ANA JP Express or Air Japan??
 

I was offered a choice to apply with ana/jp express or with air japan. The xpress side is the cargo side and air japan is the pax side.

This is a job through one of the contract companies.

Looking mostly for info on comuting back home and days off.

Thanks

What kind of information are you looking for?

I am on the AJX contract and your commuting options are either to take $2000 per month in cash and buy your own ticket (either ZED or regular ticket) or have the company buy you a business class ticket to your home. You choose month to month. This month I took the money, next month I am having the company buy me a business class ticket. Those are your only options....There is no jumpseating.

Air Japan will give you 10 consecutive days off per month, AJV will give you 11. You have 24 vacation days per year to use as you want. Some guys take 2 days per month, some take it bigger blocks. This company is outstanding in being flexible with your schedule.

Given all that is going on with the industry back home, this has to be one of the best places to be right now. Hopefully it will stay that way.

I was wondering whether there is any option of living in Japan. If so, do they allow you to have the commuting money to be applied toward housing? Are there many people who exercise this option? Also, if you do commute, do you have to commute in on days off?

Thank you in advance for any information.

in paragraph 2 you say "This company is outstanding in being flexible with your schedule." are you refering to the air japan or the cargo side??

Realistcally if i get on with the pax side will I be able to come to the states on my days off? Or is the pax side more for those that don't worry about comuting so much.

I know that on the cargo side it's a better for comutes to the states cause apparantly they guarantee you all your days off in a row.

I talked to the recruiter he said my package is ready to be sent to tokyo and relly need to decide on wich airline to go to.

Thanks all info helps

As of right now, this is a commuting contract only. There is one guy in the process of trying a residency option but I do not know the specifics or even if it will ultimately be allowed. I highly doubt you would get to keep the allowance for housing and you also will have to pay Japanese income tax. You do have to commute in on days off.

I can only speak to the Pax (AJX) side. I dont know anything about the cargo schedules.

Currently on the Pax side we have commuters from New York, Minnesota, LA and Hawaii. All of the guys have no problems with commuting to the US. PAX and cargo all have days off guaranteed in a row. You just get one extra day on the cargo side.

You will tell them what your choice of airline is but they may offer you a position with either. At least that was how it was when I interviewed. Either side is a pretty good deal.

Just something to think about. With the pay raise that we just got on the Pax side, there are some guys who's contracts are expiring that are leaving cargo to come back to the Pax side.

thanks I sent you a PM lost in asia

How is the interview like?

The interview is 99% your sim evaluation. They will send you a packet of profiles and procedures and they want to see you attempt to do it their way to the best of your ability. Even if it is not perfect, if you show that you are teachable and open to doing it their way, you should be ok. The actual interview is pretty much just getting to know you to see if you will fit in with their culture. The technical questions were few and very basic.

Lost

Great info... Thanks. Got a couple more questions for you.

How is your schedule when you are working? Is the company counting a 24 hour period off at an outstation as a day off for 24 in 7 issues?

Also how many hours are you flying a month. I noticed that the contract pay was for 70 hours. What is your monthly line average?

Are you on PAX or Cargo? How are the crews you fly with? Which contract company are you with? How do you like them?

Thanks,

How does one apply to JAL? Do they hire Americans?

The schedules are pretty good. You dont bid for a schedule like you normally do in the US. You tell our scheduler what 10 days off you want, then he builds your schedule around those days off. You can tell him your entire year's choice at once and you are 99% sure to get those days for the year. The only month that seems to have a few issues is December around Christmas and New Years. The schedules here are still built by hand and our guy is outstanding and accommodating everyone.

I just got back from my 10 days off and did a HNL trip. I have a blank day tomorrow, then 3 days of china flights, then a blank day, SIN trip, blank day, HKG trip, blank day, HNL trip then I am off Aug 17 - Sept 10.

There is a difference between days off and "blank days". Your 10 days off per month are they days you are back home in Japan. You will also have free days with no duty while you are in Japan. Those are called blank days. You have no responsibility to answer your phone, but you can have your schedule changed to something else. So its not a hard day off, but I have never worked on one. I usually have at least one blank day per week.

The company can count your time at an outstation as rest period. It doesnt really become much of an issue though.

