I should clarify, I'm horrified at the shutdown of the Canadian bases. I was simply taking issue with the statement that the US bases were among the most expensive versus Canada. The passenger fleet isn't flying, and "COVID ZERO" dictates it won't be for a very long time. Thus those bases are pretty much equal. But the 747 is flying. So you have to weigh Vancouver and Toronto 747 versus the lower States. I would have been more than happy to find a way to keep those guys on.

I suspect no other airline in history has been able to clear out so many pilots as quickly as CX has. It will be one for the Business School studies. Ironically, a career at CX was a mirage all along...it just took 5 decades to reveal it to be so.

No Other ??
 

Sure there was, and for the exact same reasons... decades of MISMANAGEMENT..

Braniff, Eastern, PanAm, Ansett ......

....they went out of business. I'm talking about using a temporary situation to get rid of most of their senior, more expensive pilots. Cynical to a level that is incomprehensible (except this is the Swires and CX...so I shouldn't be that surprised with this outcome).

I refer you to the comment above......given the state of HKG and the agenda of the CCP, CX will join that illustrious list of defunct airlines very shortly.......wakey, wakey.

Rie

Rotary transport IS a good story, but the Concorde story is even better!!

The Concorde story is good, but the same individual would load up 5000 kg more fuel than CFP, bump the CI up to 500, and streak across the Pacific to LAX…

To catch the last LUV flight to his hometown.

To SAVE HIMSELF $39.95 FOR A NIGHT AT THE HACIENDA.

Cost Index 500 would definitely get you a high speed Cruze!

Weren't there chartered Learjets as well....

Didn't some guy charter a Chieftain or a Cessna 310 from some Victorian country town to make his flight in MEL?

Aero Vodochody

LOL. Definitely Andhe loved showing photos of his F50 to potential “investors” in a savings scheme….

The cos18 version of this is: ‘I once called an Uber, when I couldn’t get a taxi!’

5t extra to make a connection to Sydney out of SFO.

Speedwindow open the entire way. Left the flight deck and out of the aircraft before anyone in 1st.

Not uncommon, but with enough gold in the chest and hard currency on the 3rd floor to withstand whatever may come.

Gone days.

FYI those of you electing to return to HK would be wise to keep an eye on this new Bill tabled in Australia yesterday. It may mean you will not be allowed to return to Australia if you really need to. It very likely will pass as it is receiving little opposition.
https://theconversation.com/theres-n...stralia-119876

Errr, perhaps your post was in jest, but how many commuting CX pilots are likely to be classed as terrorists or a security risk? On the other hand, the Biosecurity Determination was recently amended and is likely to affect those trying to commute during the pandemic. The Determination was amended to remove the paragraph that gave Australian citizens who are ordinarily resident overseas an automatic exemption from the requirement to seek approval to leave Australia. They now have to apply for an exemption, just like anyone else who wants to leave the country.

https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/l...ustralia#toc-6

So they might grant an exemption, they may not. Who’s going to take the risk? Plus as with everything to do with the Federal government, you might need a 3 months lead time

Why the hell would anyone in their right mind elect to come back to Hong Kong on Cos18 off a base? That's the question you have to ask yourself.

I think being able to return to Australia is the least of your worries if your mental state is in such a poor condition that you would continue to work for cathay.

Much better options out there, particularly outside of aviation.

That might well be true for the younger folk, but it's not so easy for older pilots (say 55+) to change careers. Age discrimination is supposedly illegal, but most employers still prefer to hire younger employees. We all have different circumstances and for some it made sense to return to HK, if only for a few years. Mind you, not many made that choice.

Rubbish. In the UK for instance there's a shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers. The super market shelves are half empty. Great pay, far better lifestyle and flexibility than flying. And a similar skill set needed.

Unless it's your fragile ego preventing you leaving this now toxic aviation industry, I don't really understand why anyone would keep chasing the bottom of the barrel. Especially with Cathay, which has gone from being one of the best paid and rewarding airlines to work for 10-20 years ago to quite possibly the absolute worst (taking into account the quality of life vis a vis renumeration and the truly dreadful dystopian life in Hong Kong).

But I take your point - if you are at CX, approaching 55, worked here for a decade or two, and not able to jack it all in with a fair amount of savings you have gone severely off piste at some point, and frankly, it would be hopeless whatever or wherever you chose to go. So then yes, you might be stuck working for these :mad: mill owners.

Average HGV pay in UK is 32,100 gross, average starting salaries is 21,000. Decent pay (a bit higher than overall average) but I wouldn’t say great. If you get a job driving fuel trucks for Shell or someone like that, with plenty of antisocial hours, can probably get up to mid 40’s. Need to pay for own training

And with average UK house price now over 250,000, that salary won’t buy you a decent place to live…