CX Commuter pilot
 

Hi,

I'm looking to talk to someone commuting from HK to US, Canada or Europe from HK.
I have an interview coming up at CX for SO, also a family and planning to commute for the first fews month.
Anyone in that situation your help would be really appreciated, public or PM.

Cheers

I have an interview coming up as well, I asked this question to my friend and he told me this is highly frowned upon. He said if the recruiters smell the slightest hint of you commuting they will not hire you.

Not sure what their policy is, hopefully you get a better answer.

What's is CX? Cathay?

This is correct.

Not to mention the fact that they just spent six years stacking the odds by hiring starry eyed twenty somethings.

Forget it man. HK is toxic!!!

Haha commute hk , bad idea. Remember you only get id90 tickets on your own airline even if riding in the Jumpseat, yes you have to pay every time, no first class until 5 years of service is completed, and no travel bennies until 6 months after indoc.

Read PPrune first
 

You might want to catch up on how ugly things are at CX right now. Tons are quitting or retiring early it's so bad. Go somewhere where you won't get treated like a peasant. From what I heard staff travel is the worst in the business. Hong Kong is noisy, polluted and really REALLY crowded. A lot regret ever going to CX. You'll see if you go. Don't say you were not warned.

Those HK flights are almost allways way overbooked anyway!!

I went a few years back, and haven't been able to return. The time I did go, I had to buy an ID90 on OA. Stopped in NRT. Then a long layover.

Not a chance on commuting... As an SO you will never be able to afford having your family in HKG, unless you have a lot of savings and plan on spending it all.
Go to pprune or even the others threads here and do some research. Situation is not good at Cathay as an SO.

Their policy is no commuting... Things are much different outside of the USA and how we commute... In other parts of the world there is no commuting.
That being said I've heard "a few" tried commuting to Bangkok, but that's only a 2:30 min flight with tons of options... Commuting to North America is not possible, not to mention the toll it would take on you.
Good luck.

I've been doing it for 8 years and not planning to do anything different either..., as it turned out..., it's a lot less stressful than jumpseating within the US. But of course it has to be confirmed business class, CX these days is just not a good option

I'm trying to find info about why things are so bad there? I have spoken with two SO's there and they really enjoy the job. Compared to being a regional FO making $30-40K a year living in expensive cities, no crew meals, bad schedules, virtually no medical benefits, 1% match on your 401K, what is so bad compared to being a broke regional pilot when they are offering a $80K job first year?

I've been a regional FO for a long time and quite frankly the hiring into the majors here in the U.S. ain't happening as easy as people assume. Job fairs sell out, thousands upon thousands working to get hired here at the legacies. Given the opportunity to upgrade into a U.S. base making the money that Cathay is offering doesn't sound too bad.

Not trying to flame but looking for honest answers when comparing life as a regional FO.

I would seriously consider it if I were you, but plan on living in HK for at least 3-5 years. No guarantee of getting into JFK etc.

If they opened JFK to new hire FOs I would apply. I'm currently JFK based with a different foreign carrier, generally happy, but would think about CX if the opportunity arose.

As to why it's so bad, head over to PPRuNe and read a few pages. Granted, take it with a lot of grains of salt as those are the biggest dissenters, but you'll get an idea. Lots of animosity between management and pilots. Don't think that's changed since the 49ers.

I agree that a regional FO isn't a great place to be, and unless you start butt kissing now to get a check airman job, the legacies are still far off.

Big difference between Air Japan and Cathay with your confirmed business class commutes. That would make it doable.

Flowpay,

I spent the last seven years at CX and was based in the US before leaving last summer for a US legacy. CX has its pluses and its minuses. I entered with the most rose colored glasses I could find but they did wear over time. With that said, I left b/c I didn't perceive there to be a future for me or my family there, and many many feel that way which is why you get the negativity on many boards(prune, etc). To be honest, you are EXACTLY who CX wants in terms of the pilot market. If given the choice between 35K in the states as a RJ FO, or 75-80 babysitting the A/P on a 777, it is a no brainer. Go to CX. CX knows this is the market and that is why for someone like yourself, its not bad. With that said, 75-80K gets you in HKG exactly what 30K gets you in the US…basically nothing.

