Now that is an interesting thought. New Hire bids HKG and it is full? Wide body Passover pay?

Course I guess would be same situation as Subic was.

Razor,

Good Questions but I believe that HKG is A300 and soon to be MD11. I suspect any new hires will be a "plumber" on the 72 therefore, HKG wouldn't be a new hire base per se...

Anyone else care to chime in???

Whale

Can't hire into a Foreign Domicile unless newly hired pilot accepts that as an assignment. In that sense it will be like Subic was. The 727 SO seat will be the default new hire seat (until 727's are gone) with the occasional new hire who's willing to go live in Hong Kong and deal with the shortcomings of our FDA in exchange for a widebody seat.

Also, not sure HKG will ever be an MD-11 domicile, but rumor has it MD-10-30's may be based there for crews to fly around once they're out in the system.

No idea when we'll hire again; if we get big time retirements in the next couple months I'd think 2010. Unfortunately, I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night though.

Sure, I'll help perpetuate the rumor...:D

I had heard that basing MD-11 crews in HK was the goal...actually has been the goal all along, but is now being accelerated because of FX80. Somehow this will address crew rest issues. US based MD-11 crews fly the freight over the pond, HK MD-10's fly it around Asia.

Doesn't bode well for quality of flying for ANC, for sure...

And I wonder what the plan is to avoid the same manning issues for a HK maddog base that happened with the bus...surely they're not going to roll in on the same heading again...

I can't imagine the company thinks they could staff an entirely new domicile in HKG. Not with the current FDA LOA that is. That's why I figured it will be aircraft only, with crews that are already out in the system flying them.

This was long rumored to be the plan for Subic. They didn't do it in Subic; What's changed so that they would do it now in HK?

Wichita flyer, thanks for your post!

I will choose to drink the Purple kool-aid and hope you're right. If so, please stop by new-hire ground school in 2010, so that I can treat you to a cold one!

You are all wrong - the new aircraft for HKG is going to be the 777 and it will be junior :D

And: Hiring wont start until all the excesses have been trained - that way the PN's can go right back into school after IOE in the 72 panel (they never really got their welcome to FedEx indoc) :D

IMHO the 777 will be the air-bridge and the Bus and -10-30s will be the feeders. Obviously this is still in the future since 850FD is the only 777 on property.

I"ve heard the MD-10 in HKG rumor from Capt. "O" during more than one hub turn meeting and RGS. Considering how much trouble they seem to be having staffing the base, I wonder if it's still in the cards?