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Why I knocked back Cathay

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Old 14th Oct 2010, 09:20
  #21 (permalink)  
 
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I see in todays Hong Kong Standard newspaper that "poor and low income residents will now be eligible for assistance with obtaining a deposit for a home"
To be eligible a household must earn less than HKD$39,000 per month.

This would make a new cadet SO fully eligible for Government assistance as a new member of Hong Kong"s working poor.

Congratulations!!!!!! You've won the big prize.
Move half way around the world to this smelly, polluted, overcrowded and expensive city to live like a pauper eligible for government assistance.

CX must really be proud to know their new Second Officer's are now eligible for Government help just to get by. I don't suppose they will make this public knowledge. What an embarrassment for them.

Pure class!!! Living the dream.
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Old 14th Oct 2010, 12:05
  #22 (permalink)  
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It won't apply to expats, believe me!
 
Old 14th Oct 2010, 12:11
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Why do so many pilots from major carriers cry all day but still turn up to work?

"boohooo i work for [insert major airline here] i get paid so little, i work so hard, management hates me booohooooooo i deserve a nicer car and bigger apartment, i feel so sorry for myself boohooo "

Do people really think that things are so much better for everyone else? When someone finds the perfect industry/company/job let me know.

Ok - cynical rant complete.
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Old 14th Oct 2010, 12:34
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That's only for true locals

Come as a Cadet & not only will you be shafted by CX and not get housing, you'll get done by the Gov aswell.
Since you will be paying taxes which will go towards the real locals (some of them earning more than you doing a lessor job than you) for them to get subsidies on housing which you will not be able to receive as you are a foreigner.

(Not too mention double taxation which will becoming soon, IE paying taxes here & in your home country, leaving you with even less)

You can never Win!

My advice remain a expat, get another flying job. Then come as a D S/O or D F/O is you have too.

The pilots here are about to be a "work to rule" at CX.
Guess what CX will not budge! Many will get more upset and leave or get fired. This at a time when capacity is about to improve greatly here and all over the world.

CX will start hiring again in a big way! Sit on you hands & see.
But don't become a CADET!

CX will continue to lie to you & me, and not give much improved conditions, that you may or may not be able to live with. But certainly coming here with no housing will be major disaster!

Don't think you can up and away. Your time here counts as nothing elsewhere. No body does things like CX i.e. P2X is worthless.
(and is rapidly getting worse and the training value in your modules is getting cut all the time to save money)

You may as well set up Flight Sim 2010 and stay with Mom & Dad for 5 yrs then apply for a Job elsewhere. (Ya right! well same same)

Don't forget Airlines are Seniority based. You waste 5+ yrs here, you'll be lucky to start at the bottom elsewhere.

My real advice is stay well clear of being a pilot altogether!

Let me ask you one question:

Why do guys like I bother to right this post?
1) As I'm wanting to warn you about what really goes on here etc ?
or
2) To scare you away thus hopefully limiting the supply of pilots and hopefully giving us some bargaining power to increase our benefits etc.
(Do u see lawyer or banker whom pocket $mil lobbying like this- NO!)

Say what you want.

The reason is BOTH! Because I and others & their families are desperately concerned about the future, but we are stuck in this seniority system and find it hard to move on and start elsewhere.

Starting at the bottom is not an option. It would be better off if we started totally new careers, which also takes time effort & family support.

All of which are very difficult to do when our skills have no bearing in the real world.

We are quickly turning into a miserable & depressed bunch of people becoming more & more under the thumb of powerful bankers & accountants. We have no power over our future, yet are in charge of 300+ peoples lives.

This is very hard to swallow!

Do you really want to be apart of this?

My advice is bugger off go to uni & became a banker or a accountant or a lawyer. And be my boss sooner than you become an F/O.
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Old 14th Oct 2010, 12:35
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I guess what we all feel is CX has cut back ALOT - C scale pay for expat SOs who qualify dor government assistance. It doesn't hurt for them to give say 20% more. After all, they surely can afford it since they've afforded alot more all these years and still make lots of profits. Having said that, I would still jump if I get the opportunity to be part of this program.
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Old 14th Oct 2010, 12:36
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Why do so many pilots from major carriers cry all day but still turn up to work?
Maybe because most of us have invested years of our lives in this Company and don't necessarily want to throw all that away?

