Post by Keithr0Post by DarylOnly flown Jetstar on domestic flights and never had a problem, I have
heard that they aren't that great for OS longer flights.
Sometimes its worth the gamble for a cheaper fare, sometimes not.
In 2016 when we flew to London we flew with Royal Brunei, at $1250.00
each return they were way cheaper than anyone else, I did ask around
and talked to one person who had flown with RG and they said that it
was good.
Flight took a bit longer due to 2 stops, Brunei and Dubai and being a
Muslim airline they don't serve alcohol but worth it to save about $1000.00.
Almost new 787 and the pilots sounded Australian.
Overall not bad, when I've looked recently they have cut out the stop
in Brunei, fare is not as low as before but still cheaper than many
others.
About 12 years ago the wife went to the UK for a month to help her SIL
look after her brother who was dying of motor neurone disease. I found a
real bargain fare for her - Royal Brunei business class return for $4k.
She was a bit dubious at the low fare but loved the trip. She had flown
business class before with United, but reckoned that the RB service was
much better.
Post by DarylBTW my grandsons soccer coach is a pilot as is his wife, they have
both been offered jobs in Saudi Arabia with a new airline at a
staggering $800k each PA, drawback is they would have to live over
there so they aren't interested.
For $800k x 2 tax free, I'd put up with it for a couple of years, mind
you, there could be tax problems on return.
First point I'd like to make, they don't pay that sort of salary package
for no good reason. Typically, the base salary is a relatively low
amount, not a lot different to what you would earn in, say, Australia
for the same job. The remainder up to the $800k would be made up of
inducements, compensation for *different* living conditions and, for
want of a better term, danger money. That is pretty much how my salary
in Indonesia was packaged and I have no reason to think there'd be
significant change today - except for the total dollar amount. And, for
the record, I think A$800k would be too far over the mark to be even
remotely credible.
Living, and working, in the Middle East, especially these days, carries
a significant risk attached to it. Back in 79, after I had finished my
contract in Indo, my plan was a trip via Vladivostok and the Trans
Siberian Railway to Europe and then head down to the Middle East with 3
companions. We were 3 diesel mechanics and an electrical engineer so
jobs were plentiful and assured. But things can change dramatically in a
very short time in those environments. We reached Bangkok, found out
there that the Middle East was in absolute turmoil with the return of
Ayatollah Khomeini. I was speaking to a helicopter pilot at the hotel
who had, with a bunch of colleagues, "stolen" the helicopter to which he
was assigned and fled Iran. He said the Middle East was stuffed, and he
wasn't wrong. This was mid 79 with Iran later that year taking a heap of
US hostages so we aborted our plans and the issue didn't resolve itself
until February of the following year. Two of my companions ended up in
Canada and are still there, the electrical engineer ended up in PNG (Ok
Tedi) and Irian Jaya (Freeport) and I ended up back in Aus but found the
worldwide expat job market was *flooded* by "refugee expats" from Iran.
That was when I decided to change my career path and do something I had
always wanted to do - attend uni.
So, the Middle East has always been fraught with danger but, right now,
it is a flash point. Current Israel Iran relations are at a very low ebb
and anyone working there could easily be caught up if hostilities break
out - again!
So what does a pilot earn in Australia? Typically it would be about
$150,000 with A380 pilots doubling that at about $300,000. It would seem
that the above salaries ranges are fairly typical around the world. So,
why would *any airline* pay so far over the mark? More so a new and
untested airline paying a *staggering $800k each PA*. Seems a bit suss.
How about a visit to the airline's web page.
https://pilotcareercenter.com/Air-Carrier-PCC-Profile/4681/Riyadh-Air
----------------------------
PCC PILOT SALARY & COMPENSATION UPDATES - RIYADH AIR
Caution
The data below should be viewed as a guideline only and, at times, may
not be 100% up-to-date. In today's market, Pilot Salaries and Bonuses
are changing at short notice. Meanwhile, the PCC Team will continuously
publish Pilot Salary & Bonus Updates from Pilots and HR Teams. If you
have corrections, please let us know.
Retention Bonus
Annual Target Bonus - 2 Months Basic Pay.
Pilot Salaries
Min Guarantee - 75 hours per month
All values are in SAR (Saudi Riyal).
The Airline is offering 2 SALARY SCALES - based on whether the pilot
lives in Riyadh and operates a 'Normal' schedule, or if the pilot
commutes in for an '14 ON / 14 OFF' schedule.