Typically, schedules are built right to 70 hours. Right now though we are very short, especially on FOs, so we are flying more. I have had overtime the last 3 months. Once we are properly staffed, I would plan on 70 hours per month.

I am on the PAX contract with Parc. I am happy with them so far. My pay is correct and on time every month and they have always responded to my questions quickly.

Most of the crews are pretty good. Like anywhere you have the occasional odd ball, but all in all it is a good group of guys.

FlightPhoenix

Not sure if JAL hires for their mainline outfit, but JALways hires thorugh WASINC and Hawaiian Aviation; check the websites.

I have heard the odd JAL callsign out of Narita made by a westerner, but more often it is JALways. At any rate, perhaps EKBirdcage or LostInAsia can shed some light for you, or just check out the contract agencies that I have mentioned.

Good luck.

LostInAsia...Are the days off from Aug 17th to Sep 10th because you have vacation or were you able to work those days off with your scheduler?

Also, what do you do for housing between trips?

I took 4 vacation days, then the last 10 days of Aug / 1st 10 days of Sept. I have an apartment in NRT.... some guys have apartments, some stay in hotels.

Thank you!

Lost,

Thanks for all the great info! Sounds like a pretty good gig. From everything I have read Parc seems to be a pretty reputable company. It is good to hear you confirm that. A couple more questions if I may...

Do they hire women / are there any women curretly flying on either of the contracts?

How far into your contract are you? Several of the websites are stating that an upgrade will most likely occur in the first contract period. Is that what you are hearing as well? If so what are they telling you guys?

Reading some of your past post looks like you where flying in the US before you went over. Just curious where you came from/who you where flying for?

Last but not least what does you NRT apartment run you every month?

Thanks again,

Isn't it true that the training program for either of those contracts is 6- 8 months with no time to commute home during those months? Eight months in a row is a long time to be away from the US.

No women on any of the contracts at ANA. There are only 3 pilots in all of ANA so I would suspect that it will take a while before it will happen at the contact companies.

I am about 1.5 years into the contract now. I have been told upgrade for me should be expected in 2009.

I came from a regional in the US before.

Mine is a 3 bedroom, only about 2 minutes from the JR train station... It runs me Y120,000 per month. There are much cheaper options though.

That is correct. On the passenger side you are given a small furnished apartment in Tokyo. I had my wife come up for most of the time so that made it much more tolerable. Training is difficult and long but the rewards are worth it in my opinion.

AJV (Cargo)
 

Hi all.. Many Thanks to "Lost" for all the good info.

I am a Captain with AJV (ANA and JP Express)... So if anyone has specific questions about the cargo side, please feel free.. We too are hiring as many as we can...

The main difference between PAX and Cargo with ANA is the schedules. Right now, the most common (99%) schedule every month is 1 trip to the USA (6-8 days) and a couple of Asia turns.. Maybe a BKK overnight.. Most of our guys do 30-50 hours per month..

I am with PARC, and I too have no issues with them.. I have been generally very happy with the job. 99% of the guys I work with are great, and I enjoy going home to the USA every month, rather then living abroad as I did before..

Hope it helps..

BC

How can one trip to the USA be six to eight days? Is that typically a long layover?

NRT-KIX-ANC 24-56 hours off in ANC
ANC-ORD 48-60 hours off in ORD
ORD-ANC Same
ANC-KIX

Now mind you, these trips change from time to time, and there are currently 2patterns.. Generally, pretty good trips until that last leg back which is a ball-buster..

BC

Does anyone happen to know how many hours ANA wants FOs to have on the 67? I have 9,500 total, but only a couple of hundred on the 767 as I just got typed on it a few months ago. Just curious because on CREWs site it did not specify hours needed. Also, is there a training bond and, if so, how much? Thank you for any information.

Hello Birdcage,

Is there still talk of AJV starting a base in Chicago?

Is the 10 days of a month definite or negotiable? Can you adjust it to have more days off in the US and maybe less pay?

How many more AJV captains are they hiring? Is AJV expanding?

Will AJV be expanding to new US cities?

Thanks,

SD

OK,
I see on a few of the contract sites that they (Parc,Crew) are hiring Non typed FO's if you have enough jet experience.
What are the competative mins for FO on cargo.?