Or maybe you're right. Fu(k it. Let's just accept the contineous degradation of our profession and just be glad somebody's got it worse.
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Old 14th Oct 2010, 14:46
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I'm one of the locals. I always think the cxcpp is not suitable for foreigners seriously. I dont know why so many outside HK ppl are so enthusiastic to apply for it. Property market here is saving bubbles to burst, if you know some economics. The living condition will change a hundred percent while some ppl can enjoy their big garden in the backyard in US or AU, yes, you can still have the same environment, but please pay over 10M at least for it.

There is one industry I would suggest for foreigners: finance.
What HK is selling is an international financial centre.

If you are not rejected by other airlines, please dont go for cx.
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Old 14th Oct 2010, 16:39
  #28 (permalink)  
 
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More thoughts for cadet applicants

1) Currency - the Hong Kong dollar is pegged to the US dollar which is at record lows and sinking relative to most currencies. This trend does not look likely to reverse anytime soon, so your buying power will be diminished at home as well as in Hong Kong where a disproportionate amount of your income will be spent on housing.

2) Industrial Relations - The new bar will be set at a very low level by cadets. Think about it... How can the rest of the pilots make a good case for inflation-based pay adjustments when cadets are living on a fraction of these amounts in the ghettos of Hong Kong? The company will simply do what they have done before which is freeze higher scales until the lower scale catches up. But do not get excited about that happening any time soon. B-scale was introduced in 1994 and still has not caught up to the A-scale which is all but dead 16 years later.

3) Flying and Respect - Cadet-entry SOs will not touch the aircraft controls below cruise level for 3-4 years. I would miss being an actual pilot who takes-off and lands airplanes. Your skills will be regarded by your colleagues as little more than that of a seat-warmer. For those of you already possessing respectable flying experience, this will be pretty demoralizing. Think about it... CX takes cadets with zero flight time and a little over a year later they are SOs. This may be a good deal for those with no experience, but for those with experience it is just a waste. Wait for a better deal in the right seat somewhere...
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 01:51
  #29 (permalink)  
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This is without a doubt a wind-up. Having been at CX for a few years now I've never heard of some of the stuff anothernewbie mentions....slam-clickers? Others, such as not drinking with HK cabin crew, hardly required MI5 levels of intel to find out, it's common knowledge in this industry.

Perhaps just as much forthought should have been applied to what happens when you turn down CX & hope for Jetstar, Virgin or QF to give you a job. With little or no experience these opportunities are years away & by the time you get the required hours they will have cadet programs in place(you don't think CX is the only airline to recognise the cost savings available here do you?). But don't worry they will still take direct entry pilots it's just that with all the cadet programs up & running you'll need at least 2 or 3 shuttle launches & probably a moon walk to get a look in.

On the bright side I do look forward to you're future posts from that sunny place called GA. After cleaning the oil of the gear doors for the 500th time having spent the whole day at some crappy mine sleeping & sitting on your a@$e watching tv(starting to sound a lot like what you just turned down) realizing you only get payed for the 2 hours flying you did even though you were up at 4.30 & it's now 6pm & so don't have enough for a beer your posts should be just as entertaining as your first one.
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 03:55
  #30 (permalink)  
 
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Either way ur dream is screwed!

GA or Airlines it does not matter, being a pilot is a dull underpaid job for a bright person full of potential in many other areas.

If you have some brains stay well clear of this profession all together!
I meant that!

Bottom line is if you are really passionate about flying, work hard at uni don't mess about. Get a good qualification and a feel for your strengths. Go and build a solid career one that you can amend where you see fit.

In your spare time do a Paragliding course that is real flying, later on when u have enough money buy a microlight or a home built or a light Cessna.

Then you set, and have full control on your life and get to fly when the weather is nice with whom ever you want on your J/S.

Think out the box guys! The accountants are destroying this career and milking it dry. It is very hard to change course once you committed to this career.

So plan your life correctly 1st time! Think loooonnng term..

But in the near future we piloys may be in for slight improvement, but it want last long since the next doom & gloom won't be far off. Ready for the bankers to coin it again & tighten the noose once again.

Can't beat them join them! But stay away if you can.

