Ups and Downs of Cathay Pacific
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Ups and Downs of Cathay Pacific
Hi there, I'm just wondering if there are any current S/O's working for CX that could share the positives and negatives of working for Cathay and life in Hong Kong - especially with young children? Does anyone have any regrets?
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Like anything else in life and aviation, it's what you make it. Some of the pros include:
- More pay for less work. You'll make more than 3 times more than a new hire at AC, including benefits, after taxes.
- By the time you make it to JFO, you'll be working more, but your kids will be in school by then anyway, at Cathay's expense, and you'll be making even more money.
- You'll be able to afford a full-time domestic helper, who unlike your parents, or worse, in-laws, doesn't have conflicting opinions on how to raise your kids.
- Hong Kong is a cool place, it has everything you might need, some things may cost more, some may cost less, but overall, the cost of living is not ridiculously high compared to your wage.
- You can say goodbye to the extreme cycles that are endemic to Canadian aviation.
- The equipment is great, 95% of the pilots are truly excellent people, all the destinations are world-class cities, and the per diems are good.
Some of the negatives:
- For some things, the "bar" (as in standards, not the place to drink) seems ridiculously high. You will study more and prep more than at AC. Whether this makes for a safer airline is debatable. But, heck, it's also nice to think to work for an airline that is known for high standards.
- Mangement and the rank-and-file seem pretty disconnected at times.
- The union, although well-intentioned, has very limited scope under HK labour laws.
- Although you'll spend a session in the sim at least every two months, and you'll sit "in the seat" in flight a lot, you won't actually really fly a plane (i.e. take off and land) again for 3-4 years (lots of debate now on how long this will be with new growth, Dragonnair, and Direct Entry pax FOs).
- You'll only have one stripe on your epaulettes, just like a Thai Airways hostie. May be a bit hard on the ego after walking around with 4 for awhile.
- Pass benefits aren't great (but on the other had, even though J ID90s aren't cheap, the service is great - search this site for more info)
- It's not home
Nothing that I would consider a "regret" in any case...
- More pay for less work. You'll make more than 3 times more than a new hire at AC, including benefits, after taxes.
- By the time you make it to JFO, you'll be working more, but your kids will be in school by then anyway, at Cathay's expense, and you'll be making even more money.
- You'll be able to afford a full-time domestic helper, who unlike your parents, or worse, in-laws, doesn't have conflicting opinions on how to raise your kids.
- Hong Kong is a cool place, it has everything you might need, some things may cost more, some may cost less, but overall, the cost of living is not ridiculously high compared to your wage.
- You can say goodbye to the extreme cycles that are endemic to Canadian aviation.
- The equipment is great, 95% of the pilots are truly excellent people, all the destinations are world-class cities, and the per diems are good.
Some of the negatives:
- For some things, the "bar" (as in standards, not the place to drink) seems ridiculously high. You will study more and prep more than at AC. Whether this makes for a safer airline is debatable. But, heck, it's also nice to think to work for an airline that is known for high standards.
- Mangement and the rank-and-file seem pretty disconnected at times.
- The union, although well-intentioned, has very limited scope under HK labour laws.
- Although you'll spend a session in the sim at least every two months, and you'll sit "in the seat" in flight a lot, you won't actually really fly a plane (i.e. take off and land) again for 3-4 years (lots of debate now on how long this will be with new growth, Dragonnair, and Direct Entry pax FOs).
- You'll only have one stripe on your epaulettes, just like a Thai Airways hostie. May be a bit hard on the ego after walking around with 4 for awhile.
- Pass benefits aren't great (but on the other had, even though J ID90s aren't cheap, the service is great - search this site for more info)
- It's not home
Nothing that I would consider a "regret" in any case...
Last edited by betaboy; 17th Jun 2006 at 14:24.
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Thanks for the reply.
I'm going to Hong Kong for my final interview next month and I just want to be sure that I'm not overlooking any major negative aspects of the Cathay lifestyle. Just as I thought, the positives still seem to far outweigh the negatives.
I'm just curious, when you say "the pass benefits aren't great": how so? Are you referring to travelling via CX flights or other codeshare/OneWorld partners?
I'm going to Hong Kong for my final interview next month and I just want to be sure that I'm not overlooking any major negative aspects of the Cathay lifestyle. Just as I thought, the positives still seem to far outweigh the negatives.
I'm just curious, when you say "the pass benefits aren't great": how so? Are you referring to travelling via CX flights or other codeshare/OneWorld partners?
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The main gripe is that we need to buy an ID90 on our own airline.
Here's the summary:
- after 6 months, ID90s on CX, Zed fares on Zed carriers
- after 1 year, ID90s on everyone else
You and your family can get ID90s on CX in the first 6 months to help with the move, but only back to the place you were hired from.
After 1 years, you also get one set of "Free of Charge" tickets per year for you and the family. You still need to pay some taxes, and although they are "confirmed" , you can still get bumped. Better than ID90s in any case.
Search this forum for posts on fares and other details.
Here's the summary:
- after 6 months, ID90s on CX, Zed fares on Zed carriers
- after 1 year, ID90s on everyone else
You and your family can get ID90s on CX in the first 6 months to help with the move, but only back to the place you were hired from.
After 1 years, you also get one set of "Free of Charge" tickets per year for you and the family. You still need to pay some taxes, and although they are "confirmed" , you can still get bumped. Better than ID90s in any case.
Search this forum for posts on fares and other details.
