ANA Cargo ( AJV ) Interview
 

I am trying to obtain any information regarding the new cargo operation that ANA and Japan post are setting up ? I have an interview in May and am trying to find out schedules / destinations and general working conditions. Also it is my understanding that I will be provided with a japanese working visa, with the tax implications my responsibility ? Based on the offer and my findings I believe it to be between 32 and 39% .....F/O / Capt respectively ?
Anyone at AJX care to offer their insight ?

Luke.

All I can say is " may the force be with you"

The Ajx guys flying the schedules now and indeed, for the past year or so, have seen what it s all about. They were given the option to move across, a very generous offer was made, more money and immediate payout of some bonuses, etc. So far the response has been lukewarm (to be generous). I would venture to say that very few, if any of the guys have "rushed forward" to take advantage of this generous offer.

The new hires will be on a "C" scale salary with some issues, rebate travel, etc still unclear. As you quite rightly state, the residence and taxation issues are also very unclear. One of the contract companies is advertising the flexibility in the future with reduced rosters being an option. They omit to mention that this offer is at the company's discretion, i.e. when they have too many pilots. I don't see this happening for a looong time to come.

The operation will be out of at least 3 or more Japanese airports, Kansai, Haneda, Narita, Nagoya for sure now. The pilot wil be positioned between the airports. Positioning will take place by air, by bus (for which he will receive no credit towards overtime). This ground transport positioning does not feature in duty time and one can expect to position by bus, a/c then by bus again,chweing up 4 hrs or more, THEN, having to do an all nighter, 2 sectors or more.

Little thought is given to the effects of overnight flights and time zone changes. Rostering does not allow for adequate rest between duties and fatigue management is non- existant

All I can say is, be careful. This contract, as good as it sounds and as good as it can be, is at present very tough and could get a lot worse.

Luke,
What date is your interview?
Are you going via Parc or Hawaii Aviation?

Finally the market is opening....
 

Ichi:
Thanks for any extra info. Are you an AJX pilot? Where did you get the latest info you kindly provided us?
HACS is offering either Air Japan or Japan Express, one is Pax and the other is cargo?
Can you choose which one you want to join?
How much $ it takes to live in Japan , family of 4 in real world not Jet Set life...
Do they fly to Hawaii and if so what does the pattern looks like.
Any idea how the rosters look now in Air Japan ....
How much is a good contract in Japan?
What does the future looks there? I read in flight international ANA will have 400 retirements begining 2007 and to last 5 years.
What else captain...You have control

Take care

Vonk,

Just giving some ideas,either AJ or Ajx it depends from what company you got in,the Jap only except by a few leaser to supply the expat crew(contract base)
Talking expense,you'll find out i.e by this threats or other source (it depends on you how u spend,but I found out TYO it's more higher compare to other city in Jap,but you still find food etc with reasonable price,though!
AJ they have schedule to Honolulu vv,Ajx flying only within Jap cities.
The Jap have their own procedures,so you have to except their system!:uhoh:

They need the flightdeck so badly ,especially after 2009,:{

Hopefully it helps,

m_t:ok:

Hi guys,

Got an interview with AJV on the 9th 10th of May...wandering if you could enlight me about the assessment.

Thanks

Thanks for your comments Ishi. I have actually been in touch with a friend of a friend of....etc who has been with AJX some time now. Apparently as you state all of the current pilots at AJX declined the supposed lucrative offer to go to AJV ( the new freight co ) and have now since been threatened with redundancy due to impending over staffing ! I find this very hard to believe when the ANA group have so many retirements due and at the same time are continuing with there current schedule of interviews ?? If this is true I don't think i really want to be wasting my time going thru' this process ...
your thoughts....or facts pls,

AJX Management have flipped out
 

Things in Air Japan are getting decidely authoritarian in AJX. The AJV operation requires 18 existing captains and 16 existing F/O's to VOLUNTEER (kamakazi) for this awful operation. They have tried to put a cash sweetener to attract people over, however no takers, WHY? because the schedule they propose will kill a black dog. Long Haul, multiple time zone flying east to west followed up with insufficient rest by local China freighters, in between catching planes, trains and buses to move between the 4 bases they will cover simultaniuosly. These people have shown a contempt for fatigue and give lip service to safety, no thought has gone into this operation, and they are band aiding the whole thing. That's why the incumbents don't want to know about it.
The contract agencies are providing them with a strategy to force people into this operation. These managers are fanatics. What will happen next? A full on Bushido charge against the existing pilot group (frontal assault). They have done this before. Very good at threatening,natural bully boys, just like 61 years ago.
So you guys thinking about comming here remember everything you are being told is a lie. You will be on C scale. You will only get 8 days off per month (6 days at home after traveling. You will work yourself to death, how will you feel only getting 5 nights sleep every seven days due to the scheduling practices ( losing 2 nights sleep every week). Your contract will only be 3 months long because when they want to change it they will slam you with a threat to terminate you with 3 months notice, just like they are about to do with us.
These are a nasty lot, liers and cheats. It just aint worth it, very unhappy place. If you think you want to work in Japan, join NCA, they are really happy there. This is the worst of a bad lot. Stay away for you sake

ANA Subsidiary
 

And DON'T FORGET WAC (ANA Subsidiary) which had been shutted down about 10 years ago (June1996).
They also used Gaijin pilot through contract agency.
Company gave them 3 months notice and terminated contract.

