Lets not get too excited here.

With 174 FOs to go in 2007 the numbers posted above are spot on.

2007 and 2008 were big hiring years with over 400 guys joining CX.

So in 2020 the most junior Captain will be a 2007 hire. And with another 200 guys from the 2008 class the last one should be upgrade by 2023. Rounding out the time to command at 15 years. What a future to look forward to. You can only pray there will be a ton of guys cat D'd and guys refusing to come off their base. Even with significant expansion the time will not come down by much.

Warning to DEFOs. Your future here is not bright. I hope you like flying through the night to India.

P.s. Your DFO loves to say how South Africans are the Phillippenos of aviation. That should say it all.

That good old DFO of ours, always with just the right thing to say to boost morale. I wonder what this weeks quote from Mao will be....

Speaking of South Africans, it seems the DFO's only hope is to turn CX into a satellite operation of SAA. If the company goes ahead with a JNB base, with direct entry captains, that should be the final straw in any other CX pilots hopes that there can ever be a proper career or stable conditions to base your hopes and those of your families on. If she makes this move (and I suspect she will, as she is ignorant of 'unintended consequence'), then there is no longer any reason to stay. Take advantage of the best hiring market in generations. At the very least, escape from this most toxic of environments. And btw, if any of my former C and T colleagues continue with this charade and help train the very people who will be used to undermine their own careers, then deserve all the opprobrium that will come their way. There is no longer any excuse at that point.

I was saying this back when Traf was a trainer, and I say it to every C&Ter every chance I get. It’s beyond ludicrous. I want to train too but not until we are all on the same contract, and it sure as hell isnt going to be local terms.

Some STCs are only too happy to tell you that they are making 300-400K a month due to rostered overtime.

On a more positive note, several senior TCC members have refused to upgrade to STC while there is any CC underway. Further, a few of them I have spoken with have confirmed they will resign immediately if there is any entry of DEC in the company.

I hope that is true. I am doubtful of anything coming from the CX pilot crowd. If one pilot is allowed under this scheme into our cockpits. Than we have truly lost.

I doubt it is true. Nothing happened when housing was about to be cancelled. Everyone will just sit on the sidelines waiting for something to happen/telling SOs to leave

TurningFinal

You are of course wrong. Something did happen, that's why the ARAPA threat went away (for the time being). It's the threat that brings results. The threat was there, ask your training mates.

They may tell you.
.....Whether you believe it is a 'different story'.

Like most things at Cathay Pacific and the internet, until you do your own research and obtain proof, take it with 'a grain of salt'.

Any trainer who remains in training is a part of the problem. This is a voluntary position you are not required to stay in training. Anyone who does so is doing it for selfish reasons only. Trainers are profiting off of the membership and the training ban.

A trainer should be someone who is respected amongst the pilot body. Who upholds the values of the collective group. Wen your employer is continuously doing anything they can to destroy your benifits you should realize that you are in effect condoning this behavior. What makes you think you are so special? Will you be able to make a little side deal for yourself preserving your pay, housing, other benifits?.

Deplorable.

Lower than low is those guys taking up a training position on a base. You will never be invited out for dinner and drinks, you will not get anything other than required sop from me. Enjoy your layover.

The funny (or not!) thing is, I remember Anna saying a year or so ago that she was looking to 'reward the trainers' for their efforts. All I see they received was NO 13th month, and a threat to their housing for them and their families. Come on guys/girls, where do your real interests lie, with your professional colleagues, or with a group of pilot hating managers who are actually attempting to harm you and your families? It's time to give up your delusions. If one SA pilot arrives on anything other than 'bottom of seniority list' terms IN HK, then you must resign. Otherwise, you are no better than the people upstairs who are harming the rest of us. You NEED to think about this, then act. Now.

Yes, "I'll quit if they touch the training pay, the housing allowance, etc etc etc......." How many have???

She did. She gave them that Instagram idiot to train and possibly get their faces out there.

Several have in fact refused. Unfortunately, currently there are four wannabe STCs upgrading by flying with Dragon trainers. I'll let you figure out the fleet by yourself.

CC/TB not far off at Dragon.

name and shame, these people having been getting away with far too much. Im sure the union will be all over it.....

Warning regarding S/O time.
 

I took an interest in this thread after doing a recruitment sim-assessment on a CX S/O recently at my current company. Long story short, this individual’s performance in the sim was so poor that the assessment was cut short. I’m not sure if nerves played a part (probably) but the overall performance was below all my expectations of even modest handling skills.

Word of warning from the ‘real world’: Pilots that join an airline on an S/O deal where you don’t touch the controls for years will eventually become unemployable at any other airline. Beware of this career trap. Nothing will ever beat hands-on experience on smaller aircraft as you start off your career.

Sage advice. I think CX SOs get so enamored with the (not-so) shiny jets that they ignore the obvious downsides, this being but one example. Keep in mind, time to JFO just ballooned out to 5-6 years, and that’s no exaggeration. 5-6 years with no hands on time except for sims.

Compound that with the cost of living in HK and the fact that SO/JFOs scrape the bottom of the pay scales and HKPA for the better part of a decade, and the picture is pretty grim. I’m not the most empathetic of chaps, but I feel truly sorry for CX SOs. They have chosen to believe the lies from CX, and most are stuck paying the price for many years under the most venal, malicious, and incompetent airline management in the world. It’s truly a sad state of affairs at CX. The persistent pollution in Hong Kong is but a metaphor for a CX career.

I've been following all the current CX topics and am amazed by the current situation (as employees experience it) at Cathay.
I've also been invited to HK for the assessment for SO.

Working at Cathay Pacific and living in HK has always seemed amazing to me and my goal in aviation is to fly long haul eventually.

Recently I've passed an assessment for a short haul jet carrier in Europe, incl type rating and benefits as insurance, housing allowance during training etc.

I'm now at an age of beginning 30's and have one year commercial experience on a turboprop, so about 800hr TT.
I live in Europe, so joining the short haul carrier in Europe will allow me to be back at home in 2 hours through their network with staff travel.

If I pass the assessment at CX, it's going to be a tough decision for me.

I can understand that (also due to my age) joining the short haul carrier and building jet hours as an FO would be a better career option.
I just can't stop thinking about flying long haul at Cathay, even though the transition to FO may be 5 - 6 years as my goal in aviation eventually is to fly long haul.

I would appreciate it if anybody could share some experience with me.

You will sit as an SO for 5-6 years, logging NO time. You will have effectively crippled your career just when you had the chance to actually make yourself into an airline pilot. Further, you will be stuck living like a rat in a barely livable space (300 sq/ft) paying about $3000 usd /mo for that. Don't even get me started on the non-existent staff travel, appalling medical, joke of a retirement. Add to that the fact that you will work for the worst airline management in the industry, one that belittles you, lies to you, cheats you, steals from you and basically ensures that every day you are here you will regret. Other than that, come on in, the water's lovely! Take the job close to home, actually FLY airplanes and be grateful you dodged the bullet. (oh, and as for flying long-haul, that particular desire will be crushed out of you very quickly at CX, with the appalling rosters and minimum time layovers, crappy hotels and inadequate allowances. You will very quickly be too fatigued to care).