Cathay and life in Hong Kong

vangirl · February 14th, 2005, 21:24

Hi there,
I'm hoping someone can help me out with some information....my boyfriend is currently interviewing with Cathay, and I'm trying to be a supportive girlfriend, but I have some questions that I can't find answers to, mostly about pilot schedules. I fully understand that he will be away at times, but being alone at home (British Columbia, Canada) is one thing, being in HK may be another story. I would be really excited to go in many respects, I just want to be prepared for what life would really be like, so that I don't end up being resentful of things that he can't control.
Does anyone have a significant other that works for Cathay (B-scale) that could tell me something about the time they spend away (how many days at a time, how many days off per month on average that they are actually off and at home) and also give me some idea of how Cathay's pay on the new lower scale measures up. Is is still manageable to live/save some money based on what they are providing? We both want some of these answers so that we can make the right decision.
Thanks so much!

Tokyo007 · February 14th, 2005, 23:29

Hey vangirl,

Well I don't have any answers to your questions (sorry). That's awesome he got an interview

But if you don't mine me asking, what type of hours and experience does he have? Is he going into the cadet program or direct entry?

My ultimate dream is to fly for JAL or Cathay so i'm looking for any info as well and i've thought about applying for the cadet program but i'm still trying to get more information.

good luck on your search and good luck if you do go! I went to Hong Kong via Cathay 4 years ago and loved it.

Matthew

Kristie · February 15th, 2005, 00:34

I don't really know any of the answers to your questions either - sorry... but if your interested in knowing a bit more about HK, I believe there's a girl on www.pilotfamilies.com that resides in HK and might be of some help!

sorry I can't help more!

vangirl · February 16th, 2005, 18:02

Hi there,
Ok, Perhaps I can answer a few things for you. My boyfriend has about 3700 hours, mostly single engine, but about 750 of twin engine time. He is interviewing for a direct entry second officer position. We have heard really mixed things about life in HK, which is whyI went looking for info. Most people seem to really enjoy working for Cathay, but I've heard that pollution is very bad in HK and housing/cost of living is very high.
We've also heard that it is really hard to get on with Cathay...tough interviews, and a really tough medical exam!
Good luck!

Tokyo007 · February 16th, 2005, 23:47

ok your bf has a million more hours than me but that's some really good news in a way. I mean if you worked at some regional or part 135 place you could build up the time and have a shot at making it at cathay like your bf. Thanks for the info on that

On Hong Kong..maybe I can throw in what I thought about the place since you helped me out..

I thought it was really cheap to live there actually.. I mean I was living in kowloon and everything was dirt cheap with plenty of shopping but if you live on the main island of hong kong yeah it's super expensive. I felt pretty safe and I didn't notice any pollution at all (esp. since it's so close to the ocean). The area of Hong Kong is really small so I didn't see a big crime problem and there was a police officer on every corner. The humidity was pretty high and it felt like san diego weather with perfect weather in the winter when I was there. People seemed really nice and if you like shopping you're in heaven. I hear the horse races are fun to watch at night and the skyline is beautiful. The subway is pretty nice.

I've got a few shots I took if you want to see.. it's not much but..

my photos
if that doesn't show up copy and paste this into your browser..

http://www.geocities.com/mattchidester/hongkong.html

so that's the positives from what I saw.. the negatives I saw.. it's pretty crowded especially around nathan street.. it's very noisy. If you don't make money you live on the streets. Lots of people live in goverment housing.. don't drink the water.. money means everything over there.

Hope that doesn't scare you I thought Hong Kong was awesome.. hope he gets the job!

Matthew

Snow · February 24th, 2005, 13:52

With that many hours he could probably apply directly to Cathy Cargo, they have a base in Seattle I think, that might be worth looking into, if nothing else you could transfer to cargo at a later date, pay scales are simular. Oh and if you do live in HK they give a $60,000 USD houseing allowance, which will get you a 500-600 odd square apartment in HK, things there are expensive.

Minima-No-Contact · May 2nd, 2005, 06:37

I have alot of friends flying for CX and living in HK. One thing they have always said was that CX look after their pilots, and the family that head to HK with them.

The pay, even on B scale, is excellent and easy to live off in HK. CX give you a great living allowance that will not have you spending a cent on rent. Many pilots live in an area called Discovery Bay, I'm not sure if there is anything on the net about it but might pay to 'google' it.

One of my friends has moved into to a high rise over looking the city, he has been with CX as a S/O for almost 3 yrs now and absolutely loves it. Has too much spare cash and only has good things to report about working for CX.

Get your boyfriend to have a look at this link if he hasnt already: PPRUNE: Fragrent Harbour

Good luck and let me know if I can help any more.