To answer your question, commuting at CX is nothing like what you are thinking about in US terms. In the US, most do 4 on, 3 off, and go commute home via the jumspeat on those days off and turn around and do it all over again. Cathay does have a jumpseat program, but you WILL PAY to use it, and not a small amount. An they DO NOT and WILL NOT have a commuter policy. If you can't make, CALL IN SICK. Do not be honest as they do not encourage it. Once and you get a letter, twice shown the door. You'll probably get a break of 7-10 days off at a time every month or so as an SO so some try to 'commute' to the states. One of my best friends tried it MCO-HKG and it ultimately cost him his marriage and a lot more. There are a few that try, and it simply can't last for a long time. I wish you luck. I enjoyed my time, but it is a bitter place to work at times and right now is one of those.

Were the people you talked to former regional FOs? The typical CX SO is from a CFI, fresh Commercial, or ab initio background, so of course it's going to be a good job for them in comparison.

Also, as you know as a regional FO, like any airline CX can close outstation bases any time. So if your primary reason for considering them is the potential for US basing, I wouldn't go all in for just that reason alone. If you're the type that is open to living in a foreign country, that might work better.

I have no dog in this fight, but just some additional points to consider.

If you want out of the regional.. I would say to stay in the US and apply at Southern Air, Atlas, Omni, Kalitta, Amerijet, and National.. All are hiring with reasonable mins that you should have.. Give it a shot

Now you have seen all the things about CX. It is a miserable place. It has become Korean now and the exodus is unprecedented. Mate, honestly, stay away. It's just not worth it.

Granted..., but a lot of these airlines have pretty horrible T&C'S..., just because CX conditions are bad doesn't mean that there aren't pretty good options on the international market.

CX vs the bottom feeders in the US supplemental market? Really? Wow.

Yes the SO transition job can be compared to that very easily.
The majority of the folks taking the SO job are South African and Australian as the south africans have a horrid economy with almost zero jet jobs for caucasian people and the aussies just dont fly jets, they mostly have low paying turbo prop and pistion gigs.

FlowpayFO check your PM

Supplemental carriers are paying $66-77/hr starting. How much more is CX offering? Is it a cruise boy only job? If CX's pay is more how much more will be eaten up by the HKG costs? Commuting costs?

And then there's the whole issue of commuting across half the world vs. jumpseating to or having a home based option in the U.S.

1. I commuted to Japan from the US and from the Middle East. Commuting a long distance like that is expensive and will wear you down over time in ways you might not ever expect. Unless you have been regularly flying to the other side of the world you have no idea what you are in for.

2. $80K in HK gets you very little. You need to do some serious research as to what kind of QOL you will have on that kind of salary. Rent is equal to or worse than Tokyo and NYC.

3. Cruise pilot time is worthless, and your *upgrade* to FO will be something like 3-5 years.

4. Airlines in the US are hiring and if you are patient and go to a few job fairs something will eventually happen. A huge mob of FOs from my former job are at Spirit and JetBlue; 3 guys who went to Spirit upgraded within 3 years. Atlas or Kalitta would be a lot of fun if you are young and single. Stay in the US and its easier to be on the radar for another US carrier.

5. If you really want to try out this expat flying gig, all 3 majors in the ME are hiring; if you have an ATP and some EFIS jet time you'll get your chance over here.

I was at a bar in the mid levels a bit ago and overheard the most miserable groveling about airline piloting I have ever heard in my life, it was 2 CX Boeing jockeys, its not the dream job it once was.

The positives I can tell you about the idea are: Airport express trains have wifi, no snow or freezing rain in HK, tons of amazing beaches in SE Asia are not far from HK, if you have any money or time left over from the whole ordeal of HK life and ULR flying.

Good luck!

Iya
 

Go find out how much it will cost you now to travel/commute on the Green Monster. They all just got a shock at the sticker price on the new Lambo, without the girl!

I live right next door in Shenzhen. HK is expensive as hell. I suggest going for the interview and taking some time to look around the city. In my off days when I have atleast 10 in a row (7 being my absolute minimum to consider doing this) I commute HKG-EWR. It absolutely sucks.

It is about to be another dark, very dark, period in CX history again. Trust me when I tell you when want to steer clear of this ship as it just hit the iceberg!

Get your type. Get 500 hrs. And go stateside.