Cathay Pacific - Can you still request a base?

[Imperium]

Hello all,

Does anyone know if joining as an SO, when eventually you upgrade to FO, can you still get based abroad (away from HK)?

Thanks!

[Imperium]

RE: Bases are dead...
Is that official or just rumour? Whats your source? I'm only interested in fact.

I'm sure bases are there for operational reasons and not purely financial reasons. i.e. A guy calls sick down-route, hey presto we have a base with a guy on standby, no big dramas.

Obviously I want to hear that bases are not dead otherwise I would not be asking, but I'm only interested in truth.

[Captain Dart]

Basings are dead. In fact, crew on several bases are concerned that their bases will be closed and even very senior crew will be required to relocate to Hong Kong.

The upside of this for applicants is that many experienced pilots will resign and that the airline will have its already tight crewing situation exacerbated, and they will have to spend more money anyway to improve the package.

THAT IS if the seemingly endless supply of inexperienced youngsters with SJS willing to fly for minimal housing allowance and sub-standard salaries dries up.

A combination of amateurish, under-resourced administration and arrogance lead the airline to fall foul of taxation and labour laws of many of the basing jurisdictions, and now some very large chickens are coming home to roost.

If you are including the chance of a basing as one of the ever diminishing incentives to join Cathay Pacific, forget it.

[pands777]

those days are over (and a big reason why is how they were managed), I would not be feeling very comfortable at all i I was on a base right now!

[hongkongfooey]

Dont ya just love Gen Y ? They might want it all, and now, but at least they are the same smart ar5e little wnkers that we used to be ;)
I'm sure bases will be around for ever, just like the guys that have never even set foot in kitty city have said, but here's another take from another bitter twisted old fart :
You join today, you become an effo in 5 years, then you join the list of crew dying to leave pollution central to get on one of the bases that are not closing, is that more appealing to you ?
If you don't want to live/work in HK it's simple, don't join a HK based airline.

[rick.shaw]

Even if basings do continue, it is likely to be on a smaller scale.

I believe that the few bases that would be available will be snapped up by the more senior pilots on the basis that if an opportunity comes up, you would need to take it straight away. Once on a base, they will stay there for as long as possible - there will more than likely be only one shot at a basing opportunity.

So to answer the original poster's question, there MAY be basings still available, but at best you will be waiting a very long time for one and you will have to forego command if you want to stay on the base.

I agree with the other posters that, for new joiners, basings ARE effectively dead.

Imperium - if you are considering joining CX, consider this:

CX is a Hong Kong based company. CX have no obligation to base you or anyone else outside Hong Kong. If you join CX now, you must expect to spend your whole career in Hong Kong. It is as simple as that. Any basings overseas are simply a bonus right now. You shouldn't even think about joining CX if it is on the basis or expectation of getting based outside Hong Kong at some stage.

[Zzzz]

Is it possible to commute? Will a senior enough sched allow for it? How about from North America?

[crwjerk]

Thoughts about commuting;
- w patterns will give you 8 or 9 days off in a row per month.
- w patterns will soon be abolished.
- staff travel to NAM is very difficult to secure most of the time, you could spend 4 or 5 of those days at the airport.
- it will be many years (10) I'd think, before you had any control over your roster to the extent that you could commute with some regularity.
- you would still be paying for your hong kong rental and your home accommodation, + the traveling costs, which would severely reduce your disposable cash.

[quadspeed]

and that's before the incoming "commuting policy" is even announced.

Can you say Acclimatised?