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What are my chances in Cathay for a Direct Entry FO?

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What are my chances in Cathay for a Direct Entry FO?

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Old 7th Feb 2010, 14:20
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What are my chances in Cathay for a Direct Entry FO?

Hi All,

Planning to put in an application Cathay for direct entry FO position soon. I have around 3500 total time, ATR72-500 rated with over 1000 hrs command on type. Current Australian ATPL. I know this meets the minimums. But is it competitive?

Any feedback would be great! Thanks
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Old 7th Feb 2010, 18:16
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No recruitment except for cadets going on right now, and will most likely remain that way for the rest of the year. As for your experience, most of the Second Officer applicants have that experience with some SO's even having medium jet (B737,A320) FO time as well. Sorry mate. However you will never know for sure until you try. Apply and see what happens.

Best of luck
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Old 8th Feb 2010, 09:18
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Thanks for the info Sony.

Appreciate it!
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Old 20th Mar 2010, 14:49
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I think you'll find that the company will be more than happy to hear from you. I suspect that in the future the only way to get in will be Cadet SO (ie no housing allowance in HKG) or DEFO on to a base (no housing payment required there either).

If it's better than what you can get now then why not, but CX is not the money cow it once was for pilots
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Old 21st Mar 2010, 03:35
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So then what is the cash cow for a guy with only regional experience?
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Old 21st Mar 2010, 04:35
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plenty of options: marry into moneyz, powerball, hook up with some columbians, performing on certain specialty websites, nba/nfl/mlb...

wait, you meant flying? none.
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Old 25th Mar 2010, 12:55
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Anyone know roughly how many DEFO get in Cathay yearly? if they are hiring that is!

Or numbers from the past...
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Old 26th Mar 2010, 14:18
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Please guys, do a little research if you are seriously asking if Cathay is hiring DEFO. Cathay is way over manned. There will be no hiring for the foreseeable future and certainly no DEFO recruitment anytime within the next 5 years. DESO may not even be available until 2013 or beyond due to there being so many cadet courses. Best case scenario; go somewhere else besides Cathay!
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Old 27th Mar 2010, 02:46
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Cathay is way over manned
Do you have a figure greater than the 5% reported overmanning?

and certainly no DEFO recruitment anytime within the next 5 years
rubbish (IMHO)

as reported elsewhere, once again, in my opinion, future will be Cadet SO's (good for young pilots who haven't already spent their life savings on training), and DEFO's onto a base, my guess interviewing early next year. A guess only.
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Old 27th Mar 2010, 11:03
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Look, there are plenty of junior guys who want to leave Hong Kong ASAP. They want bases; bases that are not available because of no vacancies! There will be no need for DEFO's anytime soon because of the pent up demand of Hong Kong based crews. If you honestly think there will be DEFO's in the next few years you are on crack rock.
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Old 27th Mar 2010, 11:10
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airplaneridesrfun

CX don’t base their recruitment requirements on their current pilot body’s thoughts. You should know that by now.
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Old 27th Mar 2010, 11:14
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bases that are not available because of no vacancies
ummmm, no.

just shy of 30 FO spots in Australia open, and only 11 1st preferences.
You know there is a world outside of AZ.
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Old 27th Mar 2010, 13:00
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Right, so there are unfilled slots in AUS. That is more of an "I don't want to fly an airbus" instead of "I don't want to be based in AUS" as well as the tax situation. There are plenty of Canadians who would love a US base, or Canadian base. There are also tons of pilots who want European bases. So Aus is the exception, but also it is easy to offer temp bases in Aus and so filling the planes with pilots is easy. Why not offer some of those slots to SO's who are Australian? That would make sense; which is why CX does not do it.
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Old 28th Mar 2010, 04:19
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Blogsey


"just shy of 30 FO spots in Australia open"