Folks,
This contract seemed a very good one before reading all your information.
Fair money, commuting, etc. But :uhoh: !!
You sure saved me a trip to Japan, because if I'm called I won't be going.
Just one final question: If you were going by a well known agency like Parc, wouldn't it be responsible for the fulfillment of the contract?
Rgds.,
SF

Be aware for additional paper
 

Guys,Just be careful during the process in tokyo they will collect you in a crew room in shin-takanawa and they will handed additional paper that you have to "agree" cause you already got there:}
So just be careful with these biz....:uhoh:

I'd guess this kind of job it's best for the retirement gent's:hmm:

good luck anyway

Sushi

Why so angry. AJX/AJV is almost best job available! Rostering is very easy, I think western pilots mostly weak pilots because of all complaints.

Unfortunately I have no brain, like in movie wizard of OZ.......maybe this is why I agree with Mr P. Head. ( Use caution ).
Western Pilot almost good. Here at AJX we only have one "pissed off pilot" !
Schedule is velly good, please more pilot you come work for ANA sushi plane. :eek:

Now now girls.

Intersting, 2 different points of view now
 

Well, now we have :confused: two opposite points of view. Which is :ugh: the correct one?
One thing to ask, what is :D good , what is :{ bad?
Of course all depends where you come from, what your goals in live are, what do you consider a good airline and so on. Hope we can get some answers where the :cool: emotional intelligence takes the lead.
Happy landings:ok:

VonK,
I think you'll find that there is only *one* point of view here and that a certain amount of sarcasm has crept into this thread. Sorry to disappoint. Yep, different jobs for different people.
Now, where's my NCA application . . .

Ishi / Absolutely, thank you for your pms.
I have since been forwarded a proposed schedule for the freighter along with a couple of existing Air Japan schedules and as Sushi pointed out, would probably kill a black dog......at the very least leave him a hungry-black-dog !
Back to the point, how is an airline like ANA an IATA and Star Alliance member able to issue rosters suh as these ? Surely the F&D's have a time zone or at the very least a local night flying allowance written in ? What about a rostering protocol ? Last question.......I am told that all the schedules not just AJV or AJX but also ANA are done by hand ??? This, if true I can not believe.......Japan.....computers.......:hmm:

Luke any chance to share the proposed roster? It would be interesting to compare points of view in favor or against. By getting half of the info is hard to follow up.
thanks

kenichiwa all,

yes for those that are sceptical about these threads they are all 100% true, as sarcastic as they maybe but true indeed. For those interested about coming to or thinking about AJX/AJV have you got rocks in your heads. It all sounds lovely and rosey on paper but until you are actually there you dont know what has hit you.
For those asking about the Flight and Duty times, well putting it straight your are a foriegn pilot you dont need sleep and rest and for those who do then your are week. Anywhere else in the world yes these F&D's are illegal but here where the people are yellow best pilot in world they are too unless of course you are foriegner. They make there own rules it seems like and you are ordered to comply.
Why has an office gone through 10 girls doing a simple job in 5 yrs, simple because they get treated like s:mad: t, and they are japanese, so you can imagine what its like if you are a not japanese.
No one has gone or volunteered for this new frieght company as attractive as they have made it (yeah right) simply because it is f:mad: d up and full of lies. For 5yrs nearlly now the AJX guys have been lied to directly to there face been treated like a dogs been given duties two crew cant nearly do let alone just one crew and now here they are expecting them to jump hoops to go to this new frieghter company so we can do 3 sector night frieghters into china followed by a day frighter followed by a night frieghter followed by a north american trip crossing god nows how many time zones for min rest then returning to do the same. And they wonder why they arent fighting over each other. The money they are offering actually works out less than what they are on at AJX. Yes really!!!!
Bring a very big suitcase because you will spend your life catching buses trains planes before and after duties positioning as there will be 3 main airports to fly out of but all based at the only one where slots are minimal, smart little tuckers arent they.
And for the record Yes all the rosters ANA and AJX and soon to come AJV are all done by hand. like you said before Luke for a computerised country like Japan where you get a mobil phone before you are even born its pretty truckin hard to believe. SMART did I say sorry, we must have all forgotten it took them two bombs to relise they had lost WW2. do I need to say anymore.
There will be day frieghters to but only the japanese pilots will get them as they are preciouse little pieces of work.

Anyway enough talking, for those that are interested good lukc to you but remember you will be on a C or D scale by the time you get here and hope you dont like life as it will age you an extra 10 years quicker, but remember Ana will become the biggest airline in the asia region by 2009 ( how, nobody knows) but hey you are only nearly good so use more caution.

Saya nara

(spelling not so good):yuk:

Pretty much sums it up, spelt like our ops manual. I believe they are about to get very heavy, so all prospective AJV/AJX pilots watch this space very carefully. They are saying they will start to make people redundant who don't accept the AJV deal. This will showw the world what they are really made of.
As it now stands, your tenure is as long as you comply with these fanatics, if you have principles, and feel they aren't reasonable you will be looking for another job. All the current guys are.
Good luck and good night