Last edited by crewsunite; 15th Oct 2010 at 14:39.
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 04:36
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For a potential/current/ex cadet pilot, I guess the only way the cadet scheme is monetarily feasible is if you are a true local who has an established family home here in HKG.
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 05:57
  #32 (permalink)  
 
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I can't believe how ignorant and blinkered so many people are. You can live extremely comfortably in Hong Kong, it seems everyone is looking at property prices for the mid levels and central. You can find a decent place on Lantau island for relatively cheap. The cost of living in Hong Kong has no upper limit, but everyone seems to think that they deserve to live like a king as soon as they step onto the line.

Do you want to fly or not? If you turn down Cathay you're doomed to either unemployment or working alot harder and paying a lot more for your training and type rating. The cadets only work about 15 days a year. I'd like to see you show me a quicker route to sitting on the flight deck of a wide body jet AND to actually landing one.

Someone pointed out that a lawyer or accountant makes more money; of course... if you're thinking about a get rich quick scheme being a pilot isn't the answer and this hardly needs pointing out. The people who want the cadet positions do it for the passion and not for a quick buck. Flying a paraglider hardly compares...

I'm writing this because it's just irritating how misinformed and vengeful these cadet scheme haters are. I think I know more about Hong Kong and CX than most of the people here, who seem to have PPRUNE as their sole source of information. It's really not a bad racket and I've just applied myself, I suspect some of these carefully orchestrated posts are by applicants wanting to weed out the competition...
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 06:38
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welcome to the post 9/11 airline industry.

Unfortunately, you just described the job for most airlines....
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 06:59
  #34 (permalink)  
 
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CXORCIST...whilst I do agree with a lot of what you say, and you certainly say it very eloquently, I have to say that the replies reflect the weight of negativity that prevails on this forum. The proportion of this on fragrant harbour I have to tell you isn't the same proportion that prevails at CX in general.

I admire your decision to pursue other paths to an airline job many of which will provide you with a a far better grounding than the CX cadet route, but some misinformation has led you to a number of your mis-givings about the job at CX....I'll try to address them in turn

SALARY........true ..without the housing, the pay is crap.....FOR AN AIRLINE PILOTS JOB, but how much worse would be the equivalent GA salary be with a freshly issued CPL.

ACCOMMODATION....I agree..you wont be able to get too much for the 3 or 4 years you are an S/O.... Down route though, the quality of accommodation is variable....tops that I know are the Shangrila Dubai and the Hyatt in Frankfurt.....bottom the Hilton Milan and the Park in london....but they're certainly not 1, or even 3 star...night stops are generally comfortable and fun and not the slumber ridden nightmare you describe and fatigue is always going to be part of any long haul airline pilots job

LIFESTYLE...... one of the major plus points about being an S/O...most of the guys I fly with whilst keen to upgrade and do a bit of regional flying are very reluctant to give up their 15-19 days off a month and all the swanning around Asia that allows....Its a similar lifestyle as a based relief F/O although changing a bit now, but make no mistake ..life as an S/O is cushy

FELLOW PILOTS.....apart from a lot of the militant whingers you'll find on this forum, they're as good and bad as you'll find in any other Airline

CABIN CREW...Agree..nothing on a virgin girl...non existent social contact on night stops

CAREER PROSPECTS....in a word slow!...but no lower than any other national Airline...and certainly not the potential 5+ years as an S/O that I hear Qantas can be
...you will be upgraded though....and there are 747-400 passenger Captains now who joined CX 10 years ago

FLYING.....not good as an S/O, Relief..1 or 2 landings a month.....same or a bit less as a senior bloke at BA...but doing long haul only what can you expect. But if you upgrade onto the 777 as an F/O based in HK then you'll get a good balance of short haul and long haul

HOW HARD I HAVE TO WORK....as an S/O.... not very, as a based F/O....not very, as a HK based 330 F/O or Capt...very!

BOTTOM LINE...dont listen to everything everyone tells you...there are a lot of problems at Cathay, but maybe not as many as some would have you believe..I was warned away from joining by some at my last company who hadn't the first clue about anything...they were just regurgitating what they'd heard from others ...It sounds like you've done some research but heard a very biased view of things ,which is mostly what you'll get from this forum.

