It was the best HE (and the MEC at the time) could do.

Glad we got new folks in there after that debacle.

 

what's done is done wrt/the LOA... back to the main topic ... living in HKG.

I guess my main advice is ... check your motives before you bid ...

... Make some coin? Not so much, unless you're bidding out of the back seat in MEM or a young/early Capt upgrade
... Easy place to hideout as the system form changes and commute home at will? With the 777 flying HKG-MEM, it might be easier, but you still have to establish residency in HKG...wife and kids as well, to avoid possible company backlash (as mentioned before). Once here and checked off the squares, go for it..
... You and mama on your own? HKG is an open door to the Far East! The options are wide open for travel and exploration. Many folks are using the "per diem/Hotel in lieu of DH" options to turn a 4 day trip into a 7 day vacation with the wife. Flights are cheap inter-Asia.
... You, mama and the kids? Same as above but the schooling aspect is not something I know about. Folks that have kids here love it and showed up open to the "whole" adventure... good and bad.
... Single? be careful what you ask for !!! With layovers in MNL, CEB, BKK, PEN, and SGN, the world can be your oyster. We have many good layovers but they are getting shorter everyday. Wan Chi isn't too bad either...just saying.

Again, what are your goals and objectives? I was excessed out of ANC and didn't want to go to MEM. I thought a window seat and new adventures in Asia was a better option for me than commuting to MEM and working the slave-ship. I was lucky because I had a choice, albeit a forced one with all the excesses.

$2700/month? not for a family with kids. You'll have to add some out of pocket to make it work. Lots of options for a single person or just you and the wife. Again, depends on your comfort level and how much traveling you want to do. Many folks are just not here alot and traveling all the time. Just need a place to regroup and rest up before the next adventure.

Everything else it about the same as anywhere else... yes the GT to CAN is a pain, but it's still the fastest way up to CAN but it does have it's threats. The DH or train to CAN takes about the same amount of time. The train is on your own dime unless you have bank money. Many folks are using their bank money to smooth out the rough edges and make things fit their schedule. Cell phones/internet, bank accounts, apartment bills, visa's...etc all come with being in a different country. The Company glosses over that...that's what the $10k seed money it for.

Been here for 5 months and haven't really got the hang of it yet. Lots of opportunities to explore...and I guess that's the main point, everything is not about work! Go find it!

P.S. feel free to PM if you want what little info I have...but it's a start

 

Thanks Cujo for the information.

 

Mucho gracias Cujo

 

The good news is, those of us without HKG Happy Faces on can finally take drugs:

FOXNews.com - FAA Changes Rules to Allow Pilots to Take Antidepressants

Maybe the guys with happy faces on were talking them all long in anticipation of this?

 

THX Cujo.

I'd only come that way if I could be a <50% MD Capt and I don't know if that would still be worth it.

 

Hey HKG guys/gals,

If you wouldn't mind updating us on the HKG experience it would be great. Just starting to think about it since us in the poolies may be fortunate enough to get a call sometime next year. When the call comes, it appears there might be the option of HKG (MD11 if open by then, or A300 I assume).

What can a super junior, bottom-of-the-barrell guy expect for reserve schedules?

Days on/off?

On reserve, would travel back to the U.S. once a month be possible (not commuting, just to come visit)?

How far could a reservist live from the airport?

2 hour callout?

Is that doable on public transit or does one have to do the company transportation?

How long would you "guess" one would stay on reserve?...assuming hiring somewhat picks up a little...

If anyone would care to share some pictures of their living quarters in HKG, and how much it runs a month, that would be awesome...

Thanks for all the help you guys have provided on this forum!

 

For all you guys senior to me it sucks. Don't do it.

 

I'm amazed that there are folks who actually still think there is a expat income exclusion. And no doubt you voted on the LOA without knowing that. Although BC and his entourage never really explained that. Instead they merely stated that "tax equalization" was the "norm" with many companies. Of course nobody asked what the "norm" expat packages those companies offered. But I digress. The tax break is still there for the expats, according to the IRS. However, the individual going to HKG signs a document which in essence, signs those benefits which you, the employee, are eligible for, and gives them to the company.

I wanted to go from SFS to HKG but after running the numbers, it wasn't worth it, to me. Also, the tax breaks the company gets isn't limited to just the foreign income exclusion (which was about $85,000 when I left, not $130K as Convair thought). There are also tax write-offs for the Hong Kong taxes paid and housing paid. I believe the company would get back in excess of $60,000 a year with my "tax equalization." Remember too, they are paying Hong Kong taxes. The write-off for those taxes paid are huge though. For me the company would have paid roughly $65,000/year for me to be in HKG. The tax write offs would return about $60,000/year. I saw the lines for some of the guys that were going to HKG in SIBA status. The deadhead fare was about $6,000 each way. Perhaps going to HKG should not be a financial windfall to the crewmember going there, as BC stated, however, did it need to be a financial windfall to the company at the crews expense? I think not.

Finally, to those thinking of commuting, beware as a couple posts explained. Price Waterhouse does your taxes two ways. One, as if you receive the expat tax breaks. The second, as if you don't live abroad, but rather in the states. The difference is what the company gets. That's simplified to say the least. And I know my former Subic buds are chomping at the bits to correct some errors in what I've said. For whatever misquotes I have stated, I apologize in advance. It's a bit difficult to say you live abroad, if the wife and kids live in the USA. Even harder if one of them is earning an income stateside.

What I have stated is not exact by any means, but it is fairly accurate. As is written on many a financial disclosures, consult your financial consultant first. Money magazine proves every year there are fifty different tax returns from fifty different tax preparers, all running the same numbers for the same hypothetical family.

As a side note, before the LOA was signed, O and the SFS ACP talked to us after a fact-finding mission to HKG. In a span of one hour we had been told at least a half dozen times that someone could rent a decent place in HKG for $3500. Each time the figure of $3500 was mentioned a follow-on "we're not stating the company is going to offer that," was also stated. After the LOA was a done deal I flew with the current ACP in HKG. He told me "the company was willing to pay $4000/month in housing, but the union took the first offer of $2700." That was not second hand news. That was straight from his mouth. Was it true? I don't know. Who cares, I didn't bid it.

 

Let's just not make the same mistake in opening up MD-11 in HKG, 757 in CGN, or A330 in MIA.


Want it fast?...No LOA...incorporate it in the TA.