Cathay good old days

[mngmt mole]

Asturia. It is not so much about "conditions". It's about the brutal, immoral and ultimately self-destructive methods employed. They have killed a once great airline, and the management concerned have been complicit in undermining their own profession, and stealing $$ from their own colleagues, put into their personal bank accounts. Ultimately, a tragic and telling tale of how not to manage an airline.

[mngmt mole]

I find it ironic and sadly comical that many of my long term "colleagues" are sitting in our management offices believing they are "making a difference" and "helping the company". What they are really doing is playing their part as a "useful idiot" to help undermine the very airline they supposedly have committed a career to. They are in fact the virus that is killing its host. Will always be until the very end... ( I should be angry...but actually I only feel contempt and pity. They are the worst of the worst and are responsible for much that is wrong with this airline).

[cxorcist]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

"During the 1980s Cathay was the best paid airline job in the world for those on the "A" scale, industrial relations were good, Hong Kong was still under British rule. The Middle East 3 didn't exist and CX was a premium long haul airline and the gateway airline into a rapidly opening up China.

Recruitment was highly selective and most applicants were rejected. Captains from other airlines joined as first officers and often doubled their pay. No one left for any other airline, if you got in you were made for life and retired a UK pound millionaire in the days when that meant something."

Kris - did people think it would continue forever? Or did they recognise that it was very likely to change - especially when you were being paid more than US pilots, BA, Air France etc

I'm genuinely interested as a lot of the bitterness expressed on here about CX seems to be a an overwhelming feeling of betrayal................

It’s not just a betrayal of CX, it’s a betrayal of the profession. I don’t care what anyone says about these wonderful cadet programs, level D simulators, and modern airliners “that fly themselves”. Stuff happens when metal flies around at high speeds, and the lack of experience in the right seats is getting ridiculous.

It’s often a babysitting job for the captains. Notice I didn’t say training captains, because they signed up for it. CX will have a hull loss in the next decade or two. It will very likely be, in part or whole, pilot error. CX has decided that’s ok and that they are insured / financially insulated to handle it. These low-time, magenta line followers are a liability, especially during non-normals, which are becoming more frequent due to declining maintenance standards at CX. We all know it. They even know it, most of them anyways. To say it’s ok is to devalue the profession and human life itself.

These low timers ought to be flying props and turboprops, military aircraft with ejection seats and/or proper supervision, not widebodies with 300 plus paying passengers. It’s actually better for them in the long run as aviators than growing up inbred in the CX system. It’s a recipe for disaster, but like most things CX, nobody cares anymore.

[The Range]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

"During the 1980s Cathay was the best paid airline job in the world for those on the "A" scale, industrial relations were good, Hong Kong was still under British rule. The Middle East 3 didn't exist and CX was a premium long haul airline and the gateway airline into a rapidly opening up China.

Recruitment was highly selective and most applicants were rejected. Captains from other airlines joined as first officers and often doubled their pay. No one left for any other airline, if you got in you were made for life and retired a UK pound millionaire in the days when that meant something."

Kris - did people think it would continue forever? Or did they recognise that it was very likely to change - especially when you were being paid more than US pilots, BA, Air France etc

I'm genuinely interested as a lot of the bitterness expressed on here about CX seems to be a an overwhelming feeling of betrayal................

Look at the pay and conditions for US pilots now. They had their B scale, their pay cuts, but they got it all back.
And their unions would not allow pay to fly lowtimers to be hired.

[Callsign Kilo]

CX will have a hull loss in the next decade or two. It will very likely be, in part or whole, pilot error.

if you believe what is regularly posted on this forum, CX won’t be around in a decade, never mind two!

[cxorcist]

Originally Posted by Callsign Kilo

if you believe what is regularly posted on this forum, CX won’t be around in a decade, never mind two!

I’m not at all sure about that, but it’s certainly possible that CX will be sacrificed on the alter for communism.

[Flex88]

Originally Posted by cxorcist

I’m not at all sure about that, but it’s certainly possible that CX will be sacrificed on the alter for communism.

Fresh #Chinese troops crossing the border now... Aviation with "Asian Values" Sayonara baby; do as our People Manager did - turn either way 180 deg, bend over... Simple.

[italiancheeze]

It was a big family when I joined in the mid 80's

Peter Sutch was the Managing Director, and probably the best Airline in the world

Then when Peter left as part of the Swire Group to continue his career, Rod Eddington took over and the rot set in

The Company started Operation Better Shape (OBS) which should been called Operation Bull****

Turnbull took over from Eddington, and it went further down the tubes

I don't think the Airline recovered, to what was a great era in aviation

I wish the present lads, good luck and hope Carrie Lam steps down as Chief Executive of Hong Kong

Cathay is just another Chinese Airline these days as far as Management is concerned, from what I see