A few facts about Cathay Freighters
This flies out to all those who are interested in taking up a job with CX freighters. First I would like to emphasize that Cathay Pacific is an english managed company! This is important to know if your mother tongue is not english or if you have not grown up in a commonwealth state or in a former british colony. There is a lot of adaptation required. People from commonwealth states may have fewer difficulties to adapt to the system, but the following applies irrespective of that.
1. The working atmosphere for First Officers is authoritarian, humiliating and intimidating. They are completely left out of any decision making process, e.g. when it comes to technical problems.
2. Checking, Reporting and Grading Philosophy. Whoever writes the first report, wins. Grading is widely used to apply pressure instead of motivating people.
3. Fear culture. The message is: behave like we want you to or you will loose your job. One wrong word to the wrong person or a marginal check flight and there’s a ‘final warning’. Everybody keeps their mouths shut. There is no CRM.
4. Total control and analysis on all flights (QAR).
5. There is no training in Cathay Freighters. The training system is totally abused as a testing system. This creates high stress levels and increases the overall number of mistakes an individual makes.
6. Rostering surprises. You arrive in Hong Kong in the early morning, trying to keep your home sleeping pattern when you learn that you are rostered for a sim ride the next early morning, against your body clock. It is designated as a ‘crew up’ but your performance is evaluated as in a check ride.
7. For line checks they like to send you to places you normally don’t fly to.
8. You have to be a very experienced professional to get the job. Once you’re in you are treated as a schoolboy and with disrespect. This is a Captain oriented airline.
These few points represent the essence of my own experience on the classic freighter fleet (B 747-200). From the bottom of my heart I advise: don’t join Cathay Freighters! The money may be good, the basings are an advantage but you will not be happy.