CX Resignations

[Harbour Dweller]

Rumour on the street that 4 Airbus FO's have resigned recently.

Destination - Virgin Blue

[Capt Toss Parker]

Can you blame them?

The Airbus has their fair share of narcissists as well.

I'm not the only person who displays egotism, vanity & conceit, with an elitist attitudes towards my undeserving first officers.

Must run & freshen up my mustache .... I have a command party that I need to crash :eek:

[Freehills]

Well, with aussie dollar at parity with USD, the calculations for aussies to go expat do change a bit...

[AD POSSE AD ESSE]

Heard that 1 of them is actually joining South African Scareways - as a second officer!

With even the SA Rand now stronger than the Honkie dollar, continuous erosion of conditions of service at CX, which was once the "envy of the world", we are in for some interesting times.

And with the boys (and FA girls!) gearing up for a major confrontation with management, things will certainly "get worse before they get better" (famous words from Tyler-the-Liar)...

[ALPHA FLOOR]

Er, um make that 2. Another 8 have interviews at SAA.

[ron burgandy]

But their command was only another 10 years away, what are they thinking?:ugh:

[bm330]

dont you mean with 10 years invested and "command only another 10 years away"?

[Capt Toss Parker]

Then after you've waited 20 years and done 5000,000 assessments, command lofts, interviews and management checks you finally get to do your command pleasantries with legends like myself :ok:

Did you know that my call-sign on the Caribou was "Handsome" ??

I miss those days .....

[ron burgandy]

Yes Bm that's exactly what I meant

[smilingknife]

Quote - "Rumour on the street that 4 Airbus FO's have resigned recently.

Destination - Virgin Blue"

Brilliant, Cathay can be truly proud that we now have pilots joining a Low Cost Budget airline to get a pay rise.

Unbelievable..... and its only going to get worse, isn't it Sten gun!

[VR-HFX]

As a keen observer of the profession of 'pilot' over the past 50+ years and a participant for over 30 years , one correlation I have been able to make is that pilot T&C's is now globally arbitraged item, in a very similar manner to iPhones, digital cameras, and all other forms of electrical appliances.

Fact of life... you just have to choose which country to live in whilst you are being screwed. :ugh:

[AQIS Boigu]

Are these gents going to be part of VB´s new A330 ops or joining the 737/Emb fleet???

[crewsunite]

Well done to you guys that have the balls to jump ship, I'm no quite there yet.:ok:
I have been looking though and within the next 6 months may be a good time to do so. If you look on the terms & Endearment section you'll see loads of airlines are starting recruitment and yes incl a drive at SAA as someone mentioned.

You may think you'll win abit of a salary increase here but the trend in the long run will not be good. The courts mean Jack here and pilots find it difficult to stand together.

My guest is CX will continue to drive ATK down while new capacity comes in. There will come a time when the cost efficiency of new planes will reflect in the share price & it will be driven sky high. Swire will then offload a big chunk to the Chinese.

How much leverage will we have then? If the courts are unreliable now, how bad will they be then? Your home country with better labour protection is a better choice for the young.

CX Managers are such losers, a winning & admirable team is no longer important to them. They more interested in playing the game against us than with us. Sad and I don't ever see it changing.:uhoh:

Good luck to you guys. You may or may not have matching dollar for the short term, but in the long run you certainly make up for it. You & your families will certainly have a healthier & happier quality of life. Enjoy

Fortune favours the brave!

[NASMguy]

when were you on the Caribou?
I flew 'em for the Reserves back in the 80's

Bill

[Captain Dart]

Interesting to note a recent management communication trumpeting the number of upgrades supposedly on the way. If true, these resignations might have touched a nerve...or is it a carrot to deflect attention from the need for a pay rise :suspect: ?

P.S. Captain Toss, I think there's a gent here who flew Caribous; I'm sure he would love to hear from you!