I wish you all the best and am sure that eventually you will arrive in the job you are looking for
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 15:01
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Paragliding & flying light aircraft is far more fun on ave to fly than a big shinny jet. (Sure Jets are one hell of a thrill to land & take one off nicely but that is where it ends, and even then after some time that too becomes a bit like clock work. )

Flying with the wind in your face and ever changing elements is something that cannot be described unless you try it.

Anyway modern airline flying is so monitored now & SOP are followed to the T. That there is little passion in my vanes while at the controls.

Sadly this approach is very necessary, as many a pilot has not even got the confidence to do a visual approach.

Now who's fault is that? The accountants again, they sucked the blood out of extra training & Sim rides due to costs?

How many V1 Cuts do you do today compared to 10+ years ago in the Sim?

Anyway I'm not in a mood to argue these points anymore.

Only that it not such a passion anymore, sure I still love flying.
But it is certainly is not what it seems when you start out.

If I had to go repeat my life, I would have chosen a different path to aviate and have better control over my life.

Think of those furlough pilots in the US whose lives are still effected by 9/11 almost 10years latter. On the other hand how many bankers do you know how are out of a job since the recent financial crisis. Many are raking in millions as I type!

ITS SICK! Enough said, make your own bed Guys but be warned.
Stay in control of your lives at all costs (Develop real skills that can be used in every day life) this world in going to become more & more bumpy once this current good phase has passed.

Last edited by crewsunite; 15th Oct 2010 at 15:48.
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 17:09
  #36 (permalink)  
 
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The Aviation industry is completely different from what it used to be.

Before, it used to be a luxury to travel across the country by air and the average citizens have to travel by train or bus.
Pilots were considered the elite with high pay and perks.

Now, it's totally changed to a typical travel mode. There are hundreds of airlines out there to compete and airlines have to lower fares to attract flyers.
And In order to make money with reduced fares. REDUCE COST and that means lower pilot wages and perks. (+ cutting back meals in flights, pillows, weight, etc....)

It perfectly makes sense that airlines are lowering pilots wages because of the demand for low fares. It’s just the reality of the industry.
I seriously don’t blame Cathay for this. It’s an occurring theme with all the airlines.
So if you still want to join the program, by all means. In fact, we need cheap pilots out there to compensate for our lower fares.
It’s really a brave thing what you guys are doing, not only are you responsible for our lives up in the air; you’re also responsible for reimbursing our flights as well. Keep up the good work cadets.
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Old 15th Oct 2010, 18:27
  #37 (permalink)  
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suntorytimo,

what are you smoking? South Lantau prices have risen dramatically over the last couple of years. A decent place there is now around 8 million$ and I am not talking about a palace.Also you need a car. Most of the cadets are single, commute to Hong Kong around an hour at least one way on the ferry,for a pint and some social life,at additional cost of course..
get real ,man.
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Old 16th Oct 2010, 01:42
  #38 (permalink)  
 
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suntorytimo,

I can't believe how ignorant and blinkered you are. You really have no idea my friend.

Sovrad, you should know if you work for CX the days of the 10 year command are finished, maybe 15-18 years now is more realistic with RA 65 and a large bunch of young captains. There also won't be much swanning around asia on a cadet salary.
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Old 16th Oct 2010, 03:01
  #39 (permalink)  
 
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thanks for the original post, at least someone says the truth here, and what is said is what I was thinking when searching information about the lifestyle vs. cadet salary without housing allowances.

LF,
I've done what you describe in your post when I was flying in GA (and still) and that's what is driving the industry down : why would one accept the same working conditions within such a reputable and big airline as cathay ? I don't find it normal to have such a crappy lifestyle in such an airline and such a crappy salary for this seat-warmer position. And because it's unacceptable, why would you accept it in a BIG aircraft, umm ?
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Old 16th Oct 2010, 06:23
  #40 (permalink)  
 
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kesskidi,

If you look at the industry, big Airline or Aircraft doesn't neccessarily mean highly paid pilots.
But there is another factor that ought to favor higher paid pilots in CX versus other airlines.

There are many speculations as to why pilot pay is going downhill and why it is generally accepted that it does. One of the main reasons is that airline travel has become mainstream and it is no longer just the rich and famous that can afford it.

But CX's claim to fame has always been their Premium products and they have always sought to be the world leader in this area. If they want to keep that status long term, they will need to maintain the most qualified crew and not just the lowest bidder.

Unless of course CX is wanting to become a just another LCC
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