SEPfield

After more review of AJX I binned the entire idea of going there.

The contract works out to be:

Commuting each month (no residency option)
6-8 months of overly arduous training
Sub par wages for a wide body
Old equipment. (No offense to a great airplane)
All the best night freight destinations China has to offer.

All for the less than 50% chance that you might possibly be considered worthy of upgrade in 3-5 years. (Except no one knows the criteria to be worthy)

Now the dream that in 3 years when the 787 is introduced (we all know these things are never delayed) one would have a much less than 50% chance of being considered worthy to fly the 787.

Best case scenario at AJX is you will be an under paid 767 FO flying night freight for a company that flies 787s

Just my opinion and the reasons I excluded AJX from my career options.

Braniff DC8

Jalways will be starting up again with either 777 or 787s. The rumor from a friend is 20,000$ a month.

PotatoChip

This rumor has persisted for a year....
And Southwest is lowering their mins to 500, and Cathay is hiring into JFK, and JetBlue is merging with Alaska.

blink

For the record, I'm not an AJX pilot, but, I need to interject here. Seriously, why on earth would JAL offer significantly more money than their competitors with similar type of operations like AJX or NCA? It appears that AJX has no shortage of willing applicants, so why would a competitor pay significantly more where supply is already sufficient? Will it also be for a 787 or 777 with a LAX/SYD Base as well? Sorry, I have to call BS.

Back when JAZ was operating, we were paid significantly less than AJX and NCA, however, our work conditions and QOL more than made up for it, still making it a great job.

I think a more realistic expectation is that it will mirror AJX in every matter, from salary to aircraft, as the operations are pretty much identical except for the color of the plane. Not to be a pessimist, but I'm quite certain those glory days of DH in First Class, flying 40 hours a month with 15+ days off, and all the other perks will be nothing but a distant memory of the "old" JAL. Nowadays, on the "new" JAL, the JAL pilots are all DH'ing in Economy, and to add insult to injury, not even allowed the Window or Aisle Seat anymore as they are for "paying" customers. Japan has been in a significant decline in QOL and Salary for over a decade now with either no raises, or worsening conditions. The sad part of it all is, the trend is still getting worse and worse. If you don't believe me, take a look around and you'll see a lot of Japanese pilots all leaving Japan seeking jobs in other countries. A decade ago, this would have been inconceivable. That's how bad Japan has gotten. The BS you have to deal with is NOT worth it anymore and even the locals are not putting up with it anymore.

PotatoChip

^^^THIS^^^

Very accurate post.

The Dominican

Do you folks really need emoticons to recognize sarcasm? jeez.....!

PotatoChip

Sarcasm detector was set to the O-F-F position.

The Dominican

I have to say that I was completely wrong about the introduction of the B787 to AJX....., the word "will" appears now in all related communications so if they are putting it in writing, it's happening!

But be aware that all new hires will be going to the 76, the crewing needs will be met with transition courses done by seniority.

PotatoChip

Wow. Game changer. Enjoy!!

89Pistons

Nice! Congrats. Will the contract terms change or will the 787 pay the same as the 767?