Cathay
 

Any new CX info? Was also wondering if the base their opening in ATL is goin to be cargo or Pax.

There are already pilots based in ATL. There is no PAX service to ATL only cargo.

FO

I've heard that Cathay treats Americans pretty badly, and that upgrades are hard for Americans to come by.. Anybody heard anything else like this?

Go to Pprune.org, Fragrant Harbour forum. 75% of it is moaning about how badly CX treats its people.

It is also 95% the same people. Don't believe everything you hear on Pprune. The company has over 2,000 pilots and 10 of them are always whining on there. If you look at any company you will find 10 people that are disgruntled.

I am American and I work for Cathay....re read ryguy's post above.

Cathay USA
 

I chatted with Cathay guys last year and it was a mixed bag. Yeah the yanks feel like they are step children, and yes some guys are not happy, but all in all, most chaps like the gig.

With open skies, the real chatter is about Cathay starting a US A320 operation based in JFK. It is only chatter, but that is the new talk.

The big carrier will feed almost all major cities in the US with connections to Cathay USA A320 to hop to smaller markets. Very interesting.

I wonder how that bidding system will work.....LOL

A330

Didn't say it was credible moaning, just said it was moaning. Have heard many good things about the company...

Does anyone out there know if any of the new hire cargo guys are going to the ATL crew base? and if you are an American in the cargo only division say in ATL how long till you upgrade? Once there can you stay in the freight division if you want or do you have to move to HNK in order to upgrade? I've heard that we "yanks" must do some serious arse kissing and get into the "good old britsclub" before they let you upgrade. One last thing ,also, I've heard that the pilots of Cathay are not allowed to jumpseat here in the states.Anybody got any comments? Thanks.

We had about 12 people working for a small fbo in central virginia... i find this very true.

I like your screen name

4everFo. How long have you worked for Cathay?

Interviewed in NYC two weeks ago. For what it's worth, all the gouge that floats around is spot on. I studied "Handling the Big Jets" "Captains X,Y,Z" and some misc. notes I received from others. Still a m/c written test. 30 min. hr questions and approx 30 min. technical. As you've heard before... 100% impossible to gauge these guys impressions of you. I'd be happy to e-mail anyone the materials and sample q's I studied. They left me feeling well prepared.

How long did you have your app. in before they called you. Just trying to gauge if I've got a chance. 8200TT, 6300 turbine PIC, 3500 jet PIC. I applied for a first officer position about 2 weeks ago.

They'll probably call you tomorrow if they haven't already.

I would expect a call/e-mail shortly. They are hurting for F/O's, especially in JFK on the freighter fleet. They have lost a lot pilots to recalls, and several guys have jumped ship to become new hires at UPS. You can't argue with the contracts, and if age 65 goes through - that's 10 additional years of flying at premium pay, while Cathay is stuck at 55. Though I did perform well on the initial interview, I have personally opted not to pursue Cathay any further, purely because of my impression of the corporate culture. I'm not a good fit. Nor are they for me. Should anyone need some of the notes that I reviewed for the initial interview, feel free to PM me and I'll send them on. They were certainly more than adequate, and will save you a tremendous expense on books. To each their own...

Interesting. A friend of mine interviewed there as well and had some of the same opinions you had. Didn't care for the corporate culture or the impression he got in the interview. Don't get me wrong, he is not from the states, has lived in various countries, and had to adapt to various cultures. So he wouldn't be the typical "yank" you hear complaining on pprune (or being complained ABOUT).

On the flip side, another friend of mine is there and absolutely loves it.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

I start there in a couple weeks. I'll keep you all posted once I'm on the inside. So far, from my interview experience, they have been great. I've honestly never been treated with more respect nor have I ever had such a friendly interview environment at any airline. Sure it was tough but the people were great. There was some "yank" ribbing but I gave it right back. Kind of like trash talking on the football field. They made their jokes and I made mine. In the end we had a good time and closed down the bar during the cocktail party.

Two more four days at XJT and I'm off........

