Originally Posted by
jth029
your company appears to be Arik Air in Nigeria. I’d like to quote what you posted several months back, but I cannot find it now. I believe it referenced F/O pay for a CRJ 900 between 3000 and 5000 usd a month based on experience and Captain pay somewhere in the ballpark of 6000-8000. (Please correct me, I’m sure this isn’t exactly accurate)[/SIZE][/FONT]
Yes, Arik Air. The plane pictured to the left is one of theirs. Rumor is we might get nationalized, which would slow SkyWest, Inc from paying me (again) any time soon. One problem possibly diverted.
Arik is a crappy company that doesn't pay it's employees on time, almost out of spite, and because they can get away with it... at least SkW will pay timely.
FO pay is graduated. FO's, as you recall, were US$3500 / US$4500 / US$5500, depending on experience (I'm at the highest level, so I don't recall the exact cut-offs for pay).
CA pay is US$8000 / US$8500, depending on the individual contract, plus whatever premiums for TRI/TRE, staff work, etc. (US$500).
In addition, we're paid about US$70 / day for overnights, and US$150 / day for training events. Even FO's do 6 month recurrent, which takes about a week each time. I seem to average 5 to 10 overnights per month.
In addition, the company pays for the phone, all room, food, travel, rotation home every 56/28 day cycle, all medicals, recurrent training, licenses, visas, etc.
I don’t dispute that the Asia market should be higher than the Air Mekong pay. Some other companies in the area do pay more. But I don’t believe that your company would change any of their practices based on a very small new airline in Vietnam.
If they are smart, they won't lower the pay because people ARE LEAVING IN DROVES at the current pay. As you see two posts up, I'm asking for "incentive" pay for additional work in excess of the contracted 56 days at US$200 / day.
But, they're not smart. I could imagine a slick talking Jerry strolling in with an "ah, shucks, we'll hook you right up". Or they just unilaterally lower pay, knowing how many CRJ guys from the US will fly for significantly lower pay.
For all anyone knows Air Mekong will shut down in 6 months and no one will have to worry about the “the lowest CRJ contract in the world.”
It may shut down. Which is one of the reasons you need to get PREMIUM pay. I post my stories to clue you in that this isn't Kansas anymore, and that your labor, and personal safety, security, and very freedom is at a greater risk than in comfortable Podunk, USA. That demands a PREMIUM.
Of course, a premium to many at ASA will be one dollar more the the already abysmal regional airline FO pay. And that's what Jerry is exploiting, while he gives himself a handsome haircut. Everybody's happy.
I also think some slack should be given to the fact this is a start up airline and pay might be able to keep up the first year.
I presume that you mean that it's a start up, so you'll give 'em a break for the first year. Believe me, it will only go up when nobody goes, or lots of guys quit early, and then nobody goes for whatever reason.
Pay at the beginning of the airline that I work at started in the US$10-12k region for a captain, and has steadily gone down as people keep lining up to work here. I think the word is finally out that to those who fly expat stuff as a career, so applications are probably lower than they were.
We've lost about 20% of the CRJ pilots in the past MONTH. On the Boeing fleet of about 150 pilots, they lose 1 to 2 per week so far in 2010. The Airbus fleet has had more guys quit than I'll ever be able to keep track of. 4 of 5 that arrived a few months ago, quit on day 1.
You are probably right that a good reason to offer the job to ASA pilots would get people for cheaper, but for many people at ASA retaining a sonority number there is important to them.
That seniority number is waiting for them whenever they get recalled from furlough, whether there is a Mekong, or not.
My main point is this expat world is entirely non-union. So accept the free market. If someone wants to do the job for less then too bad for them. If you have too much of a negative attitude toward someone who would take this job, go back to a company with a union and negotiate what is “fair.”
So, I should adjust to you? That's interesting. But, no thanks. It's never "too bad for them" who takes the job. It's too bad for everybody else when the bar on pay and conditions is lowered yet again.