Be aware of Korean air
 

Seems that a few are not taking advise from guys who actually work there already.
There was recently 2 guys who left half way through their training as they could not take this stupid culture , dumbness and ignorance , You will be ignored like you do not excist .


But that all said , the culture , the dumbness , breaking of contracts , messing around with off days ,Now messing with our travelling , flying your ass off up to 900 hrs...NOT including the other 300 hrs on that to get back and from home,The 4- 6 months training on lower pay and stuck in a hotel not allowed to go home, Line training from hell with someone who cannot fly to save his life or work the radio at least,Lack of help , assistance from agency , the lack of someone to go to for help for basic assistance ... its you agaist the koreans if they report you for a stupid reason no intervention from an expat or anything ..No chance of an increase ever, if you want to go somewhere else then your home base you have to use your tickets which you only get a handful of which was suppose to be for your family as you as the pilot are suppose to fly on a GD, they broke that now , some pilots who have american green cards ... they refuse to fly them home on a GD to Hawai and they are now on ID90 tickets and you only get a few and you have to pay in economy and you might not get to work then they will dock your pay at 500USD a day... its brutal
We have an AAR in the form of a small korean who hates expats ....
Its the worse company you can ever end up working for .. they will not renew you for small reasons which you will not even be made aware of.
The Koreans hate us as they want increases and they been fighting the company for 3 years now and its brutal towards expats.
THEN THE NORTH KOREAN ISSUE .. everyone is looking for another job , guys are leaving at a huge rate ...


well you decide ...:ugh::ugh::ugh:

I thought they had a reasonable reputation for sticking to the contracted terms and conditions ? ... Dumb ? I don’t know, different to your culture certainly . Better to join as a captain definitely.

Please elaborate on the North Korean issue haha

My best friend works there since 2015 after he left ek and he’s never had a single problem.
They’re one of the most serious company in terms of reliability and honoring the contract.
The culture is different and you must adapt just like in every other place.
Actually is one of the most attracting and best paid commuting contract.

I know a few very close mates that have been there for up to 15+ years and have absolutely no problems. With more lining up to go!

A lot lining up actually 😂😂

interesting that ALL 3 of the OP's posts have been about Korean.

Where the hell are you supposed to work anymore. Time to retire.

In this context I had to repost this video:

https://www.captiongenerator.com/710...eet-Newsletter

Korean is hiring now continuously since more than 8 years! Nonstop! And there is no real expansion, the fleet is more or less stable I think. That means the in and outflow of pilots is same like at Emirates for example. Those who are not happy and find something better leave.

Same Old Story
 

I was on contract there for over 8 years. Absolutely the best contract I’ve ever had. There will always be detractors to anything that is good. This contract is all about mindset change. If you disagree with the LCP during line training, you already wrote your ticket out of the organization. Go there,do what you're told and don't ask a bunch of questions while training and you'll pass.

In those 8+ years, I never had days off violated, always rode business class and was treated with respect. You get out of this world, what you put in. Furthermore, I always had Christmas off, but in turn, never took time during Chusock (New Years).

South Korea in the middle east
 

....and what exactly about Korean Air is pertinent to the middle east?

Didn't you know ? The world revolves around EK pilots.

Agree... The only issues I had was:
-Matrasses in Korea are way too hard
-Culture between local Captain and local FO is ehhh interesting... you learn a lot about their culture from that and understand why they need expats

In short I liked the place, the people and the food and the contract was ok too. Beats EK anyday

you made my day.
danke!

KL

Flew for them for 11 years and I had the same impressions as 777av8r. Do not try to change anything and go with the flow. Regarding your questions; 1. no, routes are assigned randomly, no bid system 2. the standard days off are 11 days plus 3 travelling days, occasionally you can request a few more days on a particular month, but you'd have to work more days subsequently.

Agree with 3holer. 'Go with the Flow' is certainly prudent. Still best commuting contract out there.

I suspect the interest in Korean from EK pilots will not be diminishing soon. Despite all the challenges that go hand in hand with working for Korean, the fact that there seems to be steady interest, means that the perceived positives still outweigh the perceived negatives for many at EK.

Any 737 skippers at Korean that could possibly pm me a roster for the last month or two please.
many thanks

Present 737 captains are being offered left seat in the 777, i know 2 gents who recently made the transition.

you don't want the 737 at Kal. A lot of challenging China and Korea domestic, 4 sector days

You mean a NTR DEC onto 777?

They were KE foreign 737 captains who transitioned to the 777....

as to their previous types and times I cannot say. I reckon they've been bonded somehow and/or purchased a 777 type as any NTR would ....

but it is being offered presently

You also need to be over the age of 40 to fly a widebody at Korean. They will not transition anyone unless they're 40 or older.

No Change...
 

Actually then, nothing much has changed for the last 10 years. Most guys were stuck on the 737 and couldn't move across unless they went in to the audit department. Very few came across to the 777.
Don't have any misconceptions though, all of the fleets work hard. They get their money out of you. Also, the hotels were never great. However; I always got my days off, always flew business class, to and from base and never had my schedule changed. There was one exception and that was when a Captain fell ill, they called me if I would come in on my days off to cover the flight. I showed up, completed the flight back to ICN. They flew me home the next day and gave me an extra 9 days off!!!
I can't say too much about the Chinese contracts however; KAL was the best gig going. Always treated fair and well respected. Their equipment is THE best maintained in the world. It is a good operation.

Correct, not much has greatly changed, including the salary, (there has been NO inflation increases for many years). One significant change is that the 330 is NOT a possibility to non 330 experienced pilots unlike before - they have 321s coming and need to crew them instead.

As we know, no airline is perfect but I have several friends at Korean and they are very happy with the roasters and the people they work with.

Treat other people as you wish to be treated, it normally works.

Upgrade possibilities
 

Guys,
I'm an FO with 800 hrs on the 737NG, 1000 hrs jet total and 1250 hrs TT, I just fulfill the requirements for an FO position at KAL.

Do you recommend it for a western FO, or is it really like I hear: FOs only do the radios, must ask the captain's permission even for ordering a coffee from the cabin?

Do they upgrade foreigner FOs? How long does it take?

Thank You guys.

me179,

You are 1000 hours off even being eligible to apply.

According to https://rishworthaviation.com/pilot-...rviews-ref1831

I am :-)

Some ex EK guys have pulled the plug and are returning to EK! Never heard of any ex Korean guys leaving EK to return to Korean.

The trouble is that being an expat at Korean and being an expat at EK are two totally different jobs but I suspect some think that since they have adapted to the cultural melting pot that is EK, then they will easily adapt to Korean. This is sadly never going to be the case for all.

Having been an ex-pat at other companies prior to EK and where I was the minority in amongst a single majority based on nationality, I can see how some will simply just not be able to adapt to working at Korean, with all the nuances that go hand in hand with working there.

The last KAL joke