I couldn't agree more. I'm 100% positive there are people there that do love it. I think on these forums we too often forget that everyone has their own individual situation. In my case, I fully understood that a move to HKG down the road was the true path to the big money at CX, and wasn't willing to plan for that. Additionally, having just moved from NYC down to D.C., I wasn't going to pack up and move right back - as there is no way to commute on other carriers when working for CX. I'm quite sure I presented myself well, and with time spent in various areas of the world, I didn't swagger in there with the stereotypical 'I'm owed this' attitude that we American cowboys are known for. If I were single, willing to sell my house, open to living overseas in the near future - I would be chasing Cathay or Emirates with a passion. You cannot argue with the balance sheets they maintain or the quality of training/equipment. Though it may be ignorant, I'm hoping to see a sustained turnaround with our 121 legacy carriers so that relocating overseas isn't the only way to get the QOL we've all pursued to this point.:)

My initial app was submitted last year, but I think my update in March is what led to the phone call in April. So I'd say less than a month is a safe bet if you meet the mins.

What do you mean by corporate culture? I don't really know much about them but I keep hearing negative things. Any insight would be appreciated.

LifeNtheFstLne,

Could you please email me your question pack at [email protected]. I don't have PM privileges yet but would like to take a look at the info. Thank-you,

Eric

Ok guys, I'm two weeks in now so impressions could change but I doubt it. I have to say this place is extremely impressive. I've been treated very well with absolutely no American bashing. the company has actually made a policy to get rid of it. From what I understand it happened with the Canadians as well until they got more around. The group of guys that perpetuated that stuff have mostly moved on or are in the minority now.

The facility is incredible as well along with the financials of the company. We sat down with the training managers and some other management guys and asked some good questions. They aren't out to get you here. That being said, they expect a lot out of you. But the stuff about one failure and you're out is false. They do tell you up front that you will not be spoon fed the info but they provide more info than I have ever seen. It is just up to the individual to make use of it. Very little classroom work, lots of CBT and self study.

As for commuting in the states. It is true you cannot jumpseat, but you have passes on almost every carrier in N. America. Some other highlights include:
-No more Jepps to carry or update. They are all in the Aircraft
-No more flight bag....just a flashlight and a laptop if you want but not required.
-All aircraft manuals in the aircraft so no carrying that either.
-In HKG you meet your crew at CX City, clear security and customs here, then get driven directly to the aircraft by bus.
-All dispatch paperwork is available online in PDF format hours prior to departure, you can get it from home to look at before coming to the airport.
-Full pay from day one
-Allowance while in training is $4,500 HKD per week for the first three weeks then goes down 20% until LFUS (IOE). That comes out to around $575 USD per week on top of salary. This is given to you at the front desk in cash every weekend. The reason for the drop is because they figure after three weeks you know your way around and can get better deals. Either way, you would have to work really hard to spend it, even eating in CX City every day.
-Uniforms are given to you, no payroll deduct or anything. Six shirts, 3 pants, belt, jacket, overcoat, hat and wings.
-Vacation days from Day one. I showed up mid year so I get 21 days of vacation this year. Since I can't use it in training it will carry over to next year. That gives me 9 weeks of vacation in 2008, plus every 4 month period you get a block of 5 days off you can request for anything. They have to be taken in the block though, not spilt up. It makes it nice to get days off for an anniversary or something without having to use leave.
-The company has only lost money twice in 60 years and has a 30% debt to equity ratio. They have enough cash on hand to stay in business for 15 months if they did not make a cent in revenue and continued on their current schedule.
-Hmmm.....lots of eye candy running around which doesn't hurt!

All in all I am very happy so far. Got a little green Koolaid I'm sure but on a comparison basis it beats just about all US carriers except for a few on stability etc. Plus it is nice hanging out with guys from all over. So far I have been hanging with 2 Canadians, a Swede, a Brit, a S. African, a New Zealander, an Iranian, an Iraqi, and a couple Americans.

Don't believe too much on PPRune. With all the nationalities they have to be a bit anal about procedures etc. Any slang with a mix of these guys could easily get missunderstood so procedures have to be strict.

