Dragonair

[GMIMA]

Hi guys

Just wondering what dragonair is like to work for? Good training department? Good chance of promotion? I have 6000 hrs TT 4000 hours A320.

What's it like living in hong kong? What property like? Good place to live?

What is the interview process for a direct entry first officer?

[Baywatcher]

Go to Qatar, would be far better

[OEB]

GMIMA
Don't even waste your time. Worst training department in the world. One moron just failed the last six command candidates. Pollution is horrific. Zero management support for the troops. Fractured union. $ no longer worth all the crap you have to put up with. Was a good job once for about 18 month period. Now it's "The Inn Of THe Dammed." Go to one of the oil rich airlines and enjoy yourself. KA is a total crap hole.

[kathey]

the last 5 out of 5 DEFO has failed the conversion course........good luck.

[giggerty]

GMIMA.

The Pay is good
The aircraft are ok ( some new,some old)
The routes are ok ( China can be a total nightmare)
Overnights. Average ( mostly in China, Hotels generally OK)
Rosters are stable ( you can make and usually get requested days off, plus
there are lifestyle rostering Weekends off, earlies, lates)
Leave is Fantastic (10 weeks a year)
Training. Some good, some bad. Command upgrades are a joke, but general
stuff not bad.
Extras. Not bad. But I think you miss out on some of them in the new package
Job Satisfaction?? Ok ish

Hong Kong? It's a mixed bag. On the down side. It's crowded, polluted and housing is expensive. On the upside it's safe, easy to get around, you don't have to speak the language. Very easy to live here as an expat. It's not too far from any other place you want to visit.

Weigh it all up.

There are not many guys leaving so that generally means the sand isn't any greener if you know what I mean

[Whoosh1999]

Good balanced response Giggerty! :ok:

Ah Kathey! Such a happy soul! I'm so glad you find working at KA such a fulfilling experience and are so keen to pass on your positive thoughts to the rest of us! Are you per chance exaggerating again? After all, it is a rumour network and what better place to invent numbers! :ugh:

[GMIMA]

Hi guys

Thanks for your replies

Is the training department that bad? We have a couple of special trainers in my current airline, but they tend to be few and far between.

Do you do mixed fleet? 320 321 and 330 flying?

Any idea on interview process?

I would ideally want or like a 2 or 3 bed gaff. Got 2 big dogs too.

Cheers

Pm me if easier

[hongkongfooey]

The pay WAS good, this has been done to death but with 20k housing you will either be living in very modest digs or using some of your 68 odd K to subsidise.
Flying in China is soul destroying and the 10 weeks annual leave will be well earned.
Don't worry about the problems with command upgrades, unless a lot of crew leave you will have 8-10 years to learn how to be a Jedi Knight.
May the force be with you.

[AQIS Boigu]

the last 5 out of 5 DEFO has failed the conversion course....

kathey,

did they get retrained or let go???

[kathey]

Don't know the specific details why they didn't make it, except for 1 guy that now works for HKA...

[dragonforce]

Cutting through all the b.s. is not an easy task. As someone has said, working for KA has it's pros but there are probably more cons than pros right now, especially if you are married with children. Without a B-Scale package I couldn't recommend KA to anyone. I just read an interesting article which ranked Hong Kong as having the most over-valued home prices on the planet. Getting your children into a good school is problematic at best. Your HKDs won't get you far in Hong Kong these days, and you will find that without enough disposable income to enjoy yourself your wife will get fed up sooner than later. Why aren't people leaving? It's the 'Golden Handcuff' syndrome. It's not that the grass isn't greener elsewhere. For those on the A and B scale it's the money that is. Do yo really want to be a C-Scaler? Only you can answer that question.

[Ka-life]

The new c-scale contract makes this almost a no brainier.
Dragonair should now only be able to get pilots who failed at CX.

If you are unemployed or need an Airbus rating the c-scale contract might work for you. Give KA two years and you will leave with an Airbus rating and a few hundred hours. Give it 3 years and you can leave with 320/321/330.
Most things above is correct but keep in mind that you will not feel the same as you paycheck will be 30 percent less.
Pros
Leave system
Fellow pilots
Cons
Management
China flying with massive delays
No real roster agreement
Night stops quite boring but ok hotels
Difficult checking system, they call it training but it's not!

If you have family or at planning to have one, I don't think this is for you.