Looking for the right chinese airline job and agency

[tomuchwork]

Hello gents(and ladies), I am currently flying for a big european low cost but having it slowly with their ways of bending laws and violating them. I think at the end I could go as well for a chinese job instead, at least there is more money involved.....

Now, I am rated on the 737NG, being in contact with a lady from "Spring Aviation" regarding a screening with Xiamen(thinking about a 4 weeks on/off roster). Last year I had as well brief contact with some guys flying for "Fuzhou" airlines.

From the ads and the agencies they are ALL the best choice in China. We all know that is not true. A fellow collegue of mine gave me once some interesting lecture - "flying upside down" - according this book you have to steer well clear of china and it's airlines. Is the book something that you could say is a general truth for China or is it a collection of many unlucky cases working for the wrong airline. To be honest, I could write a very nice book already about my current airline here in Europe. That would be a good read as well and an eye opener for so many joining this outfit.

It would be great if I could get a bit of info about Xiamen, Fuzhou, any other airlines that might be good and worth a shot. Is considering to go onto a B787, 777 over there realistic and how true are this offers(I am in my late 40's with enough command hours on different airliners, everything between widebody and 50 seater commuter jets)?

Which agency you suggest to a fellow collegue which never really looked into chinese aviation?

Or is it "wiser" to look for the middle east(e.g.Fly Dubai), Korea or Japan?

Very thankful for any reply, as well PM is welcome! Thank you!

[safelife]

The book is fairly biased (I've been with Tianjin and found it quite bearable) and Xiamen Air is way better than them. Go ahead.

[Dan Winterland]

Xiamen seems to be the best of a bad bunch. Pilots I have spoken to there seem to be the happiest (least pissed off?) of all the guys I know who work for PRC carriers.

[FalseGS]

Xiamen has just suspended all expat recruitment. So you can scratch that off your list.

[tomuchwork]

Thanks gents. @False GS - yes, was wondering. First the said they will do a roadshow in BCN, few days ago they cancelled that. Now I know why.

Well, no big deal. Was not really into it, might check with some other china carriers or go for Fly Dubai instead. To be honest, company wise non of them really appeal to me, at the end it comes down to money. Unfortunately most good carriers(some I had the pleasure working for) are all swimming belly up. What remains is the cheap crap that could not spell "decent behaviour towards employees" in a thousand years.

Will check with that "Spring Aviation" Lady on Xiamen, saves me the time to fill out that annoying chinese application form that asks already for the number of my marriage certificate(!) or the number of my childrens birth certificates. Why would you ask for that? I never planned to bring my family in this polluted place anyway.

Thanks for all info provided. Appreciated.

[tomuchwork]

I received confirmation today - Xiamen indeed stopped captain recruitment(don't know if general or just expat).

Now the agency offered me to try "Lucky Air", apparently a "nice" outfit, they seem to be "nice" to foreigners(lol). Pattern offered are resident, 6/4, 6/2 or one version with 182 days of leave/year(so you can create your own 4/4 or whatever). Only Base seems to be Kunming?! How is that for commuting?

Some info about this company? Give it a shot or stay clear? The agency offers as well to check for other china airlines if I want. Any suggestions?

Money wise they anyway seem all to be the same. Commuting around 13-14k USD/month plus some housing and travel fees paid.What the hell is an "oil saving bonus"? You seriously get a bonus if saving some fuel?

[joe falchetto 64]

Originally Posted by tomuchwork

I received confirmation today - Xiamen indeed stopped captain recruitment(don't know if general or just expat).

Now the agency offered me to try "Lucky Air", apparently a "nice" outfit, they seem to be "nice" to foreigners(lol). Pattern offered are resident, 6/4, 6/2 or one version with 182 days of leave/year(so you can create your own 4/4 or whatever). Only Base seems to be Kunming?! How is that for commuting?

Some info about this company? Give it a shot or stay clear? The agency offers as well to check for other china airlines if I want. Any suggestions?

