What % of Cathay pilots are British?
 

I just flew Cathay for the first time.

I was very impressed with the planes & service.

I also noticed that the pilot / copilot / etc were British. Is this common?

I'm not sure of the the numbers, but historically all CX's flight crew came from UK/Australia/New Zealand/South Africa/US/Canada; there were also a few Europeans. More recently they strarted a local recruitment programme and the first batch of local Chinese Captains (including at least one woman) was promoted about 3 years ago I think.

Be careful not to judge on the accent - it seems to me that part of the training for CX flight crew is to develop the "standard British Airline Captain" English accent :)

Personally I haven't come across any of the Chinese captains yet (although had a Chinese F/O once and some in more junior flight deck positions). Mostly encountered New Zealand, Australian and British captains & F/Os (based purely on accent, so a very unscientific method of sampling), one Irish chap, one South African captain and also a few North American pilots (I can't tell the difference between Canadian and US accents...)

This has historically been the case as HKG never had an Air Force from which to draw pillots from.

The airline was also started by "Expat" pilots. I believe one Canadian and one Australian (or was that Kraft?) :confused:

'Twas an American and an Australian.

Can't help on Kraft, though :D

I've come across one (1) Chinese/Asian 1st officer last year on CX. As for the others, I'm always wondering if the "American" accent when flying to Canada is indeed a Canadian pilot, and if the welcoming British accented pilots are Australian? Needless to say, the Fasten Seat Belt sign is off when it should be and on when required for all. :-:

Yes, it was an American and an Australian. Another Yank-Aussie partnership invented the god of all foods - fake cheese and vegemite. see below for OT stuff :)
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Histo...iteHistory.htm

"in 1925, Walker had arranged with the Chicago, Illinois firm of James L. Kraft to make processed cheese in Australia. A company called the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. was established alongside Fred Walker and Co. In 1935, Walker used the success of his processed cheese to launch a new campaign to revive Vegemite. The company launched 2-year coupon redemption scheme whereby a jar of Vegemite was given away with every purchase of other products in the Fred Walker Cheese Company. Australians tried the product and loved it. Vegemite was well and truly on the road to success."

My friend has dated one chinese CX FO for a couple of years. Now dating another chinese CX FO! :D

I don't know about the pilots, but it hits me that a lot of ISMs are Japanese.

That's strange - I can only recall one or two Japanese ISMs - to me they seem mainly to be a mixture of HK, Philippines, Singapore, and OBCs.

The mix of cabin crew is changing though - it seems that a few years ago CX changed from a policy of recruiting widely from as many different Asian countries as possible to one of focussing more on Hong Kong.

Ah, strange!

yeah like the ever attentive and beautiful Fukumi with her fabulous accent. And don´t you be thinking of Mike Myers now. :D

Caucasian CX Male FA?
 

Just this afternoon on Canal Street Station in NYC, I happened to see a Caucasian male dressed in CX uniform waiting for the uptown bound 6 train.
I'm curious if any experts on this forum know if there many non-asian male FAs on CX? This is the first one I've ever seen. From my quick observation:

1. He was definately wearing CX FA uniform with the signature tie featuring CX tail design although I did not see the purple blazer (understandable given the hot subway)
2. I doubt he is ground agent; had the standard CX FA carry-on/trolley suitcase (without any yellow FA tag though)
3. Probably not flight crew since i don't believe FO or Captain uses those ties and no stripes on his shirt.

Since it was around 7:30pm July 22, I assumed he either got off from CX830 (arrives around 2pm) or on his way to CX889. Anyone on those flights care to confirm whether I was hallucinating?

Very curious. Thanks.

On CX 831 today. We'll see if he is there.

The ISM for my HKG-JNB-HKG flight (same guy on both flights) was one such. Taller man with dark hair in his (late) 40s? Last name Scottish and shared with a prominent U.S. food company.