SCMP Letter "Fat Cat Pilots"

[Thrust]

From the SCMP letters to the editor 15/12/2000;

No sympathy for militant, fat cat pilots.

"I refer to the letter from a "Senior Cathay Captain" (SCMP, Dec 8th) who saw fit to tell us how "sick" he was of the Cathay Pacific dispute.

May I report by advising your correspondent how "sick" we, the public, are of the attitude of such militant pilots.

We are sick of hearing of seven-figure annual remuneration; sick of exorbitant non-accountable housing allowances facilitating ownership of three-story homes, penthouse flats and live-aboard yachts; sick of waiting in a doctor's surgery and overhearing how "stressed" pilots will occupy themselves upon receipt of their sick-chits and sick of listening to gripes about reductions to their considerable benefits.

Many of us suffered during the last dispute with cancelled flights, delays and the uncertainty of whether our business and vacation trips would materialise.

The proposal that industrial action may target our impending holiday period is "sickening".

Let me say to the Cathay pilots- you have little sympathy from the public.

Times have been hard for all of us, not just a few fat-cat pilots. Please do us all a favour and get on with your job.

You're already very fortunate to be in such a position."

THOMAS MacINTYRE (sic)
Discovery Bay.
.
.
.
.
Well,..... do I detect a lack of sympathy? A little resentment? A little embitterment? A LOT of jealousy? I think so!!!!

What an ignorant letter in every sense of the word. This is only the view of one SCMP reader but it shows that the company SPIN DOCTORING has an effect. That coupled with totally inept reporting from the SCMP has this effect on public perceptions. The SCMP articles are so one-sided as to hardly be able to be discribed as "reporting". I for one think we need to get our public information service into high gear.

No doubt future contributors to this thread will dissect the letter and point out how it is almost 100% incorrect. If not I will! The only problem is that it shows that THOMAS doesn't read Pprune so he will remain ignorant. We know the SCMP does but they take no notice (or choose ignorance). This is probably due to the lack of advertising space, we as a group, take out with them.

The whole media saga is sad isn't it?





[This message has been edited by Thrust (edited 15 December 2000).]

[Archaeopteryx]

What Thomas does not appear to realise, is that many of us are his neighbours in DB. All "Fat Cats" together then? However I doubt if Thomas is a real person, as he does not feature in any telephone directory. He is either a fictitious management "John Thomas", or a real ex-directory "fat cat".

[fodder]

Or could it be TT in drag ? whatever! we will not get sympathy from the public. They expect us to be there to fly them from A-B [ safely of course ] when they want to go. Why should they be inconvenienced? by us not being there. My answer to this stupid letter is: if he is so jealous, of our lifestyle, it's a free world. He can go and get a licence put in his 20 years of experience, and then if he makes the grade, see what our life is like from the inside.
Personally I smell a CX rat here, all part of the spin doctoring. The AOA is doing a great job but they need a PR firm now, preferably yesterday. Playing the gentleman and being correct ain't working. This is getting down and dirty, so lets get in the gutter with the company and start throwing some mud around..

[geh065]

What the public doesn't seem to realise is that we are not complaining about the money. Who cares how much money one gets if our rosters are so bad that we never see our loved ones. My girlfriend only has a few days off a month, and when I get my roster, she requests days off the same as me, however, my roster changes so much that I am always flying on her days off. It is extremely frustrating.

I want some normality in my life. I want to be able to see my loved ones for more than an hour here and an hour there. I wish the public would not start getting opinions, as they don't know the whole story at all.

[wayne campbell]

Boo hoo farkin hoo. My heart cries for you poor CX pilots. You are nothing but a bunch of molly coddled, racist overpaid twerps who have no farkin idea of life in the real world. No one on the planet earth gives a ***** about you ******s. "its not about the money though" - yeah right. Its all about the money. If life is so hard then try this for an idea - leave. Go home and fly Saabs. But let me guess, the money's no good doing that.

[fossil fuel]

Wayne,
Give me a break! What do you suggest we do? Continue to sit around and watch our conditions and benefits get reduced year after year after year just so people like you don't think we're a bunch of whingers? I have zero respect for people that let themselves get walked all over by others. We are standing up to big corporate greed and mis-management.

