Union Survey: Nearly Half of Cathay Pilots “Currently Looking for Other Employment”

The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (HKAOA) reports a recent poll of members found 43 percent of the Cathay Pacific pilots it represents are actively looking to leave the beleaguered carrier. Crew members cited concern over the airline’s future and a lack of confidence in management as the top reasons for seeking work elsewhere.

It appears that financial struggles and years of contentious contract negotiations have taken quite a toll on morale at Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airlines. Nearly half of the the airline’s pilots said they are looking to leave the company according to a survey conducted by Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (HKAOA) which represents the airline’s unionized flight crew members.

The union-conducted poll, results of which were obtained by the South China Morning Post, found that 43 percent of the airline’s pilots are “currently looking for other employment or intend to do so in the next 12 months.” Union officials say that the survey results show an unprecedented level of dissatisfaction among rank-and-file members.

“Our internal polling has demonstrated in a very dramatic way the unhappiness the pilots currently have with Cathay Pacific,” HKAOA General Secretary Chris Beebe told the newspaper. “The dissatisfaction manifests itself by attrition.”

Of the more than 1,600 Cathay Pacific pilots polled by the labor group, 80 percent expressed doubt that the airline could return to profitability. Nearly 60 percent of the pilots said that they were “not confident” in the airline’s future and a similar number voiced a lack of confidence in the airline’s current management team.

Faced with competition from Gulf airlines, carriers based in mainland China and upstart Hong Kong budget airlines, along with higher fuel costs and a shrinking demand for luxury air travel, Cathay Pacific has endured back-to-back years of financial downturns. Meanwhile, pilots have been embroiled in a more than four-year-long contract dispute and face mounting job security concerns.

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