Brushwing... let's put things into perspective here. If I could just magically assume a 20 year seniority in any airline I wish, it would not be Cathay. The 80's made many multi-millionaires in Cathay but those days are gone forever. But, most of the readers/posters here including the thread author are curious about Cathay as a possible future employer. For a new joiner, I cannot think of a better airline in the world.
Cathay pilots do not have to worry about lay-offs like ALL North American pilots and most other pilots around the world. We don't have to sit in some crapped out steam driven junk flying 8 or 9 sectors for 12-14 hours with two pilots. We don't have to worry about our company funded pensions and if we will ever collect one because we can get the money (15.5%) up-front. We can but don't have to reside in HK or our home country as many overseas basings are available if we wish. We still get 6 weeks vacation which is above standard for many airlines. We have a good security package in case of long term illness and so on and so on.
Are there problems at Cathay? Sure there are but what airline do you suggest is all roses? If there was one I’m sure we would all know about it.
Bottom line, conditions have deteriorated enormously at Cathay but that is not to say they are now bad. They are still above average on most fronts and more in line with many carriers of the world. It's all about relativity because they used to be so good it was embarrassing.
