large number of agencies offering the ANA contract, are there any people would recommend over the other?
Crew. Definitely Crew. Much better insurance. Never hear of anyone at work complaining about Crew, not so on the other major agency.

[Willing to Fly]

I know you guys have said that the line pilots are like mushrooms. Any guesses what the hiring forecast for 2019 looks like?

[1 Left]

Great thread everyone

(Dom, jrmyl and Free.. Always good to read your highly valued comments - thanks)

Guys Ive been haulin’ Passengers around for 15 odd years with a splash of freight ops thrown in here and there for good measure (on WB Twins - guess where - lol)

My current place of employment offers freight ops/commute only but at a lower going rate. I wonder is it possible to put a permanent request in to fly 767 freight only at ANA on equal pay and terms? I much prefer freight ops to main line but I ain’t gonna sell myself short as required here, ie predominantly do 767 Freight over there?

Assuming I arrange my own visa (by ticking all the boxes myself) could I live elsewhere in Japan and commute over to NRT and still be on the $2000/month cash option given to longer distance commuters on ZED/ID fares?

Assuming ANA fly NRT, NHA, NRT on the 767 (daily or at least very regularly) could one feasibly reverse roster out of NHA?

OR if reverse roster is not possible, jumpseat on the 767F NHA NRT to begin my days on out of NRT?

Thanks and keep the positive thread going
(BTW eventually Applying as Non Typed DEC)

1L

[jrmyl]

I know you guys have said that the line pilots are like mushrooms. Any guesses what the hiring forecast for 2019 looks like?
I don't know that any of us have any insight to those numbers. My guess is that it will be like all other years. They have in the past normally had a class every other month of 8 people. Of course there have been many, many classes where there were far fewer than 8 in the class.

[Absolutely]

Great thread everyone

(Dom, jrmyl and Free.. Always good to read your highly valued comments - thanks)

Guys Ive been haulin’ Passengers around for 15 odd years with a splash of freight ops thrown in here and there for good measure (on WB Twins - guess where - lol)

My current place of employment offers freight ops/commute only but at a lower going rate. I wonder is it possible to put a permanent request in to fly 767 freight only at ANA on equal pay and terms? I much prefer freight ops to main line but I ain’t gonna sell myself short as required here, ie predominantly do 767 Freight over there?

Assuming I arrange my own visa (by ticking all the boxes myself) could I live elsewhere in Japan and commute over to NRT and still be on the $2000/month cash option given to longer distance commuters on ZED/ID fares?

Assuming ANA fly NRT, NHA, NRT on the 767 (daily or at least very regularly) could one feasibly reverse roster out of NHA?

OR if reverse roster is not possible, jumpseat on the 767F NHA NRT to begin my days on out of NRT?

Thanks and keep the positive thread going
(BTW eventually Applying as Non Typed DEC)

1L

- No, there is no option to fly freight only.
- You can live anywhere you want to. If you don't use the C Class travel then you get the $2000.
- No.There is no reverse scheduling out of Naha. We've asked for a base there many times. Not going to happen!
- Jump seats are not available to anyone. Don't ask!

Hope that helps.

[1 Left]

- No, there is no option to fly freight only.
- You can live anywhere you want to. If you don't use the C Class travel then you get the $2000.
- No.There is no reverse scheduling out of Naha. We've asked for a base there many times. Not going to happen!
- Jump seats are not available to anyone. Don't ask!

Hope that helps.

Thanks Absolutely, Absolutely a double absolute on me somewhere down route Sir.
Best of luck to all applicants.

1L

[Absolutely]

I'll take you up on that!!

[The Dominican]

1 Left: The guys already answered but we don't really know how things will progress here, all we can say is that AJX will continue to be a part of ANA's strategy going forward but how the line will look by 2020 we just don't know! Our management doesn't even know, this is all kept very close to the vest! We keep hearing rumors here and there but it is all speculation.

Come here for the commuting conditions that thus far are the best in the market and come to select your days off, If you come thinking Cargo or Pax, 76 or 78 or whatever! You will be disappointed! I'm still waiting for that 777 Chicago base I was told about during training 12 years ago...., any day now I have a feeling, any day now!

[drop24]

Is there employee parking available to Air Japan pilots at NRT if you want to drive yourself to work?

[The Dominican]

Is there employee parking available to Air Japan pilots at NRT if you want to drive yourself to work?
Not for cars (I don't think the president of Air Japan drives to work) but there is a highway overpass next to the office with a free parking for motorcycles under it. I use it sometimes when there is a day trip, although I've never left the bike there overnight.

[drop24]

Is there a policy against using public transport in uniform? Do they send a car for you to the hotel or your apartment in Narita? I'm just wondering how to get to work if say you had a house in rural Chiba. A motorcycle wouldn't really work if you had your suitcase.

[jrmyl]

Is there a policy against using public transport in uniform? Do they send a car for you to the hotel or your apartment in Narita? I'm just wondering how to get to work if say you had a house in rural Chiba. A motorcycle wouldn't really work if you had your suitcase.

Hahaha. That's funny. Send a car for you. Hahaha. Sorry to laugh so much. We are not here according to them. We are visitors. They don't care how we get to work unless we are reporting to Haneda. Then they will provide limo bus tickets or a taxi if it is late at night or early morning. Outside of that it is on you to get to work. Knowing that, you would be wise to live somewhere that you can take public transit if you don't want to pay for parking.

There is no policy against public transit in uniform. However, most people will not have their epaulets or wings on or they wear a jacket over the shirt. I personally just wear regular clothes and change into uniform in the office.

[drop24]

If you're going to need to use public transport perhaps it's better to live in Tokyo than a house in rural Chiba. How often are you doing min rest layovers in Narita? If you lived 90 minutes away by train in Tokyo would the 3 hours you lose to commuting be a factor in missing out on sleep?

[jrmyl]

If you're going to need to use public transport perhaps it's better to live in Tokyo than a house in rural Chiba. How often are you doing min rest layovers in Narita? If you lived 90 minutes away by train in Tokyo would the 3 hours you lose to commuting be a factor in missing out on sleep?

Maybe you don't understand who we work for or where we are based. We are based in Narita. This is not a rural Chiba location. It is a city. Granted, not as big as Tokyo, but a city nonetheless. There are many, many places to live in Narita that are within walking distance of the train stations. Houses, apartments, hotels. All within walking distance. There are some of our younger guys who live in Tokyo but in my opinion it really isn't necessary. If you want to experience the night life of Tokyo use the money you save on an apartment in Narita and take the train to Tokyo for the night.

We do not do min rest layovers in Narita. We really don't have min rest layovers outside of Taipei and Hong Kong. So don't think of Narita as a layover city. It is your base.

[Stallone]

On average, how many hours are we expecting to fly in 12 months?

[ImBlockChain]

Hi all, this is a great thread!

Second to Stallone's comment, can anyone share what a typical roster is like once you're checked to line? i.e. destinations, lay-over patterns, etc

Thanks in advance!

[Luibar]

Gentlemen, excuse me if already answered, but is it possible to add 2 vacation days to the 10 OFF days every month?
​​​​​​Also is the c-class positioning only on ANA?