Air Japan (AJX) B767

[737lpa]

Thanks a lot Dominican,

What I meant on question #3 is if you are able to upgrade from business to first when travelling on a confirmed business ticket on ANA flights.

Also when you mentioned that the Japanese don´t really request Christmas so much... are you flying with Japanese F/O´s?

I thought that AVJ/AVX was full of contractors and that the Japanese would fly in the "real" ANA.

I saw you were comming from Pinnacle (CRJ´s). Did you find adaption to a B767 difficult? I´m applying for a CP position but only have flown B737-800 before...

Thank you again.

Ya te diré como me va todo.

[crj705]

If you decide to take the business class ticket, you are treated 100% like a normal passenger and have not "special" upgrade privileges. However, you do accumulate a very large number of frequent flier miles so you very well could upgrade using your elite status and/or frequent flier miles. Some guys also used them for tickets and pocket the $2000 cash for the month.

There are a few different groups at the company. The largest is the foreign contract pilots. There are also some Japanese pilots that are here on contracts too. They came from other airlines in Japan. Most are captains, but there are maybe 2 or 3 FOs I think. The next groups is "career" over 60 captains from ANA. There might be around 10 to 15 of those and all are pretty good guys. Then there are the management pilots. Those are the guys that are assigned to the company from ANA and are active ANA pilots. Maybe about 10 of those.

[The Dominican]

I saw you were comming from Pinnacle (CRJ´s). Did you find adaption to a B767 difficult?

No, not particularly. The 767/757 have a great reputation as "pilot airplanes" and it is well deserved, they are great flying platforms and very enjoyable to fly. What is a bit difficult is to understand what is it that they want, you will hear expressions like "You must work on timing" but you don't really know what that means so you change the tempo of you calling for check lists and adjust the way you do the maneuver until they are happy with it, that is really the challenge of the training here. Once you understand that is has nothing to do with a safe operation but rather it is a rehearsal for a performance in front of the JCAB inspector, then it will become a lot easier to do the maneuvers. Adaptability and patience more than good flying skills are the key to pass training here, don't ask why or get frustrated with changes during training (and things will change midstream) just play along, if you fight it or start trying to show a "better way" or "this is how we used to do it at my previous airline" and you are digging a hole for yourself

[737lpa]

thank u both CRJ and Dominicano

All of these details that you guys are giving away are priceless inputs for guys like me full of uncertainties and curious about the know-how of the job.

Its clear to me that the Japanese have their ways (so do we in JAR world) and thats to be respected and not challenged. It makes sense to adapt ASAP since they're the ones paying the coinage. That I think I can do, or at least try to do.

One of the things that atract me the most from this contract is the apparent happiness and overall satisfaction of the contractors that are working already, despite of the fact that the job is so far away and that not much time is spent at home.

Having read the 50+ pages of this forum and the airliners central, its overwhelming to see the comments of encouragement from most of the posts.

I realize that most of you, like me, have families (wife, kids, ...) and yet the fact that you live away from them is compensated somehow with a good, decent, well paid contract overseas. Having been contracting por the past decade I must say that that's very unique.

I therefore must ask these questions:

1.- Under your opinion, what porcentage of pilots (roughly) actually quit even when succesful during the training, due to being unable to cope with the distance, or due to getting homesick?

2.- Is it fair to say that most people (western contractors) are in the job due to the crisis and are waiting for better (closer to home) opportuniities to arise? In other words, how often do u surf the flight international webpage?

3.- Is renewal of the contract after 5 years a common ocurrence or people kind of "hold on" to get the 30 grand and jet off?

4.- Would u say that most people see this job as a long term commitment, somewhere to retire at, or like something u have to do until the market recovers?

I know the questions are a bit personal and difficult to answer. I'm just trying to get an overall impression of expectations from the majority of pilots on this contract.

Summarizing,

5.- When u guys are in the pub in the corner, do u talk about money and women (like everybody who works in a happy airline), or do u discuss new opportunities and job offers to escape this commuting contract?

Thanks again for your inputs.

I'll keep the post up to date with developments on my upcoming interview.

So far I can tell u that they are treating me very well (Parc) and are being extremely helpful with the interview arrangements.

See u...

[The Dominican]

1.- Under your opinion, what porcentage of pilots (roughly) actually quit even when succesful during the training, due to being unable to cope with the distance, or due to getting homesick?

