BobSakamano

(looking into my crystal ball and seeing what you think one year from now)

LMAO

Enjoy the Air MeMeMeKong honeymoon while it lasts gentlemen.

hemaybedid

Great minds think alike. I was going to reference this again also. Even though I think I feel pretty much the same way you do about Air Mekong, it'll be interesting to see if this falls on deaf ears again.

TonyWilliams

In the Rwandair example, ya, I guess Mekong has been topped on the FO pay !!! Wow !!!!

I'm sure you'd never see any bonus, 8 days off per month would quickly turn into 4 (with pressure for zero), that TRI/TRE would be signing off fresh local recruits who never sat foot in a jet (who else would work for $1k/month?).

That 30 days would be approved at the end of the year, and you wouldn't get paid for it.

You know, after playing expat pilot for awhile, the garbage is easy to spot.

TonyWilliams

They paid us Monday, probably after getting wind of a sickout planned for Monday. The pay is due again in two weeks, when the games will begin again. Here's the letter I sent as I went home on my rotation:

Date: 13 June, 2010
From: Anthony Williams, First Officer, CRJ-900
Subject: Supplemental Pilot Service Agreement
Dear Captain [Fleet Manager],

I’ve considered the offer that you presented at the evening meeting of 12 June 2010, which includes work outside the parameters of my current employment contract.
I reject your offer.
I do, however, list the parameters where I will consider working Additional On Duty Days, hereinafter referred to as AODD, during the normally scheduled four weeks of “off duty” time on rotation at home. The terms of this Supplemental Pilot Service Agreement are listed for your consideration, and are as follows on page two.
For my additional labors, I require to be paid at a rate on par with my current contracted salary. That current salary is US$5500 monthly, or approximately US$185 per day, and an upgrade to captain would raise those daily earnings to US$270. Therefore, I require US$200 per diem, paid as an Incentive Per Diem, hereinafter referred to as IPD.
Should these terms not meet with your satisfaction, I shall return from my rotation at the already approved date in the latter half of July, in accordance with the terms of our mutually agreed to deed and contract of 19 February 2009, and the approved Pilot Rotation Form, dated 6 May 2010.
I will be available via email at < [email protected] >
Best wishes and tailwinds always,
Anthony Williams

Supplemental Pilot Service Agreement
1. The current Pilot Service Agreement contract between the Flight Crew Member and Arik Air Limited remains in full force. Work performed outside the parameters of the aforementioned agreement, hereinafter shall be referred to as Additional On Duty Days, or AODD, and shall be governed by this document.
2. Any AODD will be agreed to in advance by both parties, in writing. The beginning date, and ending date will be clearly written and agreed. Any subsequent modification, however slight, will also be mutually agreed to in writing, with clearly written beginning and end dates.
3. Additional Rotation Home Day(s), hereinafter referred to as ARHD, will be earned at the existing contract rate of one “off duty” (rotation) day for each two days “on duty”, to be redeemed at the next Flight Crew Member’s normal four weeks “off duty” (rotation) period. These ARHD days will be added to, and are in addition to, the normal four weeks “off duty” (rotation).
4. Incentive Per Diem, hereinafter referred to as IPD, will be paid by the company through the OCC office in Lagos at a rate of US$200/daily for each day of work outside the current contract provisions.
5. IPD is to be paid in US dollars, as is currently the practice with Per Diem, at the beginning of each work day(s). No IPD will be accepted in Naira, or any other currency.
6. IPD will not be paid for days when no work is assigned, or that work is not performed. Examples of work not performed are, but not limited to, sickness, physical incapacitation, expired medical, licenses, visa, validations, permits, or normal days off work in accordance with all applicable Flight Crew Member duty regulations during the AODD period.
7. Proficiency checks, recurrent training, simulator training, office work, or other such work during the AODD period are work days and are to be paid at the IPD rate, in addition to any other Per Diems and salary.
8. If the work day(s) extends into more than one day away from Lagos, then IPD will be paid for each day expected to be working away from base prior to the beginning of that work assignment. In other words, a two work day assignment would be paid an IPD of US$400 before the start of the first day of work.
9. Should there be weather, mechanical, or other unforeseen delay which extends the work day(s) beyond the expected work day(s) away from Lagos, then those days will be paid immediately upon the Flight Crew Member’s return and arrival to OCC in Lagos.
10. Airfare will be paid by the company between the Flight Crew Member’s home to Lagos, Nigeria, as is currently the practice and agreement, from the beginning of any agreed to sets of AODD, until those days are completed, or more than two days have elapsed whereby IPD has not been paid, or no work has been assigned. At such time, return airfare to the Flight Crew Member’s home shall be paid.
11. Should an AODD begin or end whereby becoming consecutive days with the normal 56 day work period, no airfare home will apply to those consecutive AODD to “on duty” periods.
12. Any day that IPD is not paid at the beginning of a work day(s) in the proper currency, rate, or amount for all days assigned to be worked, no AODD will take place, and no bona fide labor will be provided by the Flight Crew Member.
13. If more than two consecutive days transpire without a work assignment, or two consecutive days are not paid at the agreed to IPD, then the previously agreed to AODD period as described herein has concluded, and the provisions of “rotation travel” to the Flight Crew Member’s home shall prevail.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this addendum to the Deed entitled Pilot Service Agreement, which was originally dated _______________, and is hereby amended this date, _____________, and shall remain in force concurrent with the originally signed Deed entitled Pilot Service Agreement.
______________________________ __________________________
Arik Air Limited Director / Secretary Flight Crew Member

