Sichuan Airlines WARNING..!

[On Final]

Hello Everyone,

This is a WARNING to any pilot considering to work for SICHUAN AIRLINES, you do not have schedule days off..! They are now considering any day off not required by CAAC rest subject to change and you will be forced to fly.

Sichuan Airlines used to be the place to work for in China but its changed now, unfortunately to one of the worst for any quality of life.

Safety meetings constantly and forced threats must attend or else on any lucky to have day off. Medicals always pushed on required rest for one reason or another.

Elearning, non stop, such a constant burden with threats of punishment to complete self tests on line. People cant hardly keep up with requirements.

It used to be you had s final schedule with some integrity for you days off, now thst is gone. If you are back up or standby for a day, used to be you might have a flight on that day. Now, they give you any length flight that day including your days off, it doesnt matter.

Also actively blocking your release, you may or may not get relased after contract, its risky, once your get hired, might be trapped in China.

If you have family or consider quality of life, forget about that. One leader states they can fly you 3 months straight, days off on the road, doesnt matter as long as you meet required rest requirements. Your scheduled day off is up for grabs.

When you have a day off, you are not allowed to go outside of Chengdu 25 kilimeters without permission, must stay in base unless aporoved.

If you finish your monthly schedule, even if flown 100 hours, say you ended up with 3 days in a row, not allow to leave base.

Vacations many times have you return After midnight up against your vacation day start. When you return from vacation expect early departure first day, there is no concept of trying to adjust work schedule to try an benefit even one day, forget that idea.

CAAC relationship poor now random written tests when you show up to fly, out of the blue, if you fail, stop the flght. Also you will be tsrgeted for special CAAC sim checks from the written or other.

Lots of double shifts, show up 0500 to fly, have a 3 to 4 hour rest in mddle of day, then back to fly get to hotel at midnight.

Also dead head crazy, everywhere no life, its NOT WORTH it....! It used to be the place, now people want to run CHENGDU AIRLINES which is the NEW place to be.

Do you homework, you have been warned. This is not a rant just some facts people should consider.


Fly Safe,

On Final

[Onesixty2four]

Sounds like the "airline" I was with in Shanghai for a couple of years. Had a 4 year contract but seriously could not stand another minute there. Many of the things you mention appear to be endemic to Chinese operations (eg. crazy-ass medicals on days off, mandatory "safety" meetings on days off, etc...).

When you begin with a Chinese airline, if you're smart it doesn't take long to realise you have fallen through the rabbit hole and into another dimension. I remember well that sinking feeling when, at a "safety" meeting, it became apparent that the clown conducting the meeting (the Chief Pilot I think) didn't understand the difference between VFR and VMC. Stunned is a word that doesn't even come close to expressing my state of mind then.

Another great one was when I had a couple of days off, so decided to visit another polluted Chinese cess pit (Nanjing - with beautiful yellowish brown sky). While there I received a phone call from company telling me that I would be working that afternoon. I said that I was on a day off, and besides, I wasn't in Shanghai. After a brief pause the retard at the other end of the phone asked why I was in Nanjing. I said that I was visiting friends. I was the told that I was based in Shanghai and that my days off should be spent there. I told him to f**k off and hung up.

On another day I was having lunch and drinks with a buddy of mine when his phone went. He was on a day off but was told he would be working. When he said that he'd been at lunch drinking the dispatcher asked him to hold the line. After a short while the dispatcher came back on and asked him how much had he drunk. Click!

Anyway, I could wirte a book about my 2 years in China (oh, actually someone already has - look it up "Flying upside down"). Seriously, if one is thinking of making the leap to China, read this book and think again. The final straw for me was when the CAAC decided that when you had a massive gate hold but no PAX onboard, you were no longer clocking up duty time. I had one particularly harrowing duty that stretched to over 20 hours (but was still legal?!?!?!). When I bought this up at a "safety" meeting the clowns in charge said "Captain, if it is legal, it is safe". This from the people who sincerely believed that if you were not stabilised by 1,000 AGL the approach was unsafe (I tried to make them see that it was not within company limits, yes. But unsafe? No. They just do not understand the concept of safety in the aviation environment).

Anyway, I'm now out of there and happily flying for a great bunch of people on a very much reduced salary - and I couldn't be more thrilled.

[Oscar84]

May you tell us wich one was in Shanghai?

[On Final]

Sichuan Airlines, use to be the place but not now. Its very hard to handle. The pressure is non stop even on if any days off...!

[Team America]

Do you have to answer your phone on a day off?

[On Final]

Hello,

You dont have to answer phone on your days off. But, if you were on days off, they would try call, email and you would lose face if not answer. Thete is a pilot shortage, rules change according to demands.

Chengdu airlines is the place to be.

Happy flight,

On Final

[Oscar84]

Chengdu airlines is the place to be or IS NOT THE PLACE TO BE

Before you were at Juneyao, correct?

What about this one?

[On Final]

Hello, I was never at Juneyao and heard along time ago was not so good. Things may have changed now. Chengdu Airlines is still small and a good place to work. I hear the pilots like it.

Good flight,

On Final