LostInAsia

Medical coverage is available for dependents for about 19GBP per dependent per month. I believe that if you reside in the US, you will have to pay extra to get coverage in the US. I believe that the basic coverage provided by PARC will cover you in the US for up to 28 days after your arrival in the US for non pre-existing conditions. This is something that you might want to ask PARC about as it was not explained very well when I started due to there just not being many Americans here. It would not hurt to negotiate with PARC and tell them that them that you will require them to pay for the additional coverage as terms of your contract. It can never hurt to ask.

CloudSailor

LostInAsia,
Thanks for taking the time to respond so clearly to the questions, I appreciate it.

The Dominican

One thing that is important to point out about the days off is that you can choose to utilize your vacation days that are 24 days per year at a monthly bases thus increasing your days off to 12 at AJX and 13 at AJV, I've been doing this since the start and it works pretty well. To take my yearly vacation what I do is that I bid my days off back to back (the end of one month followed by the beginning of the next) thus getting 24 days in a row off (20 days off with 4 vacation days) I did it this year and my family and I went to Argentina for a couple of weeks.

JetMidway

The Crew website says 10 consecutive days off for Cargo and 8 for pax. Everything I have read online says 11 for cargo and 10 for pax. Trying to figure out which is more accurate?

Also how many days do you realistically get to spend at home since you have to commute to the US on days off?

LostInAsia

Your contract would actually say that you are guaranteed 10 days off per month, of which at least 8 will be consecutive. In reality, you are given 10 days off in a row unless you ask for other arrangements. To my knowledge, no one has ever been assigned less that 10 days off in a row by the company.

You could lose as many as 2 days commuting to the US. It depends on when you finish and if you are able to get a flight back to the US the same day that you finish.

CloudSailor

For those of you who commute from the US... is it hard to get used to the schedule?
The 20 days on the road is the biggest sticking point for me considering ANA... my longest trips now are 5 days and they seem long, but then again, it's what I'm accustomed to. I am wondering if you guys felt the same way, and if you got used to it with time. How does it feel for you guys with a family/kids at home?
If I were to join the team I'd be commuting from DEN, which would definitely cost me 2 days out of the 10. I know one other guy who has gotten the job offer and going, but he's going as a captain, which is a big difference in pay.
Which brings up another question... they are saying upgrade is likely to happen for FO's in about 3.5 years. Does that mean you sign a new contract, now as a captain? or do you just stay in your existing contract and go to a higher pay rate?
Thanks again.

Puckhead

Maybe a pretty basic question here but who do they commute you on? Do you have to take their airline or can you fly on another airline because I live in Minneapolis and it was be an easy commute on NWA since they have at least one daily flight and once in a while two. I also previously asked but never got a solid response if residence was eventually available. I saw one guy was going for it but didnt know if he was Japanese or had family or some situation like that.

Thanks!

The Dominican

I'm commuting from Minneapolis and the business class commute made all the difference for me, the fact that you can sleep during the flight and have space to stretch out is a big plus and makes it pretty comfortable. I'm taking my vacation days in a monthly basis and my rosters are 18/12, most of the time (not always though) I'm able to work out with the crew scheduler to assign me a duty at the end of the roster that would allow me to go home the same day that I finish my duty period. This is a very different life style than what you are used to, the fact that it is working out for me doesn't mean it will work for you, what I try to do is spend the most quality time on my days off with my family that I can and every time I come home is like a mini vacation, my wife and I are working together pretty good with this but I'm one of the lucky ones that have a good partner in life and without your better half support, this venture will not work for you.

When you upgrade you get a new 5 year contract as a captain and the guys are negotiating to get their contract completion bonus prorated.

darrylg

What is it during the training that takes 6-8 months?

D.

dojetdriver

Could be wrong, but I believe the Japanese like to take their time for the FAA to JCAB certificate conversion process.