Air China Contract Capts
 

I have applied to Air China as a direct entry Capt on A330. I have recently gone through the Korean Air process and decided not to go there - and wondered if anyone has any thoughts or info on Air China.
Thanks
The Driver

Air china-
 

:ok: European base
Flag carrier , will be around tomorrow
Pay OK and on time
Management OK (although MO differs somewhat from the West)
Double crew ops on 330
Route structure witout hellholes ( worst is GRU)
No commercial pressure - tons of extra fuel
:( BIG time language problem
Start a discussion with the Chinese captain and you go
Hotel standard may be low
Per diem system strange
Small problems may quickly be big problems

I worked for AC and had a splendid time with 10+ days home in EU per month. The Chinese are kind folks, treat them well and they open up; try the "little yellow bastards" approach and you are gone! If you dont like smoking in the cockpit; be diplomatic. If you like a good cigar at work: this is the place! And they have the best tea in the world...
And above all: be patient and dont loose your face (or theirs)

Best of luck
Capt T-

Driver, just wondering why you passed up Korean??

Capt T, any plans for 777s in Air China's future?

Can anyone tell me what they mean about "functional command hours"?
How are the patterns out of FRA? Do you fly regional patterns out of PEK?
What is the pay? Where do you pay taxes?
How long is the training and how is it?

Thank you very much for honest answers!

Langauge and culture are MASSIVE barriers. I would absolutely not under-estimate it. To put it in perspective, my girlfriend is chinese, speaks fluent english and educated to a high level. Lived in the west for 10 years and work with MNC's there. We get on very well, however I genuinely dont know what she is on about half the time - imagine crew etc who have marginal english and no experience in the west and who you dont know so well. Best of luck I say !

I think Korea, Taiwan, Japan etc would be a much more realistic option - Truly - dont understimate how vastly different we are, and I think the culture is without doubt the biggest barrier (many will say its the langauge, its really not its the culture). There is temptation to take a role with a carrier operating the A330/B777 in China etc but mark my words - think about it carefully before you jump. The culture shock is truly leathal - we are at opposite ends in terms of how we think and live. Few really get over it.