CX, KA or... HKA?
 

Hello,

As some of you may know from my last post, I am on a quest to get back home to HK.

After nearly 10 years of trying to break into this industry, with years of ups and countless downs, fun and potentially the best experience I'll ever get out of aircrafts, I have finally landed myself in a position where I will be logging that valuable jet time.

Now that I am in this position, I want to target a return to HK as soon as possible. I understand the conditions are not what they used to be, nor are they here in Europe.
My target would be to be back within the next two years, I want to be as prepared as possible as I may only be able to convince CX to give me one last go at joining the company. (Should I target CX)

What I would like to try get out of this thread is; what current deal would you go for in HK? If you work for CX, KA or HKA, which HK company would you rather be in and why?

Thank you all in advance for your input, I will monitor the inbox should you rather send a private message.

Happy holidays to all.

Mate, you've just opened a :mad: storm....

Let the disgruntled CX warriors come in i 3,2,1.....

You mean the 3000+ of us that fit that description? (congrats to the management, epic accomplishment).

Truth!

Honestly, I’d choose HKA. Your promotion through the ranks will be much faster than at CX/KA, and the future is probably far brighter there where growth is inevitable with Mainland backing. This will all come at the expense of CX/KA whom are giving away the farm to fight a lose-lose battle against their pilots.

Thank you for the honest response.

Any chance you know how the current take-home pay from HKA compares to CX/KA?
Very difficult to judge it all from pjn as I don't quite know what extras will go towards the salary.
Been quite some time since I have actually been up to date with the packages available in HK.

Also in HK it’s Merry Christmas and not Happy Holidays

Air Profit. From what i'm hearing/seeing in the Flight Deck the past 6 months, that 3000+ will pretty soon be a much smaller number :hmm:

Don’t be silly, the order from best to worst is KA, CX, Air Hong Kong, HKA, HKA Cargo, HKE, among the airlines anyway.

It depends on your age, how long you want to work and what you are looking for.
My opinion about these 3 choices:
KA for quick command and then work part time somewhere else.
CX for career if you're young enough to accept a long wait before command and you're sure you will be happy staying in HKG that long.
HKA would be a compromise between previous options with a bit less money than KA/CX.

kolob666

Air Hong Kong! you must be kidding!

Has it ever crossed your mind that some of us might not be interested in long haul operations at all !!! To be honest - you can keep your 10 hour plus trips in a metal tube, to get to your hotel room on the other side. So what I am trying to say is the options change. HKE is much more attractive from that point of view !!!

Frank W. Abagnale

If HKA is a “falling knife” then CX is total “fools gold”! No fortune to be made at CX anymore, and long haul is definitely not what it is cracked up to be. Real pilots prefer short and medium haul.

bacou

I am seeking to return to HK on a permanent basis. My age group is 28-33.
With my current employer, I could potentially look at command in 3 years, though I am not sure if it is worth the wait as I would have to join as an FO if I went to KA or CX.

I am not fussed between long or short hall. I've had previous jobs where I have spent a vast amount of time in hotels.

If quick command wasn't the selling point, would the overall CX package still be better than KA?

You may as well ask "Rancid Chicken, Rancid Beef, or Rancid Salmon"

Everything in life has a best before date. Even our bodies... we die.

CX,HKA,KA.. its over.. the Expat dream in HK is simply no more.

If you're joining under the guise 'getting ahead on a jet', you've not seen the forest for the tree's.

B scale guys with Housing, Education, loads of benefits can't make it work.

You think you can on D scale?

All 100% correct. However, KA has a better cadet package than CX and much faster career progression, assuming you can pass the course. Sitting as a CX SO to 5-8 years should be a non-starter if you are actually interested in being a pilot.

But whats the prize at the end...?

Atleast when we started you had housing payout and decent MPF.
You worked with professionals that challenged you.
(positively to be better.. not due to their lack of experience or knowledge).

Now its an erosion of already poor COS, and a transient work place.

On that happy note.. Merry Christmas..

I don't consider myself special compared to anyone else who has tried to make it work in HK or any expensive city.
Over the years, as an outsider, I have watched the terms and conditions erode in HK aviation, and it deeply saddens me.

All I am wanting to do is return home and finally be close to family and friends.

As you say, we all have a best before date and it is time for me to resume my life.
My passion for aviation has driven me to put my life on halt.
I have lived out of a car next to an airfield and in rooms that simply had a mattress on the floor all in the name of climbing that ladder whilst gaining incredible flying experience.
I move so much in pursuit of this career that I do not have friends, simply acquaintances.

But all my hard work is starting to pay off as I am soon in a position where my flight experience will actually mean something to the HR department and thus, I want to make sure that I am fully prepared for any opportunity I may get back in HK as well as make sure that I can find myself the best package out of what is currently available.

We all have our own desires, and mine is simply to come back to the place I call home and as every year ticks by, I understand my chances reduce.

Don't know what the package is at CX but I am sure that you would be paid more as a Captain with KA than a FO with CX and command at CX won't be at least before 10 years when in KA you'll be doing the course within 1 year.

Hope you're really sure you want to come back to HKG, even if you call the place home the city is far from being as good as it used to be.
A lot has already been posted on how expensive, overcrowded, polluted the city is and unfortunately that's all true.

Thank you for the response, I will be taking this into consideration once I reach the criteria for applying.

Schweitzer, although I could not be considered impartial, there is arguably a better career to be had at either KA or HKA. My bet would be HKA. CX has openly declared war on it's pilots and their package, so it will be an exercise in frustration. It will also take many more years to command. At either of the other two, you would obtain much quicker promotion (and associated higher salary). KA is owned by Swire, so expect the same misery as at CX. HKA is the best bet. Quicker growth and a more positive atmosphere to work in. Good luck.