Air Astana contracts not worth the paper they are written on
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Air Astana could well find a few Airbuses parked for lack of crews.
Join Date: Mar 2006
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It's true. Expat does indeed walk off a flight. The local Captain refused to de-ice when the wing was contaminated with ice. Pictures were taken of the wing and are now with the company. The expat concerned is still with the airline although is leaving next month for pastures new. I understand the local Captain is back on line.
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Angryastana, NO, I' m not foolish nor ignorant. I' m just a captain and instructor on laug haul; and when I' m not happy with an airline or a contractor, I leave! I' ve done it many times! Please be a bit more polite next time! Thank you.
Right, I didn' t take time to check who was hiring for Astana!
Good luck;
FBW390
Right, I didn' t take time to check who was hiring for Astana!
Good luck;
FBW390
Join Date: Jun 2009
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Starskate, weren't you already working there? In class or on the line flying? Where ever there is an Air Astana thread you pop up asking questions. Maybe your in management there?
Really, really smoth move Jason. Why did you have to take Tom down with you?Join Date: Oct 2005
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AZ - what?
On another tack, I see some B767/757 jobs recently advertised with Parc - expansion or replacement?
How's life for an expat (with family) in Astana?
Thanks for any info!
On another tack, I see some B767/757 jobs recently advertised with Parc - expansion or replacement?
How's life for an expat (with family) in Astana?
Thanks for any info!
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Astana 767
Anyone got any info on life with them lately, does anyone have their family there with them?? The international school looks okay on google, anyone got kids there? Do they pay school fees or a reasonable housing allowance, enough not to live in squaller.
Really quite in Australia and being offered leave of absence for a few years so would like to hear locals reports. Thanks for the feedbacks
Really quite in Australia and being offered leave of absence for a few years so would like to hear locals reports. Thanks for the feedbacks
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Angry right in end
Air Astana good if no other work. 42 days on 14 off , but if home in Europe there are 3 days of travel or more so lose 18 days of 84 not 10 of 90. not allowed to leave base until 23.59 on last day, same if finish early in the morning. Requirment to be back at base and rested to begin at 06.00 on the first day. All flights from Europe arrive 02.00 to 08.30 between so you must leave your home two days before end of the last day off. Requirment for all 42 days to accept all changes to the roster including days off in Kazakhstan. The captains fly 40 to 60 hours in month pilots from 25 to 30 remaining sby time. No changes permited if pilot ask. Every month more pilots join to replace leaving pilots no new aircraft arrive.
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looks like there will be major changes in AAst , they plan to take out the commuting of the contract, they also want to kick out / not renew a lot of pilots..., i see trouble ahead......
Join Date: May 2007
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Hey All,
Anyone currently working at AA, feel free to pm me. I may head over to try it out and would appreciate some honest no BS info. I am currently working with an agent and am going in eyes wide open.
What do you like and dislike? Typical duty day, hours on duty, layover duration, relationship with the management...etc. I know people will say do the research and I have. Problem is, I don't know anyone currently there and I feel i could get better info from an active pilot. I know you folks can help and I am greatfull.
Cheers,
B
Anyone currently working at AA, feel free to pm me. I may head over to try it out and would appreciate some honest no BS info. I am currently working with an agent and am going in eyes wide open.
What do you like and dislike? Typical duty day, hours on duty, layover duration, relationship with the management...etc. I know people will say do the research and I have. Problem is, I don't know anyone currently there and I feel i could get better info from an active pilot. I know you folks can help and I am greatfull.
Cheers,
B
Join Date: Jun 2011
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Astana
I went to Astana in 2006 and throughly loved it. Stayed for several contracts. Early on there were many growing pains, but most all folks were bucko-gungho and excited by the future's prospects.
Since then things became a wee bit better and then changed rapidly in late 2009, none for the better. There were a group of non-current lads that checked in and created a bit of a stir. But given all the oddities, still no accidents.
Current management has first hand knowledge of trying to sack some very senior pilots at an East Asia Airline that operated out of a very complex area. Later the Airline was obligated to reimburse and re-instate the pilots. Hence the referred to individual packed up his rucksack and went to KZ. Guess where he is stirring the pot now?
Wages have diminished, benefits have slipped away or been re-defined. Unstable approaches result in severe pay and duty penalties. Along with that, the Yanks are not quite as welcome after the FAA Instructor training scandal the left the locals with a bit of distrust for the Yanks...and rightly so.
Qualified Pilots are in a demand and salaries, along with working conditions are far better in other places. Take a long look at the alternatives before you go to Astana. The Resourcer's have changed due to the increased competion and are not as reliable as they were five years ago. Do your research and ask many questions. Look for pay on time and penalties if it is not on time. Any clause in your contract that gives you something should be balanced with a penalty if it is not. Basically, once your are in a foreign country, you can't aways"just leave". Many require exit VISA's and leaving KZ can be an eye-opener the first time. Don't get caught up with any one Resourcer...expat 101- You don't pay the Resourcer, so they don't work for you. They are only trying to get you to sign on the dotted line and then once you arrive, many will change the contract.
Astana was fun, but that was several years ago. Very, very few of the orignal expats are there and most will not go back.
Since then things became a wee bit better and then changed rapidly in late 2009, none for the better. There were a group of non-current lads that checked in and created a bit of a stir. But given all the oddities, still no accidents.
Current management has first hand knowledge of trying to sack some very senior pilots at an East Asia Airline that operated out of a very complex area. Later the Airline was obligated to reimburse and re-instate the pilots. Hence the referred to individual packed up his rucksack and went to KZ. Guess where he is stirring the pot now?
