Originally Posted by
Riverside
Just out of curiosity, what's so special about international experience?
It’s not that its special, its ensuring you are aware of all aspects of the operation specific to the day. AIPs, PANS OPS, Cultural etiquette. Actions that the crew has to take in the absence the legal representative to walk your papers from the jet to immigration and customs, regulations dealing with health regulations if a pax becomes ill during the flight, arriving at FIR boundary and the successive state does not have your overfly permit with the wrong date (International Date Line). Trying to find the ATS to file one’s flight plan. Immunization cards for entry into a foreign ports. Not able to depart with pax onboard because the company neglected to pay all required airport, and ATS fees, and to make matters worse it after normal banking hours to arrange for the cash transfer. It’s all up to the crew, as a team to deal these issues and more.
If one does their homework before departing, then for the most part, it’s a non event event. Luckily, information and confirmations are now available at one’s fingertips. A great deal of real time information can now be obtained from home, hotel, even onboard the aircraft whilst enroute. I guess for the most part flying to typical destinations in Euroland and parts of Asia, its usually not big dear. But problems and still crop up that may require creativity.
You may find, thankfully in extremely rare cases, OCC may hang you out to dry if something goes horribly wrong affecting passengers, that can lead to headlines news. Not talking about accidents nor incidences either... company SNAFUs... items that may have fell through the crack.
Back in the day we had no SAT PHONEs, ACARS that could reach half way round the world, nor ability to access a phone patch to company in some distant lands even with HF. Still is the way of life flying in parts of Africa though.
In some cases, we had to conduct our own research with the State Department... without internet too. But we managed to get it done.
I’d wager that Pooch817 could add more to the laundry list about flying overseas and landing at the intended airport without a diversion. That could be an even worse nightmare.