Nomansland:
Good post from Kubota but I can be a little more accurate being with CXF.
Starting salary for a USA basing is only 61K/year USD. A Canadian base (which is YVR and YYZ) is only 78K/year CDN. With the current exchange of 1.505 the US base is 91.8K/year CDN equivalent and this is why they can't give Canadian bases away! I believe two new hires took Canadian bases and 2 or 3 ex ASL guys have Canadian bases and the rest of the Canucks commute.
There is no huge increase in Freighter salaries after 2 or 3 years like you may see at US airlines. Salaries increase at about 3KUSD or 5KCDN per year and that’s until you transfer to passenger or upgrade to the left seat.
As for Americans leaving, I can only think of 7 guys that have left us in the last 2 years. Others are interested and will probably go if the US majors start hiring. Canadians don't seem to have these options and therefore tend to stay.
Generally, CXF is a happy fleet with great guys and good flying. The common complaint is rostering. We work 16-18 days per month and you could spend an additional 0-6 days commuting depending on the luck of your roster. I believe only the B777 guys work harder but I could be wrong.
As for commuting, you could spend a lot of your salary on this when you start at Cathay. Tack on ID90 tickets, Hotels and food to get to work. It used to cost me about $80CDN for a ZED fare AC ticket to LAX but with all the extra fees these days the $19USD ticket totals out at about $120CDN. Times that by 6 and add Hotels/food and you can easily spend $1500CDN per month and lots more if it gets busy and you have to buy a full fare. I however have been very fortunate. I have only had to buy one full fare ticket in two years and after you upgrade to Relief Qualification the commuting decreases dramatically because they usually start you in Anchorage and so the commute is paid for.
Bottom-line, Americans should use it as a stepping-stone and leave for a US major when available. Canadians should consider it as a good option if AC is not possible.
Remember, it’s a foreign contract job whether they say it is or not treat it like one.
cpdude