Wages have diminished, benefits have slipped away or been re-defined. Unstable approaches result in severe pay and duty penalties. Along with that, the Yanks are not quite as welcome after the FAA Instructor training scandal the left the locals with a bit of distrust for the Yanks...and rightly so.
Qualified Pilots are in a demand and salaries, along with working conditions are far better in other places. Take a long look at the alternatives before you go to Astana. The Resourcer's have changed due to the increased competion and are not as reliable as they were five years ago. Do your research and ask many questions. Look for pay on time and penalties if it is not on time. Any clause in your contract that gives you something should be balanced with a penalty if it is not. Basically, once your are in a foreign country, you can't aways"just leave". Many require exit VISA's and leaving KZ can be an eye-opener the first time. Don't get caught up with any one Resourcer...expat 101- You don't pay the Resourcer, so they don't work for you. They are only trying to get you to sign on the dotted line and then once you arrive, many will change the contract.
Astana was fun, but that was several years ago. Very, very few of the orignal expats are there and most will not go back.
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Skypirate,
Thanks for the response. I can understand what you are saying and I could honestly say the same thing for the US airline I am currently stuck at. After 12+yrs, it has been nothing but down hill. We have a contract that isn't worth the paper it is printed on. A sad excuse of a union that can't win anything and when something does come up they say, "fly it and grieve it." A MX department that doesn't fix anything, even the most basic stuff. You can't even get them to come out and clean the bug guts off the windshield because they say they don't have a "procedure".
Pay is almost always screwed up, I have been lucky, others not so lucky. Schedulers that try to intimidate you. A bidding system that is manipulated by the company. For example, next month the bid packet has a four day trip worth 14 hours and its not commutable on either end! I could go on and on.
So really what the difference? I pay out a butt load of money in taxes, add to that education bills,and child support, bang there goes half my paycheck! If I were to go.....I would double my take home pay and still be able to pay my obligations and save for a future. It makes me wonder tho, how bad can it really be there compared to what I am doing here?
Cheers
B
Thanks for the response. I can understand what you are saying and I could honestly say the same thing for the US airline I am currently stuck at. After 12+yrs, it has been nothing but down hill. We have a contract that isn't worth the paper it is printed on. A sad excuse of a union that can't win anything and when something does come up they say, "fly it and grieve it." A MX department that doesn't fix anything, even the most basic stuff. You can't even get them to come out and clean the bug guts off the windshield because they say they don't have a "procedure".
Pay is almost always screwed up, I have been lucky, others not so lucky. Schedulers that try to intimidate you. A bidding system that is manipulated by the company. For example, next month the bid packet has a four day trip worth 14 hours and its not commutable on either end! I could go on and on.
So really what the difference? I pay out a butt load of money in taxes, add to that education bills,and child support, bang there goes half my paycheck! If I were to go.....I would double my take home pay and still be able to pay my obligations and save for a future. It makes me wonder tho, how bad can it really be there compared to what I am doing here?
Cheers
B
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$$
If you want $bucks$, then you won't find it in Almaty. Those days are gone.
The very best gig for US guys that want big bucks is in India or China. India has the better tax structure with the IRS and that is where you really come ahead. The $12 to $15k each month is basically tax free as the Indian airline has a tax agreement with US IRS. So along with your daily rate and the tax paid, it's all take-home pay.
China pays very well also, but check the IRS tax agreement rules.
Talk to UDAY at EDL.com for the latest Indian slots. He is very good at putting together contracts. No....I am not a resourcer. I just found a good deal here.
The very best gig for US guys that want big bucks is in India or China. India has the better tax structure with the IRS and that is where you really come ahead. The $12 to $15k each month is basically tax free as the Indian airline has a tax agreement with US IRS. So along with your daily rate and the tax paid, it's all take-home pay.
China pays very well also, but check the IRS tax agreement rules.
Talk to UDAY at EDL.com for the latest Indian slots. He is very good at putting together contracts. No....I am not a resourcer. I just found a good deal here.
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ICAO level four
Locals were supposed to pass English test in 2007 / 2008/2009/2010 and so on...it will go on forever until all the old guys are gone and the young ones take over.
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Please guys, remember that the subject is Air Astana.
No need to start a flame war here. I had signed more than one contract with Air Astana and I can only agree that **ALL** bad things said here about Air Astana and the blatent disregard for any signed part of the contract are soooo true. Absolutely forget about your contracting agency being on your side, no matter who it is!!!
This place apparently still is applying the "Stick and Carrott" Method:
To take a carrott and ram it up your a
, then they take the stick and shove it up even higher.
NEVER NEVER GO THERE UNLESS YOU ARE STARVING and even then think about it hard. It nearly cost me my marriage because you are too far away for too long and Air Astana always finds ways to send you home unhappy.
If you are looking here, look on to China...
No need to start a flame war here. I had signed more than one contract with Air Astana and I can only agree that **ALL** bad things said here about Air Astana and the blatent disregard for any signed part of the contract are soooo true. Absolutely forget about your contracting agency being on your side, no matter who it is!!!This place apparently still is applying the "Stick and Carrott" Method:
To take a carrott and ram it up your a
, then they take the stick and shove it up even higher.NEVER NEVER GO THERE UNLESS YOU ARE STARVING and even then think about it hard. It nearly cost me my marriage because you are too far away for too long and Air Astana always finds ways to send you home unhappy.
If you are looking here, look on to China...