[cxlinedriver]

Heard 11 have resigned in the last week. At least 4 are FOs on Aussi base. Double tax, no pay increases, crap rostering, c*nt managers, another 10 years to command with no conpensation...no wonder!

Good on them! So much for CX being a career airline!

[Bob Hawke]

Upgrades? Yes, but they don't have the trainers to do it, for those numbers bandied about. I think they are suddenly realising they lost another "Opportunity" to have done this about 12 -18 months ago. :=

Without improvements in pay, and opportunities to upgrade soon, they can expect more to go. A Payrise may plug the leak first, but more has to change.

[Baywatcher]

They will only be too happy for more to go. Employ DEFOs on lesser contracts!

[boxjockey]

You may be right Baywatcher, but when the airplanes aren't flying, then things will turn nasty. Don't forget that one of the largest pilot suppliers in the world, the US, is starting to hire en mass again, and it's not going to stop for a long time. I believe that within 12 months, we will be right back where we were in 2007, and this time it will just continue to get worse.

box

[SMOC]

Heard a CEP F/O left for SIA.

[smilingknife]

Also don't forget the 8 or so CEP's that :Dhave interviews with HKA for A330 positions.

So Sten old son, it looks like you are about to start earning your keep. Lets see how you deal with the next couple of months.

Basings negotiations, court cases and now resignations.........enjoy the bed you've made for yourself! :D

[4 driver]

As an FO based in HK looks ahead, not only is their command years away, but a basing as a CN in their home country will be virtually impossible.
So unless, you're willing to spend the next 20 years in HK, while your children develop Asthma, Virgin Blue looks attractive.
We haven't had a payraise since 2001 and the CX package is falling behind, especially when you compare quality of life in your home country to a 1000 sq. ft. flat in HK.

[cxlinedriver]

1000 sq ft - you lucky bastard!

And new joiners - how many sq ft do you get for $0 allowance?

[crwjerk]

Fark All.....!!!

[411A]

All this talk, but...when it comes right down to action, very few at CX are prepared to cut the cord.
AOA?
Members/non members cannot agree on the time of day.
A sorry lot.:eek:

[BusyB]

411A,

With your history of calculating acceptable T/O performance and acceptable MEL's perhaps you shouldn't be giving advice to CX pilots on careers:=

[4 driver]

I think 411 is also on a short rope with the third floor right now.....

[SMOC]

Apparently the Aussie boys have got their long term service paid out before CX manages to weasel out of it. Didn't go without a fight and involvement of the labour tribunal and threatening legal action.

Now looks like the time to jump before CX does something drastic like close the base. :eek:

[Q4NVS]

How long is the CX Notice Period?

[boxjockey]

Starskate,

There are indeed some furloughs left in the US, but how many of them do you think will come back to their original employers? Probably half. I'm not talking about the US economy, I'm simply talking about the massive retirement numbers coming up in the next 8 years. Combine that with the fact that US airlines have been running bare-bones for 9 years, and there is no other conclusion, the US airlines are going to hire and hire a lot. Delta is already hiring approx 600 next year, Southwest is going to hire, Continental is going to take back some of the United furloughs, etc. Delta, starting in 2 years, has approximately 800 retirements a year for the next 8 years. Average age at US Air is around 54 years, same situation at United. I'm not saying that the US economy is healthy, I believe just the opposite, but flying is now mass-transit, and even in a bad economy, the planes aren't going to stop flying. We all have our beliefs and ideas, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the outcome is.

box

[Rook]

About 1/2 of the SO's I fly with are seriously considering leaving. Even if 10% of those go, that would a be a bigger chunk than I have seen or heard leave Cx.

[positionalpor]

Cathay is in for a rude awakening.
I can't tell how many Fo's told me they are looking elsewhere. Practically on every flight......

[Q4NVS]

How long is the CX Notice Period?

...Anyone?

[bobrun]

And good look trying to hire quality applicants in the future! A new guy/girl hired today will have more than 1500 FO/SO in total ahead of him/her on the seniority list, awaiting a command.

