A couple of years ago JAL cancelled the contracts of all foreign pilots. This was WAS INC pilots. Does anyone have any information as to what happened to these pilots? Did they get payments for contract cancellations? Rehire rights etc?
I am considering foreign airlines after I fly for a regional, and would like to know how they were treated. Thanks.

 

No payments, just 3 month notice. This is the norm in the contract world where they give you from 2-3 months notice but then again, JAL letting everyone go like that was NOT the norm. No rehire rights; this was not a furlough. You don't have protections like you have like at a US regional. This is a contract job: you are an independent contractor (at at-will employee). Only difference is that you need to give a notice to the employer to avoid a termination penalty which is usually 3 months but varies with each airline. The penalty can be more if you had signed a training bond. Usually the first 6 months to 1 year after completing training, the penalty is much higher, then after one year you go to 3 months to avoid a penalty. If under 3 month notice then there can sometimes be a small penalty (Ie 5K). There are some airlines, that you can walk away at any time, but that is not too common.