jth029

Tony,
I have sat back and listened to your opinions about your experience in the ex pat world. I’d like to know a few things. From what I can tell your company appears to be Arik Air in Nigeria. I’d like to quote what you posted several months back, but I cannot find it now. I believe it referenced F/O pay for a CRJ 900 between 3000 and 5000 usd a month based on experience and Captain pay somewhere in the ballpark of 6000-8000. (Please correct me, I’m sure this isn’t exactly accurate)

I don’t dispute that the Asia market should be higher than the Air Mekong pay. Some other companies in the area do pay more. But I don’t believe that your company would change any of their practices based on a very small new airline in Vietnam. For all anyone knows Air Mekong will shut down in 6 months and no one will have to worry about the “the lowest CRJ contract in the world.”

I also think some slack should be given to the fact this is a start up airline and pay might be able to keep up the first year.

You are probably right that a good reason to offer the job to ASA pilots would get people for cheaper, but for many people at ASA retaining a sonority number there is important to them.

My main point is this expat world is entirely non-union. So accept the free market. If someone wants to do the job for less then too bad for them. If you have too much of a negative attitude toward someone who would take this job, go back to a company with a union and negotiate what is “fair.”

Finally, please don’t take this personal at all. I know I addressed this to you, but it’s only because you seem to be the most active on this subject. I appreciate your stories about your experiences.
Respectfully,
-JTH

TonyWilliams

Yes, Arik Air. The plane pictured to the left is one of theirs. Rumor is we might get nationalized, which would slow SkyWest, Inc from paying me (again) any time soon. One problem possibly diverted.

Arik is a crappy company that doesn't pay it's employees on time, almost out of spite, and because they can get away with it... at least SkW will pay timely.

FO pay is graduated. FO's, as you recall, were US$3500 / US$4500 / US$5500, depending on experience (I'm at the highest level, so I don't recall the exact cut-offs for pay).

CA pay is US$8000 / US$8500, depending on the individual contract, plus whatever premiums for TRI/TRE, staff work, etc. (US$500).

In addition, we're paid about US$70 / day for overnights, and US$150 / day for training events. Even FO's do 6 month recurrent, which takes about a week each time. I seem to average 5 to 10 overnights per month.

In addition, the company pays for the phone, all room, food, travel, rotation home every 56/28 day cycle, all medicals, recurrent training, licenses, visas, etc.





If they are smart, they won't lower the pay because people ARE LEAVING IN DROVES at the current pay. As you see two posts up, I'm asking for "incentive" pay for additional work in excess of the contracted 56 days at US$200 / day.

But, they're not smart. I could imagine a slick talking Jerry strolling in with an "ah, shucks, we'll hook you right up". Or they just unilaterally lower pay, knowing how many CRJ guys from the US will fly for significantly lower pay.

Quote:

For all anyone knows Air Mekong will shut down in 6 months and no one will have to worry about the “the lowest CRJ contract in the world.”

It may shut down. Which is one of the reasons you need to get PREMIUM pay. I post my stories to clue you in that this isn't Kansas anymore, and that your labor, and personal safety, security, and very freedom is at a greater risk than in comfortable Podunk, USA. That demands a PREMIUM.

Of course, a premium to many at ASA will be one dollar more the the already abysmal regional airline FO pay. And that's what Jerry is exploiting, while he gives himself a handsome haircut. Everybody's happy.



I presume that you mean that it's a start up, so you'll give 'em a break for the first year. Believe me, it will only go up when nobody goes, or lots of guys quit early, and then nobody goes for whatever reason.

Pay at the beginning of the airline that I work at started in the US$10-12k region for a captain, and has steadily gone down as people keep lining up to work here. I think the word is finally out that to those who fly expat stuff as a career, so applications are probably lower than they were.

We've lost about 20% of the CRJ pilots in the past MONTH. On the Boeing fleet of about 150 pilots, they lose 1 to 2 per week so far in 2010. The Airbus fleet has had more guys quit than I'll ever be able to keep track of. 4 of 5 that arrived a few months ago, quit on day 1.



That seniority number is waiting for them whenever they get recalled from furlough, whether there is a Mekong, or not.



So, I should adjust to you? That's interesting. But, no thanks. It's never "too bad for them" who takes the job. It's too bad for everybody else when the bar on pay and conditions is lowered yet again.