Hello Gents... Let me try to answer these questions....

About US (Chicago) Bases: Two words my friend "Wet Dream"!!
We approached the company about this 3 months ago and were told that there are no plans for a Chicago base at this time.. We have repeatedly told the contract companies to stop mis-leading potential pilots with this...

Expansion: Let me start by saying that there is a business plan, and then there is reality.. SO, what we are being told is true today... Actually for a Japanese company to even talk about future plans with it's "Employees" is very rare, but we have a great group of Management types at AJV.. Any how here is what we have heard.. We have 5 767s now, and orders for up to 14. Mostly will be converted.. (4 now are new, and one is converted) The delay of the 787 to ANA has caused a delay in getting the 767s to convert.. So not sure about 767 deliveries now.. The company has openly said that they will get 777-F or 747-8Fs in 2011 and 2012.. In the mean time, they want to use an ACMI (Polar, Atlas etc) to operate up to 4 747s until we can get larger planes.. Recent rumor, the JCAB (like the FAA) has denied that request.. So again, we don't know what will happen on that front. The current ANA orders for 777 Pax planes allows for transfer to freighter options, and with the 787 f*ck-up, maybe we could get a few sooner, but who knows... When asked about USA flying on the 767 during the ACMI and in the future, we were told that "The 767 will continue to fly to the USA, but maybe not ORD as that would be serviced by the leased 747s".. So does that mean new US cities, I guess so, but WHO KNOWS.... he he

Not trying to be vague, but rather give you the real picture.. Good news is that we are growing, and most guys are very happy here.. There is a lot of money invested in this thing from a lot of BIG companies in JP so I have good confidence growth will continue..

We also know that ANA is building a large freight sorting facility in Naha (Okinawa) and we will have a pretty big operation out of there in the next 2 years.. That could be pretty fun!!

Schedule: We get 11 days off in a row min every month.. you choose the days, and you get it.. If you want, you can also use up to 2 vacation days per month, or take vacation in blocks.. If you talk to 10 guys you will 10 different schedule ideas, but most are quite happy.. I take 13 per month, and sometimes go back to back, and get home for 26.. Seems to work well for everybody, and keep in mind we have people living all over the world..

To the other guys question about FO time on the plane: You do not need any 767 time to interview here... I good friend of mine just passed the Captain interview with only 737 and A-320 time... Now having said that, Captains do require a type on 737 or 320 or larger, and good PIC time in jets (3000 I think)
FOs is less.. There have been some "Issues" with a couple of Captains that were hired with only CRJ time, so they (ANA) upped the mins, and screwed some good guys out of interviews.. It's their train set right?!

Hope it helps...

Cheers,

BC

I believe that for FOs the minimums are 3000 total, 1000 jet, and a jet command type rating. I am pretty sure that most everyone hired has more than that though.

A couple more questions if you dont mind.....

How is the commute to the US? Where do you commute from? How do your wages effect your taxes for US residents? Do you pay any Japan taxes. Are you given a W-2? Are you allowed to rent an apartment without a visa? Or is obtaining a visa a standard practice (even for FOs)?

The commute is a no brainer and no problem since you have a choice of a business class ticket arranged and paid by the company; $2,000 or ZED tickets every month.. Some guys still use ZEDs and pocket all of the 2k, but I think most are either buying a ticket or using business class company tickets. I personally buy a coach ticket ( costs less then 2k) and then use miles to upgrade.. Works great.. I commute to the SE, so I am able to fly non-stop if I buy the ticket, rather then using Star Alliance through ORD or IAD which is how the company will send me..

You get a W2 if you work for an American contract company. You dont if you work for a off shore company. You are on a shore pass while in Japan, so neither you or ANA pay Japan taxes.

We typically have too much time off, and thus spend too much time in the USA to qualify as a Expat.. So you pay taxes like anyone else if you live in the states.

In the past, the company has not sponsered visas. I have heard there is one guy that is a trial case, but dont know the details. Many of our guys have apartments, and get through a broker.. Pretty easy I understand. I don't really see the need with AJV since we are not here (Japan) that much, but many guys do it..

