BusAce....what planet are you on? I am not sure if your reply was tounge in cheek....because it would either have to be that, or you are congenitaly stupid or in complete denial. CX is nothing compared to US carriers. Let 's have a look shall we?
1. Salaries: US carriers, reasonable to begin with, then steadily climbing up to the present United contract of over $400000US/yr for a senior captain. CX.....reasonable to start, then a slow climb....until they then give you a 30% pay cut when they decide they want to increase their bonuses.
2. Lifestyle: US carriers, an industry average of 12 days off when you are junior, rising to upwards of 21 days off a month when you are senior. More importantly, SOME CONTROL OVER YOUR OWN LIFE through the seniority bidding system. As you get more senior, your lifestyle becomes better. CX, average of 7 days off/month, and it NEVER GETS ANY BETTER. Worse, you have NO SAY in what days off you get a month, and no matter how senior you are, you can't get a better roster than the most junior pilot in the company. You can't get off specific days for your anniversary, childs birthdays, graduations,...etc, etc, etc...!! There is NO QUALITY OF LIFE AT THIS AIRLINE.
3. Pensions (ha,ha,ha,...!!): US carriers, all of the major US airlines have substantial pension plans, that will pay out on average 2-3 million dollar (USD...!) lump sum upon retirement, and in ADDITION a monthly payment of appox. 10000 US/mo indexed to inflation. Not to mention retirement health benefits, etc, etc. CX, NOTHING. They give you an additional 15.5% of salary to do with what you will. Correct me if i'm wrong, but we are pilots, not professional financial planners. Many of the CX pilots who stay with this company will have a VERY difficult retirement. CX won't care if you are living on foodstamps and rummaging through rubbish bins for scraps. Let's be straight about this. The basic fact of life is that CX management will not take ANY responsibility for it's employees welfare. NONE. Throughout your ENTIRE career with CX, you will have NO idea, or guarantee what sort of pension situation you will be faced with upon retirement. CX has abrogated any and all responsibility to your comfort and security in your later years. I am sure your wife and children will be comforted by that thought.
4. Work enviornment: US carriers, you go to work, you go home, they leave you alone. They don't care how many days off you have a month, only that you do your hours. They don't care where you live, and even build bid lines that allow commuting. They don't threaten you, intimidate you or make you jump through ridiculous hoops to move up to the 'next step of the ladder'. BOTH sides of the party adhere to the LETTER of the contract. If they, don't, they are in court and a LEGAL remedy is reached. CX, the main word is CONTROL. The management is completely paranoid, so they try to compensate for this by attempting to CONTROL nearly everything you do, THINK, and possess. They are continually attempting to have you 'prove' your loyalty. They now state that you will not be considered for a command unless your 'attitude' is correct (read: kiss the ass of management). They can't stand for you to have days off, and go out of their way to ensure you don't (useless sim crew-up duties in the middle of a block of days off). They are maniacaly hostile to anyone who attempts to commute, and screw around with our rosters to ensure that most don't. They will threaten, intimidate, and overtly cripple your career if they decide that your 'face' doesn't fit. They will not allow you financial freedom, as they will wait until you are too old to go elswhere and then force a 30% paycut, with threat of termination if you don't sign (and then tell the newspapers that it was a 'fairly negotiated contract'). The most important thing of all to consider is that there is NO legal protection in HK. The government and business work hand in hand to keep the employees under the thumb. CX can dismiss you with 3 months notice WITHOUT cause. They don't even have to give you a reason. The have terminated pilots by saying 'they have lost confidence in you' (I do not make this up!). They are bullies extrodinaire, and you can NEVER put your guard down. Remember, your career is NEVER secure, because they can terminate you WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT. There is no such thing as 'unfair dismissal' in Hong Kong.
5. Sickness: US carriers, you can bank sick days each year, and they accumulate (in other words, they have some value). CX, they will call you at home when you are sick and accuse you of 'faking it'. They will threaten your career if you have 'too many' sick days. If you are on a basing, they will 'suggest' that you are perhaps not 'suited' for basing flying, and that perhaps you should come back to HK, or resign. After 4 months off sick, they put you on half pay (unless you are a management pilot of course!).
I could go on and on listing pages of comparisons like this, but if you don't get the point by now, you never will. Incidentally, most Americans HAVE left, and not a single one of them has EVER expressed any regret. The only regret they have expressed is in ever having joined CX in the first place. BusAce, your comments about 'good salaries, benefits and an excellent future'.......have you been tested for drugs lately...?
[This message has been edited by water check (edited 13 January 2001).]