Any Cebu Pacific Crew here ?
 

HI , can you please tell me about expat F/O at cebu pacific on a320 ..can it be renewed after 6 months and can it be permanent? is it true they upgrade at 1500 hrs on type at cebu ?...all info is welcomed
thx

Also would be interested to hear from Cebu guys, why are they now recruiting expats? Is life in Cebu any good?
Currently in South Asia working for a national airline, who don't pay their cheques according to the bills.
Thinking of going there, but unsure how much longer after the 6 months expats would be kept on and if there any upgrades available?

Hows the roster?

Last Q : How is the interview?

Cheers CJ

Any company email for applications please ? Thanks.

A320 & ATR Pilots
 

Applications for positions with Cebu, contract & permanent:
Contractair

Good luck

cebu crew ?
 

hi ...any cebu crew here ? can u give us some insides scoop as in terms of work and contract and up grades please

Not recommended to go cebu pacific
 

UPGRADE:
Defenitely there is no upgrade for expat. Only locals and company regular line FO's are slated for upgrade to right seat. No upgrade even if have 5,000 A320 time. there is no permanent contract. Expats are on a temporary basis (3 or 6 months subject to renewal) and a stop gap measure only while addresing the shortage of pilots in the line due massive resignations of locals. Philippine law states expat employment of 6 months or less will not be subject to income tax. But beyond 6 months of employment, a 32% tax will automatically apply. So staying beyond your contract term of 6 months is not advisable.


WORING CONDITION:
Expect average of 90 hrs roster in a month.half or the roster is alloted in flying redeye and the rest are mixed domestic and international. Flight schedule are tight, hectic and stressful. 8 days off is guaranted in the contact but is not being followed. To cite you this, After terminating from a 5 am red eye flight, the time from 6am to 12 midnight which is supposed to be my rest rest day is being treated as day off instead of rest day.so in reality, 8 days is printed in your schedule but half of it is only the actual day off, the rest being a rest day not a day off. Even if you are on day off, the scheduler will sometimes call you at the hotel for flt upgrade due crew situation reason. The company will try to maximize your availability for every dollars they pay you.

Most of the runways being operated on the domestic route are very short and narrow.average of 1,700 mtrs length by 30 mtrs width.
The locals are nice to work with. They are accomodating and not as racist
like the middle east and other asian airline. Better crm and good cockpit
environment.
Turnaround time for each flight is only 30 minutes, so expect heavy workload in each turnaround. Pay for FO is around US $ 4200 net with free hotac and shuttle service to hotel and office.


So for me, its not advisable to come to cebu pacific. The working schedule is a
****. too stressful and too tiring. There a problem too with the way management pilots are running the show. No wonder that most of the locals are tranferring to other airlines. Its better to go to other asian airlines like vietnam, china and india where better pay and roster awaits you:eek:

So What im suggesti

Only 25mins in AirAsia....:}

re:winglet777
 

Winglet 777..thank you very much for the info....much appreciated...this is what we all are looking true and unbiased point of view ..thank you

THANK YOU VERY MUCH Winglet777 - You saved me. The agency had said it was a fixed pattern roster and that upgrades available " very fast"

cheers!!
CJ

upgrade
 

i was told the same ..upgrade in a year or two

No more Hotac - transport for Cebu
 

HI , does Cebu use Clark or Ninoy as a pilot base..where should i find a place to live if i move there ?..they are no longer providing Hotac - transport .
pls suggest ..thx

"i was told the same ..upgrade in a year or two "

The upgrades are reserved for direct hire local permanent residents. There is a seniority system in place based on company ID number which is in turnbased on hiring and regularization date. This is practically the only policy that the company respects.

Definitely no upgrades for expatriates.

Wow...Miss Caroline of Parc Aviation wrote me just that almost all the ex pat pilots have been upgraded captain recently......thanks for the news

Gundam and to all other interested expats:

