![]() In October 2020, it axed 5,900 jobs and closed regional arm Cathay Dragon and took a HK$39 billion government-backed restructuring plan.Įven before the pandemic, however, it was already facing stiffer global competition and had begun trimming its remuneration packages. With no domestic market to fall back on, the airline was brought to its knees as it bled cash. How will the shortage of manpower combined with low morale affect the carrier’s recovery? Will pilots’ concerns be tackled decisively? The good old daysĭuring the pandemic, Cathay’s passenger capacity dropped to a mere 2 per cent of 2019 levels, coming off the back of the anti-government protests that year that had scared away visitors. To make matters worse, amid a global shortage of pilots, other airlines have been quicker to throw money at the problem.Īgainst that backdrop, insiders say it should come as no surprise that Cathay pilots are an unhappy lot. Now as the city and the carrier emerge from the pandemic, salaries have not been restored to anywhere near the previous levels. The airline enforced new, cheaper employment contracts for flight and cabin crew to cut costs and working for Cathay no longer carried the same cachet as before. However, as the carrier’s fortunes plummeted during a turbulent three years of the coronavirus pandemic, staff’s standing and morale also suffered. ![]() Until a few years ago, Cathay’s pilots were among the best paid in the industry and the envy of many peers while the airline’s brand bestowed prestige to staff based in the city. The HK$100,000 education allowance I am entitled to when she turns three is just not enough with my decreased income,” the 40-year-old said. “We are looking at a HK$140,000 tuition fee a year for when my daughter starts at an international school. ![]() Life in the city was getting more expensive, he said, and he and his homemaker wife just had a baby last year. Now we cook at home and invite friends over,” said Jones, who like all pilots the Post spoke to, declined to be identified. Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific has lost over half its senior pilots, union says Like all Cathay Pacific pilots, he had his salary cut by 40 per cent two years ago and now up to 30 per cent of his income is variable, pegged to his actual flying hours. ![]() Two years ago, he and his family downgraded from the affluent neighbourhood to a 650 sq ft flat in Tung Chung, near Hong Kong airport, forking out rent of HK$20,000 per month.ĭo you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. When Jeremy Jones*, a senior pilot from Australia joined Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways a decade ago, he rented an 800 sq ft flat in Mid-Levels. In the second of a two-part series, Laura Westbrook and Oscar Liu explore pilots’ grievances. ![]() Recently, its pilots were accused of deliberately slowing down while taxiing their planes. Over the past few days, the airline has been embroiled in a widening scandal as its crew were caught openly humiliating mainland Chinese passengers. Staff at Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific keep hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. ![]()
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