Originally Posted by
Porterboy
Is that so?! That sounds kind of backwards, but then again, I guess seniority is the rule of the land and so I suppose it's fair. On the bright side, I'm sure it would be a little easier to be stuck on FO wages for 10 years, than on SO pay which has become a bit of a joke with only 70% guaranteed.
This whole thread and the others are so discouraging to read. I long considered moving to Hong Kong and working at Cathay to be my ultimate career goal. I was thinking of heading over to Sunwing to get some time on a jet and for those lucrative summer European bases, and then apply to Cathay as a DFO (I don't think I could handle multiple years of sitting in the jumpseat). But holy reading this forum has made me reconsider my 'plan.' It's really frustrating to watch my dream being torn apart.
Honestly, it's frustrating just being a Canadian in general right now. They say there's a pilot shortage here, but all the majors here pay poverty wages for the first couple of years, have ****ty fatigue rules, etc etc.. and I wouldn't feel that proud working for any of them. Going overseas seemed like a much better alternative, especially Cathay and to a lesser extent, Emirates. But I guess that's not the case anymore. It appears that the only place one can go and make some decent money with decent working conditions is mainland china, which I'm not sure if I could handle for long. I thought about doing the Qantaslink thing on the Dash 8, but I get the impression that foreign pilots are really not appreciated there, and I can sort of see why. Have some family and friends there so that's too bad. Guess I'm going to just have to suck it up and live in the parents basement for the next little while..
I can completely understand your frustration, but like a lot of things in like, looking at something with "rose coloured glasses" usually means disappointment. Once upon a time, your idea about CX would have been valid. Now however, it is the graveyard of pilot careers. Combine a substandard salary (relative to cost of living in HK, which is horrendous), inadequate housing options, inadequate medical, inadequate work rules, inadequate fatigue concern, inadequate management, and you have a toxic environment that will sap the life from you.
The bottom line is this old aviation adage: "better to be on the ground wishing you were up there, than be up there wishing you were on the ground". Translate into what most of the CX pilots feel, the majority of whom are actively making plans to leave. Good luck, but don't head down the cul de sac of wasting any of your life at CX.