Besides retirement of course, attrition here is negligible and for the three years that I've been here I know of 3 pilots that have left

2.- Is it fair to say that most people (western contractors) are in the job due to the crisis and are waiting for better (closer to home) opportunities to arise? In other words, how often do u surf the flight international webpage?

Very subjective question and it is impossible for me to say, personally I'm not looking, for what? at best a sideways move?

3.- Is renewal of the contract after 5 years a common ocurrence or people kind of "hold on" to get the 30 grand and jet off?

We have many guys on second and even third contracts here. I just wanted to say that even if you sign a new contract you will get your contract completion bonus

4.- Would u say that most people see this job as a long term commitment, somewhere to retire at, or like something u have to do until the market recovers?

I couldn't tell you what the guys here have on their heads, I'm mostly concentrated in what the voices inside my head are telling me! I don't know man, all I can tell you is that I'm not looking

I know the questions are a bit personal and difficult to answer. I'm just trying to get an overall impression of expectations from the majority of pilots on this contract.

Summarizing,

5.- When u guys are in the pub in the corner, do u talk about money and women (like everybody who works in a happy airline), or do u discuss new opportunities and job offers to escape this commuting contract?


In this job environment? Yes we all are just waiting for United to start hiring again so that we can go back to earning less than a waitress and qualify for food stamps

I'll accept your earlier beer invitation as long as we do not talk about this paid hobby of ours, deal?

[737lpa]

Deal, Dominicano... I owe you a few gallons of beer by now..

I just need to concentrate now on the "process" and try to be succesful at the screening. Let´s see if I get lucky and get a job offer eventually.

I´ve already put an Air Japan B767 in my screensaver... for inspiration...

Thank u again for answering every time.

[luahh]

Do you guys have any idea of how long it takes the OJT briefing plus OJT flights? or in other words; the second part of the training that begins at NRT.

Thanks

[Deep and fast]

How many aircraft and crew are currently employed?

Cheers

D and F

[oldhasbeen]

All of them

[Deep and fast]

I'll try again then.

How many Boing aircraft do they have and how many flight crew do they have?

Cheers

D and F

[gtseraf]

Hello D&F

Air Japan don't own any of their own aircraft. They dry lease machines from ANA. ANA have 19 767 300 ER's.

Air Japan have approx. 60 foreign pilots and 20 ANA pilots, with plans to expand to 100 or more foreign pilots.

As AJX grows, it will take more of the 767 flying from ANA, international flights.

Sorry if the answer's a bit vague but that's how the system works here.

[Deep and fast]

gtseraf

Thanks for that. In the process of adding all the totals to complete my application, so it's good to hear they have further expansion plans.

D and F

[meguro]

ANA cancels contracts!

ANA have just announced the cancellation of ALL employee contracts with AJV. They are offering renewed terms with less money and less days off. This is a first for ANA in their relations with foreign pilots, it's what you would expect from Chinese. Morale has always gone up and down a little, but nothing like this. They are baically dishonorable and dishonest and reading this!

[ishi59]

watching this space with interest

[gtseraf]

They're turning the lights off at the dark side:

[fourgolds]

any truth / farther developments in what Meguro has said ?

[maybe!]

Its true All ajv contracts canceled from 1st July, offering a reduced contract with ajx Totally agree with megurus comment. but they may get a big shock when a lot of people decline there generous offer and head home
Do not be fooled with the perception that Japanese company's act honorably
they are plicks just like Chinese etc

[ishi59]

Maybe

Maybe you are almost correct, would be interesting to see who stays and who takes the door.

[heavydane]

Not a huge surprise.

Probably the prelude to the merger btw AJV and AJX that has been tossed around for quite some time now.
That ANA elect to go with the lowest denominator comes as no big surprise.


Regards

Heavydane

[Capt Coco]

Hey Tuna,
I think you'll find it's far from the first time ANA have ever done this....ask all the WAC boys on the 747 what happened in the 90', I think RC is in town at the moment he could always fill you in as he was one of the boys left without a job back then. Or the 737 guys a couple of months ago.....all given the flick. None of them were offered to have their jobs transfered straight into AJX.....although I believe they have taken maybe one or two of the 737 guys recently. From past history I reckon ANA is similar to a lot of airlines out there today, I don't really trust any of them.
What we all have to figure out now is how do we keep our days off and money and bring all the AJX guys up onto our deal. Unfortunately I think it may be a very big ask, if not impossible