Alright everyone, I'm going to jump in one last time (maybe)
, because I'm concerned that some pilots make their career choices based upon the wrong criteria. I don't know if some of the concerns come because this is one's first Airline job or whatever, but I will attempt to provide some "insight" or "food for thought" based upon my own experiences in this industry and those of my friends.
-BarBQ-you wonder how long long it would take for a DEFO to hold ATL? Truth be told, today it could be 1 year, tomorrow it could be 5 years. You could get ATL and then 3 months later CX might pull out of ATL altogether. It all depends on the market and what those senior to you choose to do. If working for CX is really what you want, and having an ATL base is an added bonus, then you are prepared with the right mindset. If being based in the SE US is the most important thing to you, then you might want to consider Airtran or ASA. I've seen MANY MANY friends get really frustrated because they chose a company based upon, well, the bases, only to have the airline close the domicile after they've been at the company awhile. The only sure bet concerning domiciles is the one where the company is headquartered.
-Herk Pilot-You ask about the C scale. Well, no one knows what its going to be excactly. Cathay comes up with their payscales by comparing what we would be making here in the States with a legacy carrier, except at a legacy it would take us 10+ years to hold widebody FO, so then they have to kinda work backwards. Regardless of what the new payscale is, I can say with almost all certainty that it will be higher than the starting pay anywhere else in the US (I have friends at just about every Legacy,LCC, Regional, Fractional, and Cargo carrier, so I feel very confident in that), and will be more money with more time off over time, with the exception right now of Fedex and maybe UPS. I wouldn't worry about it until it's offered to you. If you get in at the current pay, then you're fine. Besides, over time who knows whats going to happen to pay. I know SO many guys that went to legacy carriers about 6 years ago and had no desire to go to Southwest purely based on money. Now look at the payscales. Just goes to show that anything can happen.
-Barntrash, you mention at the cocktail party that they mentioned DFW and ATL were doing well. Just a guess, but they could be referring to the cargo loads and operation, not neccessarily referring to a crew base.
I just want everyone to be in the right frame of mind when choosing a career (we hope) with an airline. Making a choice based soley upon bases, current payscales (to a degree), etc. is a recipe for disater without considering growth stategy, business model, company culture, etc. Hope this helps a little. Fly safe