Hey dont kid yourself, Cathay is no longer a premier airline. Any airline that asks you to take a pay cut to come work for them is not worth your time in my opinion. Unfortunately that is the path they have chosen of late. They may get away with it but to the detriment of the standards and the overall safety of the organization is undoubtable.
Sand box or not, at least they are trying to attract the best, not the cheapest....... Come on Cathay, smarten up