There is no truth on what Ms caroline of parc aviation is sayings. There are no expat FO's being upgraded and there will never be upgrading at all. Forget that word if you're an expat fo. Upgrading is only for locals.
Parc, Contract Air, DPI are so desperate that they could not get expats and they are presenting unreliable facts and promises that will never happen. The truth is, most of the expats presently working in the company are leaving and not renewing their 3 months contract. An italian and spanish guy already resigned and left without completing their contract terms. I and Most of the guys here are just waiting for the contract completion and will be leaving anytime.
I only have this piece of advise for all interested expats coming here:
The pay is low, the rostering is horrible 5 days on 2 days off, there is no straight days off more than 2 days,mixed of 5-10 red eyes and 4-6 early a.m.
Flights a month, there is no commuting contract, Working condition is so miserable and too tiring, company policies too stressful, everyone including the
management pilots is submissive to the wishes, whims and caprices of the
Irish Chief operating officer Marc Breen. Thats why most of the
locals are leaving. Expat recruitment here is not due to airline expansion but
primarily because of local pilot shortage due to this pilot exodus.
There are more better offer in the other part of the region, a better pay, a better roster, a better working condition, a humane company treatment for pilots, and a commuting contract provision. I and other expats here had made a wrong decision coming here. We regreted it and we learned our lessons well.
These are the real facts on hand. Its up to all of you continue applying as an expat. There might be expat here you have worked before in other airlines, ask them for second opinion and veracity of the facts presented here and come up with a wise decision. But i will assure you, that in case you still want to go here, you will regret coming and working here and will surely believe in what im saying.
Good luck



rostering, better working conditions,

hi winglet thanks for your advise, very interesting, I take your suggestion and remain in my nice piece of **** in the desert, at least I konw my chickens until I find something really good, anyway I think I will do the skype interview just for fun, I want to see how much this people is able to lie.

see you bye and thank again

>>>>The pay is low, the rostering is horrible 5 days on 2 days off, there is no straight days off more than 2 days,mixed of 5-10 red eyes and 4-6 early a.m.
Flights a month, there is no commuting contract,<<<<<<

So when you took the contract you were unaware of the pay?? Also, the roster was not made available to you?? You didn't bother doing a little due diligence and investigate before signing the contract?

Skymaster,
Yes i read all the pertinent provision of the contract and it clearly states the pay, a fixed roster and a guaranteed 8 days off. The problem here is there is no country rep of this agencies representing you with the concerns of the pilots with the company. The scheduler will roster you to maximum flt hours with a minimum day off and in between rest period of mixed red eye and early moring flts. We have raised this concern to contract air to no avail, up to the point of seeking a dialogue with COO Breen wherein he slammed his office door for us telling that our issues is not within his level and better raises it to the agency. Theres a breach of the terms of the contract and thats the reasons other expats decided to leave immediately and not honor the contract anymore

hey winglet

what's this rumour about Lance matching the salary of the pilot group with that of AirAsia so as to stop the exodus. any truth to this?

@winglet777
Sad but true. Don't expect any help or assistance from Contractair. Especially from the lady-boss and definitely not from her clerks. It's just another :mad: agency. They don't take care about their pilots. Not at all. You have to fight either alone, or with the other fellow cebu pilots. Or - vote with your feet. All the best.

Roster is terrible 2days flight and 1 day off or flying every other day.
No flight give or exchange allowed now.
No block day offs, so once expat come to Philippine, He can’t go home for 6 month.:eek:
76 pilots resigned this year and more in the future.
And all of them have a better job now.

ATR 72-500 ? now thats a cool name..

Thanks for the info, its good to know how things really are.:eek:

Parc terms
 

found this in my inbox today. US$10250 plus 13th month pay. P45000 (US$1050) housing allowance. overtime pay after 85 hours. looking at $12k++/month. "taxes will be discussed during the interview". :E

Whole lot of CRAP!!
 

Whatever you guys do, do not end up at CebuPacificAir! It should be your last place to go to.
This is first hand information! Both cities Manila and Cebu suck. In Manila, there is heavy traffic all the time, some pilots and a chef of the hotel got mugged at knife point. The airline discriminates between pilots. I have heard some pilots are on different contracts not all have same pay. One first officer is being paid $5200 and other F.O's are being paid $4000. Captains are being paid anywhere from $9000 to $12500. No one knows if this is tax free or housing included or transportation allowance.

Cebu city is a lonely place, great beach area but boring very boring nothing to do and nowhere to go.

The crew schedulers or controllers as the call them are absolutely worthless. You can't get your days off that you require. Months go by and still you are requesting for vacation days. the locals are treated better. No one likes the expats and the reason they are hiring because most of them left to Air Asia which has a base in Manila-Clark airport.
So Be careful! China is a better bet but be careful which agency you choose.