Cheers,

BC

Hey guys! Thanks to everybody providing this valuable information. Very much appreciated indeed. I am very interested in this particular opportunity and your input has provided a great feedback. I sent all the documents for an FO position to Parc and Crew Resources Worldwide about three weeks ago, but haven't heard anything yet. How long does it usually take them to get back to you?

I am glad to hear you are interested..

My understanding is that they are getting a lot of applications, especially from the USA.. (Which is great in my opinion)

I would recommend that you call PARC in Ireland, and ask them to check on the status of your application.. It never hurts to push the matter a bit.. PARC has always been good (to me) about getting back to people, and getting the ball rolling...

If you want to PM me, and give me a bit of info about your background, and contact info, I can put a bug in their ear too..

Goodluck.. The process is a bit out of control, but the job is good once the BS ends!!

Cheers,

BC

Hey EK Birdcage! Thanks a lot! I will try to call PARC and talk to Catherine McCaul. She was a recruiter that sent me applications. Unfortunately, I can't PM you yet because of the forum's policy only to allow PM feature to those who made more than 25 posts. Can you PM me with your email or some other contact information? Appreciate your help. Later

Interview with Air Japan August 15
 

I have an interview scheduled on Aug. 15. I got short notice on this and am looking for interview gouge.

Anyone else going then - want to split sim time?

I am not sure yet from what I have read if the sim check is in a 76 or 74? Any one know?

RT

For those in the know...

Which is the better contractor to go with, CReW resources or parc?

Is there a training bond with either/both of those companies? If so, how much?

About how much do you guys commuting spend on accomodations in Tokyo, while there and not on duty?

Thanks for your help.

Gents,

I'm getting tossed into this journey as well...it sounds like a really good gig! Initial screen is okay and a tentative interview on the 24th in Japan....

Just got the packet in the mail regarding the profiles and sim, etc.

Question:

1. Interview - Examples of the technical questions please? That stuff freaks me out and I would love to focus on what to study please?

CReW is saying they pay for everything for the 4 day evolution or however long it is...anybody have any problems or surprise out of pocket issues?

2. Was the medical as freaky as I am hearing? Dream evaluation and getting fully wired up is some of the stuff I've heard. Seriously...how crazy is it? Heard cholesterol is a big deal and forget about it if you have LASIC. I don't have LASIC issues, but who the heck knows about the other stuff. I'm just gonna try to surf this wave and hope I get off okay.

Thanks in advance for your info gents.

Cheers...

Cloudsailor,

Just did a little digging as I am going with CReW but was contacted by PARC and IAC as well after the fact.

Seems like everyone is about the same. PARC's answer as to why they're on top is because they have a PARC rep in Tokyo for you...which is probably good since the company is in Ireland..right?

IAC is somewhere else too. That was the only thing Ms. McCaul told me that was different from CReW. I asker her poing blank before going with CReW because, like all of us, I want the best gig going. She had nothing else to offer, I was working with Alan Ito with CReW first, and out of my personal rationale, I stayed with CReW.

CReW is an american company that seems to be very close to the whole ANA program...I liked them best because they seem to be in the know a bit mo' better for us US types that are thinking about doing the contract thing abroad.

Medical is ETNA Global, which I personally like. No cost to us and it takes care of the whole family no matter where you are with small co pay.

Hope that helps a bit...sorry if I rambled.

Last question for the night....

I'm heading to Japan for the PAX/Air Japan gig...Any recent interview folks that can shed some light on the sim and the rest of the experience please?

I'm actually kind of looking forward to this interesting opportunity as I like doing different things every now and then...

But the whole sim eval and follow on days have me nervous...and curious.

Thank you to all that reply.

Kemo,
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, it sounds pretty much like what I've been hearing, all of those companies are very similar. Your rationale to go with CReW makes sense.

So, any idea if there's a training bond with CReW or ANA, once hired? What did they say about possible upgrades during the duration of the contract?

Good luck with the interview.

Hey F5KemoLoco,
Congrats man and best of luck to you on the interview! Wanted to ask you the same question that I posted in this thread earlier. How long did it take these agencies to get back to you with the package and an interview date since you submitted an application? I spoke with Ms. McCaul from Parc a little while ago, and she said that she forwarded my paperwork to Japan on July 22nd but still no word. Just was wondering if it was a normal span of time for something like that.