Anyway, come to the interview and see for yourself. Judge after the SECOND interview though. You can't really get a feel for the place until you come here to HKG and talk with the guys. That's all for now!

Hey life in the fastlane,
could I get you to email me that info for cathay pacific. I already have the book flying the big jets, so any other material would be appreciated.

TDXPilot

sorry my address is [email protected] attn: cathay info

thanks again

Cathay Insurance
 

I was thinking about applying to Cathay, does anyone know anything about their benefits in terms of health insurance do they offer health insurance?
Thanks

I have heard they do offer health insurance from the first day of your training and they pay you the full salary even in training.

I have some questions. [email protected]

thanks

ryguy:
That is one of the finest posts about CX I have ever seen! Thank you!

I created an email account for those wishing to ask questions. I'm right in the middle of the groundschool so it might take me a few days to reply.

[email protected]

As for the insurance question. Full medical through Cigna in the US with no monthly premium. So far from looking through it, it seems to be a good program.

That sounds like heaven.

hey ryguy, If you don't mind me asking, I am very new to this site but was actually really interested in CX. I've flown in and out of HKG as a Pax but was wondering what u were doing prior to getting hired? Ur previous posts on this thread states u were at a regional? Great post!

Just prior I was an ERJ Capt at XJT, before that an FO, ATR, Lear 24D, Starship, King Air, flight instructor. We have guys ranging from previous 747 drivers to a Challenger guy. The company needs people and is really trying to grow so now is a good time. Just be sure to bring your A game to training!

Could u please post US bases and they are all cargo, correct? What are pax bases? Only HKG or outside US? Whats ur schedule going to look like if u don't mind?

Hey just a few questions myself. Americans can be hired to pax correct? They just have to start as a SO in HK? Is Vancouver a Pax base? Any idea how senior it is? Can Americans transfer to another country once they upgrade from SO? Thanks!

It does, doesn't it? or maybe us American pilots have been used and abused so bad that we don't realize how well (relatively) many foreign companies treat their pilots. anyway, it's the most positive post I've read about CX thus far, both here and on pprune. which is encouraging.

please keep updating us ryguy! :)

Or maybe he's just having the New Jet Syndrome. I think CX nowadays is just a training ground for UPS/FDX ... at least for me. Glad you like it there so far ryguy.

Hey Guys,

Like I said, new company, new plane, add some green Kool Aid and stir. So far though I like it. Getting used to the callouts is a challenge, I never realized how much slang I actually used before. Anyway, all of this is subject to change of course. The good news is, a lot of the past issues are starting to be addressed. Whether they will actually work through them soon or not may be a different story. What I can say is that even NR mentioned the UPS thing to us which is significant.

Best case scenario, I love it here and never leave. Worse case I have a 747-400 type with time in type. Both options beat sticking around at XJT. So far I am in the first category and don't anticipate the latter. That being said, the easiest way to come here is to completely forget how you did things before and accept their way. Otherwise, you will not have a good experience.

Vancouver is a temp base right now I believe. As an American you can be hired into the pax fleet as an SO and I have talked to two that transferred to FO on the freighter in one year. As for the other country question, as long as you have the right to live and work in that country you can request the base. The company will not sponsor you to work anywhere other than HKG.

The bases are all available on the Cathay website, just go to the careers section. I hear most guys are getting two 6 day trips per month with a scattering of reserve days here or there. When I get on line I'll let you know.

You can take a base any where in the world, you do not need the right to work or the right to live, because you will be doing neither. You will work "in" HK and commute in and out of the country of the base. Once in the company you can go anywhere (subject to availability and a/c type). Temp basings can be shorter than a tourist visa (eg. 90 days) so you can bring the family and rent a house for the duration.

YVR is a permanent base for both the A340 and B747-400, both on the pax side of things. Americans can go to the pax fleet by way of HK as an SO or freighter FO.

FO

Thanks for clearing that up, looks like we got some bum info on day 1. Just a note to guys asking questions, I am new here so I could be wrong about some of these things like the above stuff. Do some deeper checking just in case.

If you are based in the US do you also get any allowances (housing, etc)
or is that only for HKG based crews? Cheers