Couple questions
 

Hey everyone just a couple of questions.

This goes for S/Os F/Os and Cptns, with the B777 aircraft do they fly just one type (-200,-300,-300ER) or they fly all types through something similar to the airbus CCQ?

And

Could anyone please share the advantages and disadvantages of being (rated) on each of the aircraft at CX, this could include best/worst rostering times, worst/best routes, etc. A good example of what i mean, from memory (correct me if im wrong) Sloppyjoe mentioned something about one of the A330 routes HK-DXB-??-HK was a terrible pairing...

Hey coffe Mug,
I read from your post on the main forum that you have 3 kids, here is my 2c worth.
When I joined 10 years ago, a class mate had 3 school aged kids.
The package was full B scale.
He had made a fair bit of dough from previous jobs and had three rental properties as supplementary income.
After approximately 4 years to upgrade, he had no rental properties, as he had to sell them so that he and his family could live a life somewhat similar to that which they had before.
He had a little more than half the savings that he had when he started.
He could never get the deposit together to afford to buy a house in which 5 could comfortably live so rented the whole time he was here.

A few things to think about.
The package he was on was well over double what is currently on offer (after 2 years rental allowance was about 125% of salary).
This was 10 years ago, that funny little thing called inflation causes a few problems here.
You will not afford a house with a garden for the kids to run around in, in the "suburbs", you may get a place with a small patch of grass, but that will conservatively cost you your entire salary per month, therefore there will be no savings.
On the bright side no savings means that you will be mortgage free for the rest of your career here as you will never be able to afford a house.
You can survive on very little money with respect to food here, but please remember that over 80% of the vegetables that are sold in HKG come from the mainland, where DDT is an acceptable pesticide. If you chose to forgo the option of local food and instead go for the imported stuff then expect a monthly bill of conservatively $HK8000/mth. Or just feed them the c[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']arciogenic[/FONT] stuff.
Everything here costs (lots) if your kids like playing baseball, basketball, hockey, swimming, cycling, kung fu, lacross, cricket, rugby, american football, regular fooball it is all reasonably accessable, but costs....... a lot.
As alluded to in a previous post the cx education allowance is a bonus, however, an english speak school is not cheap, and the allowance only covers the tuition fees, all the other fees (of which there are many) are not covered so come from your pocket. Oh and don't forget to put aside extra for your tax bill as it is fully taxable. With 3 kids at school and the ammount cx will give you for that ,I would suggest doubling what a single guy would put aside.

To sum up.
If you have plenty of savings and are willing to loose a lot of it, come join the party.
If you are looking for a quick divorce, come join the party.
If you are willing to sell up and be mortgage free for the rest of your life, come join the party.
If your standard of living is just way too high and you want to downgrade, come join the party.
If not any of the above, wait, the package will get better or they may even have to go back to the expat DESO or DEFO route.
Don't fu*k your family over just to do the "wide body, international thing" you will be miserable and you are selling yourself so far short it is scary.

Thanks Bye Bye Baby
 

Really appreciate your careful wording and real world examples. I owe you a drink some day when they open up the DEFO door again. Until then I will stay put. Godspeed.

Simply trying to state the facts which is not something you often hear from CX. This place is very expensive and the iSO, HKPA is woefully inadaquate. They are just testing the water to find the minimum amount necessary to get guys in the door, I think they will again be underwelmed by the response.
Don't know about the best move but certainly the smartest move you have made, my best moves where the ones I made to convince my wife to marry me....................
Make it a 1664 and we will call it even.

Who said 50,000 people applied for it in 2011 ????????????????????????? Any evidence to your claim ?

I agree it is a cheap deal , but if you want cheap labor that is what you must do , CX going to hire 2300 more staff this year , must save money somewhere. Why not start with the front of the plane and then work our way down. Soon there will be a Apprentice Programme for AME's - Similar conditions.

because it is "free"....

The large print giveth





...and the small print taketh away.

There has never been a more appropriate time to read the small print in this scheme.

@lost&found ... maybe CX Rec.Team , should start charging an application fee. Lets Say HKD$2000.00 Per application. :E

chchflyboy,
Sorry but there are no community service cards here to fall back on.
Your a big boy you can make up your own mind, I think you will find that they guys here Dan et al are simply trying to give you some advice from those that are here already.
Sift through it disregard the 10% at either end of the for/against scale and work it out. But don't put your head in the sand and do the petculent child, big shiny jet thing.
You are not here you do not know, soome are just trying to inform you.
I hope your girlfriend is going to earn a big income, she sure as hell won't be surviving on yours, but hey I'm sure Toss will take her for a spin in the little red sports car............
Ignorance is not an excuse to bury your head in the sand.