[SuperSandwich]

Well WC, you dont really have any idea of whats going on in CX. So until you do then pls keep your foul language to yourself. I do think quite a few ppl on the planet earth think what we are fighting for is right.


Oh BTW, will you become on of those "molly coddled, racist overpaid twerps" when you join CX after flying your scabs???

:rolleyes:

P.S Another person been brainwashed by the media and Cathay.

[Healey]

Impossible - no brain to wash!

[okm]

Guys and girls,

Who gives a toss what the public think. I (and 146 others) went through all this last year at Ansett NZ (now Qantas NZ). It's not a slinging match between you and the public; it's between you and the company. Having said that, it would be bloody great to have the public on your side.

The company WILL resort to dirty tactics - be prepared for it (it sounds like they have started already). Hold your ground and do whatever you have to, to maintain your conditions. Don't let any scabs or management get you down.

Good luck.

[jagman]

Once again it occurs to me that a PRIVATE forum would keep idiots like Mr Farkin out.

[conan]

To MR Wayne Campbell. I've just done a quick search of some of your postings. You are obviously an Aussie or Kiwi with a big chip on your shoulder as evidenced by a selection of your postings. Yes he is trying to get into Vigin Blue after having being overlooked by the majors. His words not mine see below
One of his post is included below. .

I find it very sad the way Governments are trying to globalize Oz as much as possible. The biggest loser of all is the labour market where wages and conditions are being whittled away in the name of global competitiveness. This trend is catching up with the once sacred field of airline piloting. Virgin Oz will provide opportunities to pilots that may have been overlooked by the majors(hopefully me), however it will contribute towards a downward spiral of pay and benefits in this country (although the traditionally high sallaries in Oz do have a lot of room to move without being unreasonably low). Unfortunately, I think Virgin, through a possible link up with Ansett(codeshare or other) will be used to drive a wedge into Ansetts employee base (pilots and others). Both Ansett and Qantas were quoted in the early days of Virgin's announcement as being keen to find an exscuse to cut costs(read - employee costs). Meanwhile, our friendly Governments are bending over backwards to assist this. I wish good luck to Virgin and to Ansett and Qantas as well. They all deserve to be around.

------------------
Party on Garth
Shame he failed spelling at school and all his interviews. Looks like the pot calling the kettle black to me

Be careful when you attack people that you aren't setting yourself up!!!!!


[This message has been edited by conan (edited 23 December 2000).]

[man in black]

Once in the mid-90's, my CX flight from Seoul to HK landed at old KT in the teeth of a strong typhoon. Just as we were setting down, the plane was carried by the wind and I really didn't understand how the pilot had had the skill to keep us from flipping over.

Later that evening, we actually shared a taxi to south side HK with the very same pilot. Well, he wasn't a "fat cat" and after hearing about what pilots really make, my eyes were opened. Most don't get anywhere near the storied remuneration quoted in the papers or by the Company. He indicated that he and his spouse were seriously considering leaving the Company, as he said it, to get a better balance between the pressure / rewards of his job.

I was troubled by this - given I had realized earlier that evening that we landed safely only due to him.

I never found out what he and his wife decided to do. For the sake of the travelling public and our family, we hope he is still flying. The incident left me with a strong belief that when people criticize pilots' salaries they should first get their facts straight and second think about how their lives depend on these folks each time they fly.

[RRAAMJET]

Man in back:

I'd like to think that was me! ( I left and went to a US Major carrier )

Buuuut.....if it was me, the pilot flying was a very, very, very skilled Canadian called Capt Eric Matheson. The Typhoon was Kent. Eric did the most amazing crosswind approach and landing I have ever seen, and we were the last a/c in. Flew it like it was on rails. The runway appeared out of the side window ( of the L-1011 !) in torrential rain and xxkts of wind.

Which brings me to my point: sadly, Eric has left, too. He now flies his F-1 racer at Reno. A natural,as we used to say in the Air Force......

More will go, if Cathay don't wake up and sniff the fresh air. Very sad.....still some of the best aviators in the business, and worth A LOT MORE.