Nomansland:
I am not sure of the specifics about an F/O onto the CXF fleet. There is F/O hiring for N America for CXF as the retention rate has been low. At a guess, at least 80% of our American F/O's have left for other jobs (in the USA). The other 20% are waiting for hiring at the majors to re-start...
CXF starting pay for an F/O in the US is about $65K, CAD$75K if you live in the land of the "nothing for free".
You can live anywhere you want in N America on both the pax and freighter fleets (I have a B744 pax bud who commutes from Grand Cayman to JFK) but the "F" bases are JFK, ORD, LAX, YYZ and YVR. Your residency, taxes and commute are "for your own account".
Subload* tickets are available to help with commuting, but it's your nickel. Most commuters buy full-fare tickets as CX has a "zero-tolerance" policy and !!!!!-can blokes who don't make schedules. This can be expensive, especially if your only choice is MapleFlot or you live in the boonies in the US and only one carrier stops in your town.
*Subload tickets (or what is laughingly known as Staff Travel in CX) is the most expensive and restrictive I know of. It produces annual profits of around HKD8 Million and is an acknowledged "profit centre". Where other "oneworld" or "star" alliance crew pay a nominal admin fee for tickets on their own carriers ($10 covers almost any sector in UAL, AA, DL or NW) CX charges 10% of the non-discounted economy or business fare. Doesn't sound so bad? Check out their non-discounted prices. If you pay a little more than CX's staff travel rate and you can get a bucket-shop ticket, confirmed from most any travel outlet or the web. First class leisure travel for staff is restricted and unavailable for most. There are NO reciprocal jump-seat agreements with other carriers. That is no option.
Having said all that, being unemployed post-9/11 or a CMM or other refugee has to bite. Any job to feed the kids is better than none at all, but don't plan a long-term career here.
Last edited by Kubota; 28th June 2002 at 06:33.