New York Super Base Cancelled
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New York Super Base Cancelled
The concept of a New York Super Base has been cancelled after a 12 month feasibilty study commissioned by the former DFO AT. This was confirmed at a meeting of the CMP Team last week when they said no new base scenarios were being planned but the programme would support current basings until their natural demise.
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Makes sense. With more flying going to the A350 over time, the aircraft type would be difficult to determine. EWR is already Airbus and IAD will be. It’s hard to imagine that some JFK flying (maybe BOS too) isn’t headed that way as well. Then, the 777-9 comes in a few years. Who knows what that will do? So, I wouldn’t set up a base there either. There are hardly any Americans left in CX anyways, and those that have stayed are quite busy filing grievances and suing the Company every chance they get. I think the US base will wither on the vine, as will Canada.
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From a very knowledgeable source: if anything several bases will be closed, and almost certainly they have no intention of opening more slots. Meanwhile, airlines around the world are hiring, and many of your colleagues are taking advantage of getting themselves on a new seniority list, and most importantly, getting themselves and their families home. This place is finished.
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Actually, what Is coming is a commuting roster for those who wish to live in their home country. Some of the details I have heard are 8 consecutive G days at home with a travel day before and after. ARAPA or HKPA has to be forfeit with no way to get it back. Travel provided by CX, class of travel to be determined. Accommodation in Hong Kong provided by CX. No allowance while in Hong Kong as this is still the official base of employment. Contract will be performance based with a low hourly guarantee.
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Makes sense. With more flying going to the A350 over time, the aircraft type would be difficult to determine. EWR is already Airbus and IAD will be. It’s hard to imagine that some JFK flying (maybe BOS too) isn’t headed that way as well. Then, the 777-9 comes in a few years. Who knows what that will do? So, I wouldn’t set up a base there either. There are hardly any Americans left in CX anyways, and those that have stayed are quite busy filing grievances and suing the Company every chance they get. I think the US base will wither on the vine, as will Canada.
I am for one satisfied that the company has finally admitted to what we all know to be true. The bases are done.
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So let's reflect; how many pilots here in HK were enticed during the interview with the eventual promise of a "basing"....? Let's see, oh,...EVERYBODY. Just more lies, disappointment and deception by our morally vacuous management. Is anyone surprised? Make your plans to leave because believe me, very soon you will all wish you had.
Actually ATY, the majority of pilots in CX now were hired as “locals” so they were more than happy to spend eternity in HK by agreeing to local terms.
The minority remaining on “expat” contracts are the only ones to be truly affected by the withering of the bases.
DropKnee is spot on about the end of CX as a good deal the moment we didn’t walk out after the 49ers.
As for the commuting rumour, it will be far from acceptable financially if there is no “comprehensive double taxation agreement” in place in your new commuting country of residence (bad luck again Aussies) HK is not yet China when it comes to tax agreements!
The minority remaining on “expat” contracts are the only ones to be truly affected by the withering of the bases.
DropKnee is spot on about the end of CX as a good deal the moment we didn’t walk out after the 49ers.
As for the commuting rumour, it will be far from acceptable financially if there is no “comprehensive double taxation agreement” in place in your new commuting country of residence (bad luck again Aussies) HK is not yet China when it comes to tax agreements!
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FP
The biggest reason all three senior recruitment managers left was they were tired of lying to the kids coming through the door - "a few years as an SO, upgrade and then you can bid a base and take your wife home". It's crap. It's been crap for a long time. Sure, when you're 20 something and single, you can put up with anything for a few years but the days of Cathay Pacific as a career are long gone and now they're quickly exiting the stepping stone category too.
The biggest reason all three senior recruitment managers left was they were tired of lying to the kids coming through the door - "a few years as an SO, upgrade and then you can bid a base and take your wife home". It's crap. It's been crap for a long time. Sure, when you're 20 something and single, you can put up with anything for a few years but the days of Cathay Pacific as a career are long gone and now they're quickly exiting the stepping stone category too.
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Standard act of CX--take something away and then try to sell it back to you.
SO
You get a base that's not a base; a 'commuting roster' without the benefit of having housing in HKG OR the protection of really being on a base. And I'll bet they find a way to chisel around the 'commuting roster' with more time on and less time off with the CMP. So you lose the productivity of operating people to and from what would have been a base (by having to effectively deadhead people to HKG and back) while these people also take the commute time out of hide and spend more time on the road and on a string at the behest of the company.
Kinda like a loophole around reverse rostering which would violate the laws of most of the places we base. Be interesting to investigate the legalities of the 'plan.'
