Im ex Cathay and trust me boys youre talking twoddle, there are now high time experienced skippers in HKA..the beast is growing bigger, salary slowly increasing and is starting already to attract the experienced boys, more arriving..mainly high time Airbus guys. Youll find the experience levels quite adequate and already Im hearing rustlings from experienced sand skippers in the sandpit wanting to leave the desert and head for normality, albeit still polluted. Its typical for new starts, as it grows; more and more people apply, salary creeps up and its suddenly a new playing field...look at EY,QR and EK in the early days..same formula. Im a retired resident in HK now and take an active angle on all the toys here and I wouldnt sniff at HKA.
AAIGUY...your observations are somewhat basic....you conclude pax numbers and profitability based on bus loads...try looking into destinations and then compare..a Manila bound CX compared to a Moscow bound HKA cannot even be comparable and is no indicator on profitability and route revenue...its almost laughable dear boy.The Moscow flights are thin and the Asian flights packed...state the destination of the HKA and your flight then we can compare but route is a huge factor...not that Hainan probably care. Not to mention that HKA is the new kid on the block and CX booking and passenger loyalty is eons old...it takes time for passenger loads to rearrange with the new outfit in town. I did some consultancy with EY years ago, first few years the same was said on loads, salary ,staff etc by the neighboring EK gang...well I think tables have turned somewhat.
The typical observer here are the frustrated Dragon and CX FOs...CX although far larger,has to be careful not to head the Gulf Air in terms of declining product... the new gulf upstarts of QR and EY were laughed at once....China is throwing their glove in with HKA and its a shiny new product with innovation...it will never be 5 star for a long time...like Cathay.. but its competition none the less.
just my tuppenny worth...a bored but interested retiree sipping on a G & T in a dodgy bar in Kowloon with an interested eye on the HK goings on.
Last edited by Dogstick; 22nd Nov 2011 at 06:18.
Reason: excess G&T/alcohol related grammar errors.