Basing Bid
 

Is it safe to assume there will (once again) be no basing bid closing on 31st December?

I'm glad you didn't state which year. I'm thinking the current fiasco is going to drag on for much longer than anyone can imagine :{

There are plenty of bases available in Dubai, if living in the desert and quick command is your thing ....

50+ MORE ( how many is that now !!, not including the 90 x 380's!! ) 777 arriving ...has to be worth considering for those on the lower rung of the seniority list steering down 15+ years to cmd here , you would be mad not to have at least a look at it .....it ain't the worst place in the world considering how things are going here....

This whole thing is turning out like an onion. The more layers you peel off the more you cry. This hasn't run its course by a long shot.

The morons who created this mess are only now just realising how bad this is, when most of us could see the signs a year ago.

The only jurisdiction that has even a remote possibility of bases is the US and even that is marginal at best. Some bases may close and not because CX says so, but because the local government says so.

Commuting contracts are being talked about seriously now and that may be the only option for those of you who want to get away and breath some fresh air for a while.

From what I heard, commuting contracts/commuting rosters are long gone off the table, too, for the same reasons that bases are a thing of the past, as they are effectively the same thing as far at the money-hungry tax authorities are concerned...specially now that they are all well aware of what's actually been going on all of this time.

There are also many tax-avoiding commuters who will soon find they are no longer slipping by under the radar, but in fact they are right in plain sight of the tax authorities.

My concern isn't trying to remain under the radar but to escape the UK PAYE system that is continuing to tax me at full HMRC rates whilst the Hong Kong IRD system demands full HK tax (and provisional!).

Pay me GBP in Hong Kong and I'll sort my own tax affairs out!!! :ugh:

Really? You need to ask this? It is the equivalent of asking the Titanic crew what they are serving for dinner as the life boats are filling.

Bases are done, son! The only reason they haven't come out and said it is that they are still promising it to naive new-hire cadets who manage enough motivation to show up to the interview. Can you believe they are also telling them 18 month upgrades? They are having trouble attracting as it is, imagine if potential new-hires knew they will NEVER have a base with cathay. :eek:

The question is, how long before they wind everyone currently on base back in. I think they will find themselves quite surprised at how few take them up on the invite. The success rate on achieving this uptake is what will determine if a deal is struck with commutable HKG rosters like Korean Airlines.

If I were a based guy I would start pooling resources, like getting everyone's name on one letter titled: "HKG based can-not". If it becomes substantial enough in size you might strike a deal.

Otherwise, I suggest you start preparing by sealing off 3/4 of your house and restrict yourself to the 800sqf that remains so that moving back to the matrix is not as big a shock. Then leave your car running in the garage, open the door, and breathe in through the nose. This should start preparing your lungs for the HKG "haze" / "mist".

A frequently heard theory:

Once headquarters has had enough of this fiasco in the messed up airline department, the bases that can be closed now will be closed soon, as per AMS, minus the back-door deal to keep the affected crew based. Huge fines will be paid and the page turned.

The next step will be to terminate based employees, the whole lot, along with the closure of the fake "on shore" companies. If the company is closed down/wound up/dissolved, the positions become redundant, and that's the end of that. Most of those affected will then be offered a new job in HKG with a special seniority-retention "one off" deal with an HKG company, and most will take it, though not all, at least for a while. Huge fines will be paid and the page turned.

I think those who are unable or unwilling to relocate to HKG should start to get their ducks in a row ahead of time.

Reality Check
 

When u discuss bases / availability of bases do so from the company perspective cos that's what will drive the issue. Bases, apart from a very brief honeymoon period circa 1989, are a tool to reduce crewing costs not to put a smile on one's face. So judge the issue against that definitive requirement.

What has become blatantly obvious to all but the myopic is:
1. Company contract and taxation issues and 'complexities leading to costs that the company does not wish to bear' are centrestage.
2. Rostering is more complex with bases.
3. Erosion of expat benefits reduces the savings to CX.
4. Basees cease to be part of mainstream CX - drift off to la la land!

Waiting for a base is akin to waiting for the promised land circa BC.

Oh dear - fish and chips again!

Just as the bases are being used as a recruitment tool for new joiners, they also serve as a retention tool for those already here. Imagine if the company came out and said "we are done with bases" and planned to close them. Anyone on the fence about CX, whether on a base or hoping for one, would leave. If you think expanding the pilot ranks is difficult now, try growing after making an announcement like that. Forget about it!

So the way I see it, the only certainty is that the company will keep its cards very close to its chest. There may even be a few bluffs along the way...

CXorcist

" brief honeymoon period circa 1989"

Bases did not exist until 1994. There was a period prior to 1992 when ERP's (extended roster patterns) were offered, but was short- lived when they realized the guys (no girls then) liked it.

I happen to agree with CXorcist.....I believe that the company will continue to dangle the bases carrot in front of our faces for the foreseeable future b/c they know people are out of here if they come right out and say that they are done forever.

Bases are bleeding out, they simply don't replace anybody leaving.

Basings office talking about JFK next year, but Aviation Medical not cooperating.
I think if JFK or ORD do not open next year; it would be a very strong indication of the future.
Standby and make informed decisions people.....

... Because flying 2 JFK-HKG returns is so much different than 2 YYZ-HKG returns. Use your brain. It has nothing to do with aviation medical unless we are assuming 3 returns which would be well into the overtime threshold. This sounds a lot like a bluff referenced above.

Another can of worms
 

So what happens when one of the based captains dies (not sure if any have been retiring). Will that based command slot be offered to the most senior based FO?

Command out of seniority?

N E V E R (again)

More likely that basings will "wither on the vine" - Cathays own words wrt A Scales.

.....suspect the same will happen to B scale in time.

I'm pretty sure the LHR R-L happened because the F/O in question was 1. Senior enough to hold the seat and 2. No-One in their right mind wants the slot.

WRT YVR, YYZ and a few others, I can assure you that there are more than a few VERY senior HKG based Captains who will jump at the opportunity, double taxation and all.

The lack of JFK and ORD base slots is all about overtime, not medical. Do you really think they care whether we get radiation? $$$$$$$$$