Normal Scheduled Pilots:
Airline will pay a Monthly Basic Salary of 45,800 SAR plus 4580 SAR
Transport Allowance plus 250 Riyals per hour for 75 hours (MMG) for
'Normal' schedule.
14 ON / 14 OFF Commuting Pilots:
Airline will pay a Monthly Basic Salary of 40,000 SAR plus 2000 SAR
Transport Allowance plus 250 Riyals per hour for 60 hours (MMG) for '14
ON / 14 OFF' schedule.
NOTE: Housing Allowance, Telephone Allowance, Education Allowance, nor
Provident Fund is included in the data shown below. The values below
include the monthly basic plus the Flight Hour Pay, plus the Transport
Allowance.
B787 - 'Normal' Schedule - Captain
Monthly Annual Salary (Annual USD)
Year 1 69,130 829,560 ($221,000)
Year 2 69,130 829,560 ($221,000)
Year 3 69,130 829,560 ($221,000)
Year 4 69,130 829,560 ($221,000)
Year 5 69,130 829,560 ($221,000)
Year 6 69,130 829,560 ($221,000)
B787 - 14 ON 14 OFF Schedule - Captain
Monthly Annual Salary (Annual USD)
Year 1 57,000 684,000 ($182,000)
Year 2 57,000 684,000 ($182,000)
Year 3 57,000 684,000 ($182,000)
Year 4 57,000 684,000 ($182,000)
Year 5 57,000 684,000 ($182,000)
Year 6 57,000 684,000 ($182,000)
Appointment Allowances:
TRE's to receive 15% Monthly Basic
TRI's to receive 13% Monthly Basic
LTC's to receive 12% Monthly Basic
SEE OTHER PAYSCALES
Overtime Rates
Flight Pay for monthly hours between 75 and 85 -- 375 SAR per hour.
Flight Pay for monthly hours > 85 -- 500 SAR per hour.
Housing / Allowance
'Normal' Rostered Pilots -- 20,000 SAR per month.
'14 ON 14 OFF' Pilots - 8,400 SAR per month.
Extras
Education Allowance - 60,000 SAR per child up to 4 children globally
until the age of 21.
Life Insurance - 48 months of Basic Salary.
'Normal' Rostered Pilots Annual Leave - 42 Calendar Days.
'14 ON 14 OFF' Pilots Annual Leave - included in roster pattern.
End of Service Pay - as per local labor law.
---------------------
As can be seen, the pay in *USD* for a person resident in Saudi Arabia
is $221,000. That works out to be ~A$328,000. That's about what a A380
pilot would get in Australia but *includes* a lot of perqs. Note too
that the above scale is for a Captain on a B787, the current top line
along with the A380, so no wonder it's up at the 300k mark. They have a
fleet of lesser planes and no doubt their salaries for flying those
would be commensurately *lower*.
--------------------
Current fleet
1 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Anticipating orders for:
40 Airbus A350-900 Wide-bodies,
30 Airbus A320neo Airliners,
20 Boeing 737-MAX9 Airliners.
----------------------
Hmmmm
It would appear that either Daryl's *friends* are lying because they
would need to be B787/A380 pilots to command top salaries listed above,
or Daryl is misrepresenting Saudi Arabian Riyals as Aussie Dollars.
Maybe Daryl has caught Darren's disease? Given he defends Darren's lies,
it's quite possible he's been caught up in the bullshit game. It's
either that or Daryl is just plain stupid. Personally, I'm inclined to
believe he's plain stupid.
As I said before, no one pays big money unless there is a very good
reason. The *only* benefit I can see from the above roles is the zero
tax plus they give you perqs like putting your kids through the best
private (usually boarding) schools. We had a similar list of perqs in
Indonesia but the biggest perq was the *danger money*. The families of
two of my colleagues collected the insurance payouts after their
untimely deaths.
The other point, during my time in Indo, the US Government began taxing
US citizens on overseas earnings - even if they were paying tax overseas
already. That led to a mass exodus in 1979 of US citizens from expat
roles around the world. I think Australia has a similar rule but makes
allowance for the payment of local taxes. How much tax you pay locally
depends on how your salary itself is structured. I paid a smidgen of tax
in Indo and had the joy of putting in a *Nil Tax Return* on my return to
Aus.
Ah, it's getting too easy to shoot down the liars on usenet.
--
Xeno
Nothing astonishes Noddy so much as common sense and plain dealing.
(with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson)