Numbers
 

CX made USD1.8 billion profit

CX pays staff 6 weeks bonus...

EK made USD1.6 billion profit

EK pays staff 12 weeks bonus.

CX new joiner starting salary (with allowances) HKD540,000 with worlds highest CoL.

SAA new joiner starting salary SAR820,000 (HKD940,000) with CoL about 1/2 of HKG...

Cpt U.

Bit naughty comparing CX and EK then sliding SAA in the bottom. Whats the starting salary for an EK Cadet?:=

In Hong Kong we pay 15% tax.
In South Africa you'll pay :

Taxable income (R) Rates of tax
0 – 150 000 18% of each R1
150 001 – 235 000 R27 000 + 25% of the amount above R150 000
235 001 – 325 000 R48 250 + 30% of the amount above R235 000
325 001 – 455 000 R75 250 + 35% of the amount above R325 000
455 001 – 580 000 R120 750 + 38% of the amount above R455 000
580 001 and above R168 250 + 40% of the amount above R580 000


I'm too lazy to work the numbers but looks like you won't be that much better off with SAA. According to the ones in the know SA cost of living has also increased dramatically over the last 5/6 years.

F_One

Thanks - point taken, however...

Whilst SA does have a higher rate of taxation (and poor civil service to boot, I've heard) there are many ways to reduce tax and anyone who earns in 5 figures and pays full tax would have to be very naive or just ignorant of the many ways to reduce the tax burden.

HKD940 K in SA will buy you an extremely privileged lifestyle, far exceeding the hand-to-mouth wages that CX are offering our new joiners.

In a roundabout fashion, what I'm attempting to illustrate is the slow and steady reduction of wages and benefits that CX has imposed on a once-proud and motivated staff. I remember well (when I joined over 20 years ago) the TC that did my training being able to list, from memory, ALL the pilots that had quit Cathay in the preceding 2 decades...and it was fewer than 10.

The emperor truly has no clothes.

S.A. Tax
 

Capt. U
You are definitely not comparing apples to apples. All the hidden taxes in S.A. amount to over 60%
There is daily reports of protest's again non service delivery. A list to long to mention.
Should this not be under a different forum like Africa?

I think what should be taken on board here is that SAA has a very strong union. And as a result they have managed to keep their contract conditions and pay at good levels. As oposed to CX...

The lesson is that we should fight our battles via the Canadian and Australian AOA now - where a union actually has some legal power.

Very true.

SIA

Just over S1bn or 800 mill US profit (less than 1/2 of CX).

Profit Share

Mainline 3.5 months

Freight 2.4 months



Aircargo Asia Pacific - Singapore Airlines tops S$1bn net profit for year

Short memory? SIA canned about 1200(in total) jobs during SARS!

Short memory? In 2001 CX fired 49 pilots " for no apparent reason"