Guys, just let 'em go. I have never seen such spirited defense for a dead end job.
And to Mr. Mad Dog, I am going to be very frank with you. We do get a bit personally offended at this whole "cadet" scheme for a few reasons that I dont expect you to undestand.
The Cathay Pacific we joined was not a place we went because it was the least ugly pig at the trough. Or because, hey, it beats throwing bags on the tarmac. We all worked our butts off to get here, building 1000's of hours as Captains in our own countries. We spent months preparing for what was industry known as the toughest job to get on the planet. Out of the 20 guys I interviewed with only 6 got hired, and they were all the cream.
Yes, we get offended as people are treating with flippancy what we worked so hard to obtain. We are seeing the decline of a once great airline before our eyes, and unfortunatly the icadet is the new face of that decline.
Cheers.