I smell yet another scam.
SO
You get a base that's not a base; a 'commuting roster' without the benefit of having housing in HKG OR the protection of really being on a base. And I'll bet they find a way to chisel around the 'commuting roster' with more time on and less time off with the CMP. So you lose the productivity of operating people to and from what would have been a base (by having to effectively deadhead people to HKG and back) while these people also take the commute time out of hide and spend more time on the road and on a string at the behest of the company.
Kinda like a loophole around reverse rostering which would violate the laws of most of the places we base. Be interesting to investigate the legalities of the 'plan.'
I smell yet another scam.
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We've all experienced how the company "work stacks" during months that we have leave. Well, you can be certain that EVERY month of your commuting roster will be like a month with leave, so your time working will be brutal, and you will barely be recovered after your 8 days off. I also think they will try it on with economy travel (never mind that most other airlines with commuting contracts fly you in business). Basically, it is another deceptive plan to strip you of your working conditions, your fatigue protections and your ability to return to HK should you so need. Once again, another disgrace in the annals of the Swire mismanagement of the CX pilots.
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What a sad place. Ruined careers with the company always promising bases, commands on bases, etc, Cat D-ing great people as punishment, while upgrading questionable pilots and characters. If you think putting in hard work will get you a command after being here a decade or more guess again. Taking away bases or command opportunities of those who are already on one is criminal. As usual, the likes of AT, er al just destroy lives then move on
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As an outsider now keeping watch, I could not even begin to imagine commuting to the western countries and flying those rosters. The toll that will take on your health, family and well being is just not worth it.
Talking of health, they have just magically made it more difficult to be unfit in your commuting country as well! No doubt part of the preparations for this grande lifestyle offer.
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The commuting will be so crap that the pilots will negotiate to give up leave so they can add it to their commuting days off. They will still come for that shiny jet and the conditions will continue to degrade.
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Surely if this is a new contract they are considering offering to current employees of the company, then it should be a negotiated contract. Negotiated by the Union. If they offer it to new joiners, we can't do much about it, but anything that is a change to our current conditions must go through the correct channels or be offered on Crew Direct like Compact Rosters etc. Besides, how do they have the time to cook up (yet more) new contracts when they can't seem to sort out the one we already have?
If you have to give up ARAPA or HKPA, what are you going to do for the remaining 2/3 of the month you have to be in HK? Rents are pretty steep. as many keep pointing out, so that's a big hit to take for the pleasure of paying full tax rates in your home country. Sharing a squat with a few mates was fine in your 20's, maybe we could get the UN in to help set up a tent city on the roundabout next to CX City and allow access to the showers in the locker room. You'd be accepting a situation that makes you worse off than the the current contract and they would probably also refuse to let you claim your kids overseas school fees (if you have that benefit at the moment). If you're that desperate to be back in your home country, there are job opportunities at home that won't end up with you going backwards financially. Besides, CMP is so good at optimising/compacting the flight patterns that you'll get plenty of days off to commute anyway, just give it a few years to work out the bugs and all will be rosy.
If you have to give up ARAPA or HKPA, what are you going to do for the remaining 2/3 of the month you have to be in HK? Rents are pretty steep. as many keep pointing out, so that's a big hit to take for the pleasure of paying full tax rates in your home country. Sharing a squat with a few mates was fine in your 20's, maybe we could get the UN in to help set up a tent city on the roundabout next to CX City and allow access to the showers in the locker room. You'd be accepting a situation that makes you worse off than the the current contract and they would probably also refuse to let you claim your kids overseas school fees (if you have that benefit at the moment). If you're that desperate to be back in your home country, there are job opportunities at home that won't end up with you going backwards financially. Besides, CMP is so good at optimising/compacting the flight patterns that you'll get plenty of days off to commute anyway, just give it a few years to work out the bugs and all will be rosy.
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The only thing the CMP is good for is lowering company costs and ensuring the roster is Legal. The decrease in company cost is going to come from the crew. There will be no extra time off thanks to the JCR that got voted in we will all get 8 days off a month that’s it. Yet we say the company is stupid.
It will not materialise anyway.
This “commuting roster” rumour was started by the company a little while ago to replace the “bases” dangling carrot because they have committed to release the Basings review by year end.
We all know that it will state that the bases are over, so they need a new carrot to retain the gullible amongst us.
This “commuting roster” rumour was started by the company a little while ago to replace the “bases” dangling carrot because they have committed to release the Basings review by year end.
We all know that it will state that the bases are over, so they need a new carrot to retain the gullible amongst us.