Dragonair
 

Hi. Does anyone have any information on the state of play at Dragonair Cargo at Manchester since Cathay have taken it? Especially with regard to conditions, roster and interview process etc? Thanks...

Jam Man,

No change in Dragon at MAN due to the CX takeover, Crews now report to CX office. Pay, COS etc remain same as before. I should think the are actively recruiting as a buddy there indicated command upgrades/migration to the -400 creating vacancies on the Classic fleet.

Roster is described as a "manic work of fiction" and crewing " a nightmare". Morale not too good there at present due to the Crewing Rostering Dilemma and Fleet Management who are indifferent due to being HK based and suffering from Ivory Tower Syndrome.

On a more positive note, Crew are hoping that as the hands of CX reach into the problem areas, some of their bug-bears may be put to rest.

Thanks for the info.... I've been offered interview, but think I'll stay where I am for a bit longer...

how do you apply? I tried there old email but got told they not recruiting?

Old china hand is accurate with his description of rostering and crew control.

No sign of it getting any better yet and the company are still unwilling to discuss any sort of rostering agreement.

No pay rise for over 5 years (unless you count the insulting 2% imposed 2 years ago). Constant attempts to modify COS. Inefficient rostering. Punitive rostering. Crew Control, out of control. Woefully inadequate management.

Not to forget there is an IFALPA recruitment ban in place for the 747-400 due to a contractual dispute. More details on fragrant harbour forum.

If you are thinking of applying then know exactly what you are getting into, there are better options elsewhere for new joiners.

Tickler, I applied a while ago and just got an email out of the blue a long time after.... Hope this helps.

Thanks for furhter info Joebanana. You are all saying the same thing. Shame really. Aviation seems to be a bit of a poorly industry at the moment in general. I think I'll sit this one out for a bit and see what impact the Cathay take-over has on things. Any thoughts on the takeover from anyone??

Hope..
 

The hope is in vain, the reason is in your original post......:hmm:

How big are the demands for pilots at the moment with KA? When you get hired now, what will the (pay)deal be and will you go on the classic or 400 fleet if you choose cargo?

Cheers,

Ptt

PTT,

I am posting this simply to inform you and not making comment on the situation or individuals! A quick search amongst the fragrant harbour forums will yield more information.

Starting salary for a FO is just shy of £46k. A 10% gratuity paid after 3 years.

Allowances are £2.60 per hour.

No pension or provident fund.

No rostering agreement.

No pay rise in 5 years apart from an insulting 2% 2 years ago. Not even cost of living increases.

The Company requires a number of pilots in the next 12 months, rumoured to be about 50. They are currently having difficulty attracting the calibre they want. This could be due to the unattractive package, dreadful rostering or the IFALPA recruitment ban, more likely a combination of all 3.

If you can cope with 12 days on, 6 days off for the rest of your flying career, in addition to a stream of roster changes during your duty cycles ( a new record was set last week of 10 in the space of a couple of hours!), a refusal to even discuss never mind address the rostering problems, and a management philosophy that prefers to confront and antagonise rather than find mutual ground, then you will be OK in Dragonair.

There is of course the small matter of the recruitment ban which applies to the -400 positions only. The GMO was recently offered a way out of this in return for guarantees on our existing contracts but after initially agreeing, he refused to sign the agreement. :ugh:

If you want to be labelled as a ban breaker (I'm being polite!) then nobody can stop you. Be aware that your subsequent career and life in KA will not be much fun and your social life is likely to be limited as will be the number of sectors some Captains are likely to let you fly. Your onward career is unlikely to be much fun either as your status will follow you wherever you go.

There are vacancies on the Classic and these positions are not subject to the ban.

Consider your options carefully, the market is bouyant at the moment and there are certainly better options for European based pilots right now.