sxc

Negotiations with CX pilots resumed recently, and have reportedly fallen apart again. In the meantime, many pilots want to leave CX:

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...ant-leave-hong

peasant

If you haven't already got on the HK property ladder, then I would think most other cities/ airlines will give a better work/ life balance. Would be interesting to see if based crews were happier (i.e. is this HK problem, or a CX problem)

HarbourGent

If they really wanted to leave, they would have left. They are well-educated adults with full human agency.

sxc

You give up a lot of seniority. The fact that a lot of people are even considering leaving and then starting at the bottom of their new airline shows how bad things are.

It would be like an Associate joining a new law firm and having to start as a graduate again.

HarbourGent

Agreed. But it means they don't want to leave, in fact. They are weighing up a wide range of pros and cons and their conclusion is that they want to stay so they stay.
As for how bad things are, personally I reckon many CX pilots whinge a lot. The job market has changed a lot in the past few years and the sort of perks and conditions many pilots expect have been cut from other jobs, so it is not surprising that it is the same for pilots. Agreed, though, that it is one more sign of Cathay's problems that there is such dissatisfaction in the ranks.

SKT-DK

One thing to remember is that the source of the "survey" is in fact the pilot's union, and that it is in their best interest to paint as negative picture of the situation as possible.
So I think HarbourGent is right - they do not in fact want to leave.

CX HK

Agreed on the pilots not actually wanting to leave. Lucrative, high(er)-paying jobs from mainland carriers are nothing new. If they wanted to leave, they could have left.

Interesting to see Cathay is training a good number of young pilots. Are these HK-based, or based elsewhere?

And does anyone know when all pilots on the "old contracts", e.g. the high housing allowance ones, will have expired?

kaka

CX HK

Granted I'm not in the aviation industry, but I don't think I agree with that analogy. Coming from an airline such as CX would certainly give them a decently senior position in other airlines, would it not? It's like a senior banker leaving Goldman and joining another bank. The fact that they are an "ex-Goldman banker", or "ex-CX pilot", would certainly hold some weight in my opinion.

Rather, sounds like the CX pilots just want to protect the benefits they have been used to.

1010101

I'm not sure they really want to leave but they do love a good moan about the airline, particularly the older ones i know. Most of it seems to be directed at the newer management in flight ops who have zero experience of flying.

Aus106080

If there is survey for asking hk people working in private sector if they are planning to change job in one year, the answer maybe 80%.

sxc

It may hold weight to get the job, but most airlines have a seniority system and you generally still need to start near the bottom (or at least not at the same seniority as the job you are leaving). You can't join Qantas and get benefits and ranking the same as a pilot who's been with QF for 10 years. Seniority affects things like bidding for flights, salary, time to command etc. It's just the way it is in Aviation.

https://science.howstuffworks.com/tr...ern/pilot6.htm

triplefives

Pilots who leave should be able to get the same rank (Captain, SFO, FO, etc.) if they move to other airlines, however, they will start at the bottom of the seniority list for the new airline meaning less choice around scheduling. To use your analog, it's like a senior banker leaving Goldman and having to work the graveyard shift at the new job.

As you probably already know, HK is pretty lucrative for anyone with a high paying job with its low tax rate vs a lot more on the mainland. I don't think the mainland carriers can offer a more competitive package.

I agree - it's hard to find places with a 15% tax rate with as much lifestyle freedoms and modern creature comforts as Hong Kong offers. Someone will inevitably mention high housing prices as a rebuttal but the truth is pilots with experience are high income earners with the scheduling flexibility to be able to live 1/4th of the year in another place.

Chromie25

Or asking Y pax at the boarding gate whether they would prefer to sit in J/F

CX HK

It looks like the pilots want to choose 1990's era CX versus 2018 CX, when the current choice is 2018 CX or 2018 Qantas, Chinese carrier etc....

So what they have now isn't what they want, but then again what they want is no longer possible.

Just my understanding of the situation.