Nice!! sounds promising
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Old 28th Mar 2010, 08:44
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maybe sounds promising. But if you ever get to CX as a cadet; as that is the only recruitment available then you probably will be wishing for blue sky, clean air, and family to be close by. You will have to revert to wasting time warning others that the grass is not greener on the other side, because you have none of the other things to enjoy. Perhaps you should read the main board and the discontent among the cx employees. The only positive posts you read are company posts!
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Old 29th Mar 2010, 22:48
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Mr Airplaneridsrfun
as that is the only recruitment available
I don't mean to flame every comment you're posting, but you could do well to separate fact from speculation.
Your comment insinuates that cadet SO is the only way of entry to CX.
As per Cathay Pacific - Careers : Careers Home it still lists DESO and DEFO, however we know they are not currently hiring DE pilots now, and currently only the worldwide cadet entry is actively recruiting. It has been speculated by many as to the possible future recruiting methods CX May adopt.
For the wannabees, you need to expect that everything on PPrune is as per the name: rumours. Not a great deal of fact is written, and an inordinate number of negative "don't join this airline" type posters. I myself love the job, the lifestyle of a based FO is fantastic.
As for the "read the main board to see the discontent at CX", it's blindingly obviously to every sane person, that it's the complaining, bitching unhappy people that make the most noise, so be aware it's a very one-sided argument you're looking at.
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Old 29th Mar 2010, 22:59
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"just shy of 30 FO spots in Australia open"

Nice!! sounds promising
Don't think though that they will be filled by DEFO yet to be recruited. As Airplaneridesrfun says, Aus is about the only base needing FO's. All the other areas (bar one) have zero vacancies and a ship-load of people asking for them.
Back in Dec '08, we were told we were 5% over-manned. Until the airline expands again, those positions will be filled internally (I speculate!!!!).
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Old 3rd Apr 2010, 18:57
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Please guys, do a little research if you are seriously asking if Cathay is hiring DEFO. Cathay is way over manned. There will be no hiring for the foreseeable future and certainly no DEFO recruitment anytime within the next 5 years. DESO may not even be available until 2013 or beyond due to there being so many cadet courses. Best case scenario; go somewhere else besides Cathay!
If this isn't the definition of IRONY, I don't know what is.
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Old 4th Apr 2010, 11:43
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"just shy of 30 FO spots in Australia open"

Nice!! sounds promising
Not that promising.

The CX pilot union (HKAOA) took a test case to the HK labour tribunal last year regarding the employment of DEFO over the top of DESOs. The labour tribunal found in favour of the pilot.

The damages the labour tribunal awred to that pilot were about HK$270,000, CX tried to settle the matter for less than HK$5,000.

One of the points in the labour tribunal decision was that CX must assess every SO before a DEFO could be considered (that is part of the contract, CX was ignoring that provision). CX has not held an assessment board since around the time that the HKAOA lodged the labour tribunal case, that was the second half of 2007. This is the way CX is using the system to allow DEFOs, the company has plenty of people in house that can jump into the RHS.

The company also does this to get around not paying the contractual bypass payments to SOs and FOs that were employed before these direct entry people were employed, some SOs would have 300-400 direct entry FO an CN behind them, but does to the way CX manipulated the system, only 3 SOs are presently on bypass pay.

At the moment numerous SO would be at around 4 years in service with CX, with CX artificially preventing them from being reviewed by the upgrade board (by not holding them for over 2 years now), and artificially being held down for promotion. These SOs have passed and met all the requirements needed (and a lot of them joined CX with more experience than current DEFOs). CX is also artificially preventing them from applying for base positions, as you need to be assessed for that as well.

CX appealed the labour tribunal decision in February this year, the outcome should be know soon enough, but I would think that the aspect that all SO be reviewed before a DEFO would be upheld. That would mean you would have 300-400 SOs that would need to fail assessments before a single DEFO could be employed.

If you knowingly join CX being made fully aware of the situation that you are being used to screw over SOs that in some cases would have twice as much experience as you have (on everything from 747s to military fast jets), do not expect to be welcomed with open arms by your more senior fellow pilots that have been in line already for the years for the RHS slot.

If you think this post is over the top feel free to email hkaoa at hkaoa.org to confirm it.

Firther details about thecourt case can be read http://www.pprune.org/fragrant-harbo...ay-case-4.html
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Old 4th Apr 2010, 15:05
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Maybe best to just apply DESO ey!!

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