At 80 commands a year, that's 19 years to command, not including downturns and the various slowdown that happen from time to time. To put that in perspective, if the average age of the newly hired crew is 30-35, he won't get his command until he's 50-55 years old. In other words, newly hired crew will be career First Officers.

And they'll be stuck on the FO pay scale for a very very long time, which by the way has no more annual increments after year 12.

[larrikan larry]

I understand lots of F/O's and S/O's wanting to resign.
This is now below par even for a low cost carrier.
CX is NOT a career airline at all.
I believe there is a global shift toward no seniority system, and with Direct Entry Commands, DEFO's (at all airlines) -not just CX- we will slowly see the migration of pilots to the next highest bidder.
5 years here, -next terms no good-5 years with SIA or Korean or a Euro carrier.

I would like to know how many Capts are resigning from CX.
That would be a good indicator. Also the senior F/O's also leaving is an "up-yours" to CX.

S/O's who leave after a year or two- sorry guys -no insult intended- but mismanagement would just consider that a change of mind rather than an outright f%$k you. Guys who've done time and then leave-different story.

For those who are leaving- well done-best choice you'll ever make. I wish I'd taken the VB offer when it was given a while ago...oh well!

Good luck to you.:ok:

[Air1980]

I will second the opinion that leaving will probably be the best thing you've ever done. Considering time to command, family lifestyle in Hong Kong and the abysmal employee relations that CX offers and almost seems proud of, is there really another choice?

I left as an SO, and am now flying the same type for more pay as a TRI, I get to live where I want and they buy me a ticket to work. My 2 year old doesn't have to breathe filth or live in a shoebox. I still get to visit HK monthly, and get a nice hotel room. Of course, there are some drawbacks - I don't get to wear a hat, and people will hit me if I preface my callsign with "the". Oh well, can't have it all eh?!

[Bograt]

...words...
and people will hit me if I preface my callsign with "the". Oh well, can't have it all eh?! Which Cathay were you working for? I've not heard anyone in CX using "the" in front of their callsign.

PS Agree with the hat comment though

[ALPHA FLOOR]

Another F/O quit this week he is also going to SAA in March.

[Neptunus Rex]

That "the" prefix was a predominantly Speedbird affectation - Nigel with delusions of 'Droit de Segneur.'

[Maple Leafs]

So how big a Cessna was it? Does it have a galley? What about coffee/caviar?:)

[Capt Toss Parker]

3 first officers left to buy a G.A. company that provides support to the mining industry in Western Australia. Now they get to pay off a new King Air every few years and earn a lot more $$$ than they did working for CX. :ok:

[Capt Toss Parker]

I cut the mustard back in the good old days on the RAAF Caribou and that is about as slippery as I like to get.

Flying around in a modern King Air would be frightening .... I'd be hanging off the tail with no one to scream at!

I feel much more comfortable in my 777 letting the other guy do all the work while I inject wisdom where I see fit .... If I do a sector it's usually in VMC with 5kts down the middle on automatics .... especially when I get the afternoon shakes.

Sure they might be making a lot more money than Dick Hall and myself combined but they don't have the prestige and honor that comes with wearing a fully starched hat :E

[rho]

The guys aren't coming to VB on the 330 - possibly the other fleets,

We left the smog in 08, ..... and as much as I miss some of the lads, the hardest decision to make on a Sunday now is - Surf the Goldy or where to go for a dive ....................

Just polished off a kilo of prawns and a six pack on the deck watching the sun sink below the blue sky,

The grass was greener, ................ and I have grass!!!!!!!!!


Lads!

[Popgun]

I haven't laughed so much in ages!!! LOL!

:ok:

PG

[jbayfan]

Another CX FO just resigned to join SAA as a P3. That's three so far.

[Captain Dart]

I wonder if our South Africans would have stayed if CX had adopted Captain Dart's cunning plan: retain the mighty A340-600's exclusively for Jo'burg, year round, with SA-based crew to fly them?