Money wise they anyway seem all to be the same. Commuting around 13-14k USD/month plus some housing and travel fees paid.What the hell is an "oil saving bonus"? You seriously get a bonus if saving some fuel?

Flying in PRC from quite few years, albeit in another equipment. Just few short considerations according to my experience ( 2 airlines, 2 contracts, now on 4/4 and happy with that).
1. I would never consider any contract like "xxx days off": it means you have to request your vacations and generally management has the right to refuse them (which they normally do). It means you are going to stay at home in low season and work a lot in high season, i.e. the 4 weeks for Spring Festival, the first week of October, the first week of May, from June to September.
2. Kumming is nice....for people used to chinese lifestyle. I would never choose it. Commuting isn't easy from there.
3. All the contract seems to be the same but....devil is in the details so don't just rely on the single A4 spreadsheet with the retribution syntesis: there is a lot of stuff hidden behinf it (taxes, training pay, training lenght, and so on).
4. This is the most I can say on a public forum; just my advice: complete a deeply research and try to collect all available informations..
Happy landings.
JF

[tomuchwork]

Thanks joe falchetto 64

I really appreciate this info you are willing to share with me. Yes, the 182 days looked "fishy" the second I looked at them. Why would they offer that instead of 4/4.....now I know ^^.

I agree that not to much can be shared in open forums, if you could be some additional advice via PM feel free to drop me a line or 2. Especially with your experience working over there, I can imagine you know which companies should be avoided at all costs, which ones are ok and which ones are really to go for.

Thank you so or so - every piece of information counts. But clearly I want a 4/4 roster over there as I have wife and 2 kids(1 small) back home, so full time resident contract is not an option. And this 182 day holiday deal as well not after you told me HOW the show runs over there.

[I-IABB]

thanks for the info

Joe btw you seem to know a lot, I sent you a PM if you could kindly have a look, that would help. I will probably find myself jobless in the coming months.

what's the opinion and the moment for airlines like Hainan or Juneyao? I'm on the 737 but Juneyao is offering 320 NTR. not much info on the forum looks like, or if there's its a bit old.

thanks to anyone who can give a contribution!

[fuelsurvey]

I noticed that Hainan is doing direct recruitment now.

https://www.hainanairlines.com/US/US/FlyingCareer

I've been commuting to China for a little over a year and a half. 3 leg commute from North America. I think it's great over here and the majority of the foreigners in my company seem to like it as well.

[tomuchwork]

@I-IABB

Well, if you get some info please share(as well PM is fine)!

fuelsurvey

So Hainan is a point to start with? Did you went directly or which agency? Are they any good?


I have a job but to be honest my company is going more and more on my nerves. I you are sick they will call you into HQ and you have to explain yourself(even if you have doctors certificates, rumours say they do that with nearly everyone who was sick "to often"(whatever that means) and in a lot of cases it ends with a warning letter - to remind you - we are talking about doctors certified sickness here).Who knows what happens if you are longer, seriously sick. Can end very badly. And our union down here in the south in "shoeshape country" is a joke and utterly useless.

So I came to the only logic conclusion - why earn less and get bad threatment from your super fantastic loco here in Europe if I could go to China and get the same bad company "culture"(even doubt that the Chinese REALLY can be worse than my outfit over here ignoring more or less any worklaw) but MUCH more money. If you are sick you are out of luck both ways, so what.

Again, I would be very thankful to which agency/airline in China I should turn if I want a 4/4 roster pattern(or something similar). It is VERY hard to do a reasearch if you do not know how thrustworth that source is(e.g. asking to an agency). Lots of former collegues from my current company went over there(with very good reason) but I do not know anyone of them personally.

(PM) Comments from all pilots having experience (actual or previous) in China are very welcome. I am sure most of this guys over there had some sources before they moved on, I know that asking on pprune is kind of a longshot but it is the only source I have at the moment.