Tianjin Airlines

[Toastal]

Are TJ getting more of their alleged A320's now that they seem to be offering enhanced commuting contracts to bus drivers? A330 maybe not a pipe-dream after all!!

T:suspect:

[JotaJota]

All TJ's A320 were the ones that were supposed to go to BCA, another HNA Group airline. After several violations BCA "lost" the right to fly thos 320's for a while.

I believe that they are getting them now, and TJ is only getting a handful...

[pilotss2001]

Sorry Friend,

Its absolutely a pipe dream. A pipe so large Snoop Dog would be impressed.

[Toastal]

Care to elaborate PS? T:suspect:

[shai2000]

Does anyone here actually on the 1 month on 1 month off and can share his experience ?
PM will be fine too :rolleyes:

[primetimepilot]

+1 on anyone that has experience/info on month on month off schedule with Tianjin.

Thanks very much in advance!

[reach for the sky]

Sorry if I'm the bearer of bad news, but the supposed month on / month off is a complete scam. You don't get anywhere near that amount of time off. When you start the contract you have to do a pattern of 6 weeks on, then 2 off. Then you have to give them 1 week every six months for simulator revaluation. Now they want to remove all leave during the alien employment permit renewal process, which takes up to one month. If you don't have a job and are really desperate for work, proceed with caution. Otherwise, avoid at all costs. This example is just an example of how this airlines operates

[TJ Pilot]

Yes, the Month ON/OFF is a joke. 330's at Tiajin Airlines is a BIG joke. It's not even listed in the contract any more so that's not an option. They almost didn't get 320's here... the ones they do have they a) don't know how to fly, b) don't know how to load properly, and c) don't operate efficiently. So, if papa Hainan has half a brain, they are re-thinking sending ANY 330's to TJ and rerouting them to another branch of the parent that can handle an aircraft that requires significant internal organization (not just a big building with a bunch of retards who haven't a clue what they're doing). So, no Month ON/OFF and no 330's... and maybe no more 320's (they're focusing on EMB190's due to "economic reasons" which is code for "We can't handle bigger airplanes...").

[goldthop]

Is it true that any foreign pilot joining from here on out will not get Tianjin as a domicile? Do any of the other bases have decent expat/westernized populations?

[ChinaPhil]

The Chinese idea of being based somewhere and our idea of being based somewhere are two very different things. you are based in Tianjin but as they dont have enough flying out of there for the foreigners you get sent to another base for 5 days straight to fly. that was happening for 2 lots of 5 days per rotation. my last trip it was per calendar month. not really worth renting an apartment now. i work the old 4/4 contract. i work from the 15th to the 14th. my last month saw me fly 132hrs, because its split between two months i dont get overtime for over 80hrs. its "legal" to do it too. it takes you a month to get over jet lag fully so i am constantly in a jet lag of some sort or another. my advice is really read the fine print and understand the contract before you commit. nanning and guiyang are at least cleaner air. tianjin pollution is out of control. xian is not much better. things are slowly improving as regards hotels when sent out of base for your 2 x 5 days each month. hope that helps. its still better conditions and pay than the US regional i came from as a 9 year captain. it helps your blood pressure if you can learn a little chinese and understand their culture. its not a career move as they can cancel you at any 6 month medical or sim ride. take it for what it is worth. there are a lot of good points. most people only want to know the bad.

[goldthop]

Thanks ChinaPhil.

[temposaneRick]

TJ is a bad bad bad idea as a serious career move. Some ideas to consider: if you are a 145 guy coming here with the hope of transitioning to the 190 you are going to have your chain yanked BIG TIME. Besides all of the other BS like going to ground school only to have it canceled the minute you arrive and delayed indefinitely, imagine this: training with a Chinese "instructor" to fly a big fancy jet they themselves have no clue how to fly? It's a risk in a gamble in a coin toss.

If you're a 170/190 guy coming to transition to the 320 I hate to burst your bubble but it isn't going to happen. Period. If you get "based" in Tianjin you will regularly have 5-6 day stretches (maybe longer than a week) in one of the other bases like Guyang or Nanning. If you are based in Nanning, you will probably see several trips in Tianjin or Xian. The extreme inefficiency of their crew scheduling is something to observe. Oh, did I say scheduling? You only get your schedule on Sunday for the next week. There's another great feature of working for TJ. It's living day by day a lot of the time... :=