But what would I know? I'm just a pilot.

[Yeager]

I know someone who left Cathay Pathetic to go fly a Caravan in Africa.
I did. :ok:
Have I ever wondered if it was "the right choice" to leave. Oh yes, I have wondered.
Have I ever regretted the decision. No, not once for a single second and never will.
- Way to many wankers in that airline for my taste :}

Cathay is simply not for everyone. :ok:

[Ghost_Rider737]

I dont think people have a problem with Cathay , I just think they have a problem with living in Hong Kong !:confused:

[larrikan larry]

Wrong-People DO have a problem with Cathay & HK.
Both are dirty-but HK has a chance of cleaning its act up.
CX are just a bunch of c&*ts

[jbayfan]

An interesting fact is that Hong Kong is the favourite destination for SAA pilots on the long haul. If you're not one of the most senior Captains or FO's on the A340 then it is almost impossible to get a Hong Kong flight.

The shopping, food and vibe there is awesome, as long as you know you are going back to SA after 3 days.

[Queentual]

a 747-400 F/O in QF is on +$250K a year with limos to work. More than a CX based CPT. Work that out !!

[an3_bolt]

dont think people have a problem with Cathay , I just think they have a problem with living in Hong Kong

Not me - I actually enjoyed HK when I was there before I resigned. Still enjoy visiting HK. I left because I had a better offer elsewhere......

a 747-400 F/O in QF is on +$250K a year with limos to work.

Not the case for the majority. Wish it was true though!!!!

limo - does that = Stretched Hummer with the doof doof and the bikini clad party girls hanging out the windows on the way to work in the middle of peak hour traffic? I gotta get a pair of gold rimmed ray bans......:p

[The Messiah]

I know someone who left Cathay Pathetic........I did.:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D See ya.:p

[2packson]

So sad to read these posts on this website....a few years back I was in the running for job at CX and did not pick any such significant negatives.
Seems lots has changed at CX...?
do you think there is a shift in culture in our industry one that may be evolving to oust long service..ARE number crunches seeing the fruits in getting rid of your senior level/higher pay scale sector.. (The blokes with the experience!!)
I suppose if you do the numbers it would be more profitable to have more JFOS than SFOS; majority of captains in the Capt 1-10 scales nothing higher.... what is the difference in pay between a CAP5 than a CAP 15, anything significant?

What about the old CX pay scale that some blokes are fortunate to be on?

So the more of you buggers that have done some time with CX leave the better for the man with the figures??

It was just the other day when Ryanair Michael O'Leary announced publicly that he would like to remove the FO from the flight deck altogether, train a cabin crew member to handle a landing if need be...:ugh:
well very interesting just how these f*&#ers think!! (or dont)

Hope things improve to all at CX...:ok:

[asianeagle]

do you think there is a shift in culture in our industry one that may be evolving to oust long service..ARE number crunches seeing the fruits in getting rid of your senior level/higher pay scale sector.. (The blokes with the experience!!)

...except they have just extended almost everyone past age 55...:ugh:
which means everybody will get to the higher pay scales eventually for doing the same job, so most f/o's will end up on the highest tier for years before being promoted. which will probably end up costing more.:D

[third floor whore]

I think the AOA should encourage people to resign... by actively researching, and promoting other jobs available in the industry.
And putting the salaries and conditions in the monthly updates...
I think this would be a very good way of putting pressure on the company to up its game.

Perhaps in the short run, it might be seen as potentially reducing membership. But I think the benefits in the long term would outweigh this.

for example

Vietnam Airlines: Hanoi: $9175 USD/month AFTER tax.
6 weeks on, 2 weeks off (Y Class to home base)

Korean Airlines: Seoul $8432 USD/month AFTER tax.
9 days off per month at home base.
Annual pay increases. Average of last 3 years is 3.1%

[Arfur Dent]

Bring back the Toss to lighten things up!:ok:

[Farman Biplane]

Does he know something we don't?