Now that's not a fair statement. Personally I think its beaches are a bit too rocky to be called "great" but if you'd cared to blend in, take a walk in the town's shopping centre where the locals are really nice people - that's what really counts about any place. I'd prefer to be based in Lapu Lapu anytime rather than Pasay or even Makati.

CEBU interview DONE !!!
 

I have just done the interview with CEBU where a nice lady told me that there is no upgrading for foreigners, that is only for local, at least she was very clear.

by

Gundam
Did you ask them why no upgrades, and which agency did you use.

She told me that upgrading is only for locals and the agency is Parc aviation

STAY AWAY from PARC
 

Some Mexicans came through PArc did not even see or sign the contract before coming as their ad says will be discussed later.
They got s r w d! Cebu presented the contract on local terms with tax deductions and no transport no accommodation.
Parc was furious with the pilots not the airline because the pilots were told what the contract is before coming.

What a nightmare for them, about 8 or 9 came about 3 failed the sim. Oh the sim is done at Manila Clark and one of the pilots earlier than these guys failed the sim because he was rushed through the whole session in 1 hour.

The transport did not arrive on time delayed about 3 hours the sim is 2 hours away. No one advised the crew it was early morning 4 am and heavy rain!
Guess what the chief pilot said to the pilot who failed ? Why did you not go there a day earlier! How on earth is he suppose to know that if this a Low Cost carrier and they scheduled him to drive there just before the sim.

GUN FIRING at CEBU OFFICE!
 

Did anyone hear about the gun firing by a security officer who was playing with his gun against the other security officer at Cebu Pacific Air office?

Did the pilot get hurt?
That is the latest! YES! I confirm.
The pilot was waiting for his transport while the officers were playing with real guns and a shot was fired accidentally!

That is Philippines! Waiting on the status of the pilot?

Would Cebu take you with less than 500hrs on type?

Penalty!
 

Read the contract before signing. It will say $5000 penalty if you leave before the contract term of 6 months or like some pilots who were tricked into 1 year contract for US$ 110,000/-

Unbelievable!

Resignations
 

Four expat pilots have resigned before their contract term. found better terms in Europe and Air Asia Malaysia.

They paid their bond amount for training as well didn't bother competing their contract. I wonder why!

I wonder what Mark Breen has to say about the accidental gun firing.:=:=

Fresh CPL
 

Mga Kagalang-galang na Ginoo,

Was there a time in history that a fresh 250 hour CPL got hired by CEB? What are the chances at this time when there's a lot of movements within the company as per other threads and age of the MPL. Does having a Technical Services Engineer background helps or the precious flying hours all that matters?

Salamat po.

Worse than bad
 

Latest information on Cebu Pacific Airways!

The crew controllers have scheduled pilots with back to back red eye flights. All expat pilots are overworked and have decided to leave asap. One of them has been penalized for calling in sick. His decision was the best! packed up his stuff and left overnight. 2 others were scheduled for 90 hours.mostly 4 sectors daily and a 6 sector in between.
It is the worse schedule!
Don't be fooled with what they mention in the terms and conditions.

Be careful!

Worse schedule as well as CONTROLLERS
 

Yes, manila has the worse controllers. They vector you for final at 4000 feet within 9 nm's with a tail wind of 45 Kts. This is the usual crap that happens every flight! NO one to correct it.
Cebu pacific does not give a damn about it.In fact they want you to follow this. The instructors are horrible! No knowledge about the airplane or air law and air courtesy.

China is a better contract and terms out there. Any one thinking of going there think again and change your options.

Dude,you havent flown to Kartoum,Sanaa,Damascus,Katmandu,Calicut,Nariobi,Xiamen,Macau RW16,Kunnming, at least the manila controllers say hello sir

china
 

China definitely offers a better contract. But to fly here with ease, thats up to the skills of the pilots. Cebu Pac has a lot of skillful pilots but the management doesn't seem to care if some of them transfer to other airlines. Or do they? :rolleyes:

Very few skillful pilots
 

Okay take away the controllers. What about the danger every pilot faces flying VFR! yes most of the flights to VFR airports no weather no atc no nav aids and the Captain trying to go below minimums in a cloud layer of 1000 feet agl trying to find an airport.

There are several incidents about exceeding limitations and almost flying into terrain.
YES! the Captain almost flew into terrain trying to find the VFR airport in IMC.

Pilots are worked 90- 95 hours and paid overtime only 5 hours.

ALL the expat pilots never received overtime pay for TWO WHOLE MONTHS!

Be careful guys what options you choose!