Originally Posted by
MrAndy
Im not entirely sure if this is accurate. Based on my interpretation of the contract, your paygrade depends on the hours, but time as an SO is still seniority. Mind you, there used to be a pool of about 500 SOs, and that has increased to a target of about 800 if the rumors are true. So if you are at the bottom of the seniority list, then its hard to say if you will get upgraded by yr 5.
Becoming an SO at cx is also becoming less attractive, and if the airline has trouble hiring SOs, then it is also hard to say when that upgrade comes.
Hi MrAndy. Sadly its pretty accurate as explained to us. Your chance for an upgrade is based on seniority, only if you meet the "productivity requirements".
So when it is your turn to be selected, if you have not flown enough in cathay's eyes, they will bypass you and move to the next person. The current contract is not based on productivity.
Around two years ago, the SO upgrade time had come down to around 2 years and 3 months, which is very fast. If the company were to skip over you, they would have to pay you Junior First Officer pay, until it was your chance to upgrade.
COS18 has no bypass pay written in, so they can skip you with no recourse. Furthermore, the new contract allows Direct Entry FO's and Captains, so if they don't have enough SO's with enough time to upgrade, a direct entry can always fill the spot. Hope this makes sense. (For reference, the current contract does have Direct Entry FO's, and this is what has currently slowed the upgrade times for Second Officers)
I agree becoming an SO is becoming less attractive here, especially if you are ab initio. Hong Kong prices have skyrocketed, and the new contract deducts a lot of pay from you for the first 3 years.