The 22 year old should be in the bush - getting experience, learning how to manage an aircraft, as opposed to keeping the seat warm! The 777 will be here in 6 years time, it will be here for a very long time! yes you will probably have to start off at the bottom, but when it comes time to upgrade and be in charge of the big shiny jet your experience gained in the bush will be the difference between 300 saisfied customers and some not so, when **** hits the fan over the Pacific.... Personally, im a little worried that some who have gone through the cadet scheme, without any flying experience previous, may be lacking some pretty basic airmanship skills!

chchflyboy...

You sound so typical of kids these days. You all want instant gratification. No one wants to work towards anything.

I wouldn't trade any of the 8 years of flying I did before joining CX to have had the chance to jump into a 777/747 at 20 with zero time. I busted my ass and didn't get paid a lot to do it but I loved every minute of it and gained invaluable skill that you can't learn sitting in the backseat of a jumbo. I, like everyone else on my DESO course, put in a lot of time and effort to make to CX and CX was the pinnacle of aviation jobs. You guys are allowing management to kill what was once the last great career airline.

My advice...go get a real job. Starve for a bit, fly at night in the middle of nowhere with no one to rely on but yourself and your skill. Then come to CX and contribute something to the ranks other than your arrogant self-serving attitude.
:ugh:

Just to add to what Chch is saying (specifically about the industry in NZ). Things down here are pretty dire. Only jobs available after sitting in the regionals are LCC's which come with substandard t's and c's (refer d&g forums). Believe it or not but commuting from HK to NZ as an SO would probably leave you with more money in your pocket and more time at home than the low cost options. And as for Air NZ mainline. Forget it. Been three years since they took anyone on. It'll be at least five years before the hold pool has been cleared and once on board new hires can expect a seven year wait in the back seat ( and you thought CX was bad).

really...? i think you need to research HK and CX a little, before coming out with a naieve statement like that...

Let's see. As an example Jetstar NZ pay 65k NZD before tax and they work very hard for that. Admittedly, Pacific Blue pays more (86k before tax which is 30% and some) but don't forget the 40k you need to come up to cover the rating (you aren't getting paid while completing the rating by the way).

I should probably mention that im not considering the scheme. Just adding a bit of perspective.

Em773ER

On the 777, S/O's do not fly 200 or 300...... Only -ER as it's the only one that requires one. F/O's and Captains fly all types with one rating, it's the same aircraft, not like the Airbus.
Patterns and destinations for each aircraft always change, Except for Australia which will always be an Airbus. Patterns for S/O on the Airbus are pretty bad. Not much long haul anymore and mainly Australia and Middle East. 777 and jumbo get the better destinations, but you'll only get 24 hours anywhere. Enough time to sleep, eat, and go back to work. Enjoy!!!!

LOVELY
 

That was an excellent read:D

It's like talking to a wall...

@ FasterStronger - I would take the Learjet , after a few years jump onto something bigger , it also depends on how much flying you will do - if both the opportunities allow for equal amount of flying then learjet other wise go with somthing that keeps you in the air longer :E.

anyway a good call , IMHO I don't think that the Cadet Pilots of the Cathay Pacific Cadet Pilot Programme are getting paid enough , though they have topped up the offer with extra 10K - for an abInito entry you are still stuck with a contract for 6 years . IMEHO (in my extremely humble opinion ) If you are eligible for the TT / AE entry might think about it , but otherwise STAY AWAY FROM CATHAY PACIFIC CADET PILOT PROGRAMME - YOU WILL BE BETTER OF ELSEWHERE FINANCIALLY. :=:=:=:=

Need Help !!!
 

Is it possible to print this entire thread in one go ? if it is how ? I tried the printer friendly version will have to print page by page which is very annoying.

Please show me a way to print the whole thing , possibly in a few clicks.

Note :- Will be using fully recycled paper / eco friendly printer / eco friendly inks and I also genrate offsetting solar power at home. On a good clear day in Lantau.

hey guys,

Been following this thread for a bit and had a few questions. I was offered a stage 1 interview in SFO next month and would like to have a better idea of what the T&C's are for this job. I realize I could probably read through all 119 pages to find the answer but I don't have that kind of time! :) So....

1) What is the basic pay for those who are hired as a SO in the cadet program fast track? I have my ATP and 3,000 hours... not sure if that makes a difference in the pay stucture.

2) Commuting possible? Some of my family lives in Taiwan and am wondering if it would be possible to live there and fly to HKG?

thanks for the help!