HKExpress further pay cut
 

News in today for UO FlightDeck. 20% pay cut for captains, 13% for Fo based on the basic salary of COS20. This is a “voluntary “ pay cut valid until end December 2021.

So an experienced Captain is now on 45K HKD pm and a low houred FO is on 17.4K HKD pm !! Pilots free to leave HK until December.

more to come for cx too then no doubt

Whilst I sympathise with them, at least the are not getting the sack like hundreds at CX shortly...

Agreed, UO gets a lifeline until December 31st, albeit the guys are now deep into survival mode.

How many there are on work visas?

If one was to leave till December, they better not leave anything valuable behind.

Dragon Pacific

I think many as UO only expanded in the last few years. I am one of them ! But as somebody said above we still got a lifeline until December and some money for Food ! At least we can go home and become real Bus drivers ! :} Anybody interest renting a nice two bedroom furnished apartment ?

Sorry guys, can’t wait to see the end of this :mad:

Dragon Pacific

I would guess more than 50% of the pilots are on work visa.

The work visa issue hasn’t been addressed at all, no communication at all, from the company regarding this. Either they’ve got there head in the sand hoping it will all go away or they don’t care or some deal is being done behind the scenes.

Dragon Pacific

From a reliable source: Management are very worried about the work permit situation at UO as around 75% are work permit holders.

UO is in a much better position than CX as the short haul low cost sector will recover well before the long haul premium hub airlines. Belt tightening for the next half year would indicate some form of plan in place in anticipation of recovery and implies jobs will be retained. Subject of course to work visa renewal.

Next month CX are likely to do what EK did this time last year, mass layoffs will be required as there is no end in sight. CX have done extremely well to hold out as long as they have in the hope of an upturn, especially as they lack the government backing enjoyed by EK and SQ. Even with this backing, major layoffs were made a year and half a year ago respectively.

CX pilots would be wondering what criteria would be used in deciding who gets the chop, anyone with a substantial amount of sick leave must be very worried as this was one of the main factors used at EK.

You mean they get rid of the healthy pilots who have accumulated a lot of sick leave? Out of fear they might get sick in the future and start taking all that sick leave?

No, it means any pilot who has taken a higher than average amount of time off due to illness would be worried. In EK this included time accumulated due to having had cancer or having been pregnant.

CX have had much more time to work out the computer program which trawls through the personnel files looking for markers so it should be a bit more sophisticated and consider a wider range of factors such as warning letters, check rides, safety incidents etc.

Friends sent me a copy of the message. It seems like anyone is free to leave Hong Kong but give up their housing allowance for the pleasure. Race to the bottom...

It’s 2025. In fierce competition with Greater Bay Airlines, HK Express, the low low cost arm of China Pacific (formerly known as Cathay Pacific), announces further pay cuts for pilots. Captains are now earning HKD 25k per month, and FOs 12.5k per month (after tax).

As quoted by one pilot who, who shares a 750 sqft “condo” in Tung Chung with 5 other pilots, and who prefers to remain anonymous:

“It absolutely :mad: being a pilot in Hong Kong, but somebody has to do the dirty work!”

Sounds far fetched? Many a true word was said in jest. You read it here first.

As I tend to agree with this statement, no experienced Pilot will work for pay that low and no insurance company in the world is going to insure a jet with an inexperienced crew

Except you know, every country in the world (except the US) that has cadetships and pilots sitting in the right seat at 250 hours...

Jnr380

You’d be surprised for how much (or how little) pilots whore themselves out nowadays.

In India they probably fly for a sack of basmati and at Bamboo Air they’re on 500 USD a month.

Jnr380

I think you’re wrong on both counts.

I recall chatting with Tu-154 crews in the ‘80s and early ‘90s on $400/month and no allowances and sleeping on their aircraft for a few days on end. Anecdotally, expat crews in Vietnam today are likewise not being overpaid.

As for insurance? They simply adjust the premiums to match the risk.

Manufacturers, management and infrastructure are all conspiring to devalue experience. They’re succeeding.

I remember speaking to a couple of Spanish ATR pilots who were working in Cuba in the mid 00's. The pay was horrible. If memory serves me correctly it was around $300US a month. But the experience was supposedly good.

This is by choice though. What UO is doing is not choice. It is squeezing people into a corner. First it was COS21 with a cut that halved CX pay. Now another cut to "help"

Even if flying went back to normal would the pay scale ever really return? Inflation keeps rising so how will a pay scale going backwards be justifiable if they need to keep a respectable level of experience in their ranks. Just look at some of the other airlines in the region who hire for a pittance. Safety records will always be lowered.