oneworld

Cathay Pacific Airways’ pilots will vote on whether to raise funds as a buffer against any actions the loss-making Hong Kong airline takes against them such as unilateral benefit changes or job losses, according to the pilot’s union. Cathay has warned its pilots about intended cuts to their housing allowances and retirement benefits as it attempts to return to profitability after reporting the worst half-year loss in at least 20 years. The Hong Kong Pilot Aircrew Officers’ Association (HKAOA), in a notice of a meeting issued to members on Thursday and viewed by Reuters, said it proposing a levy of up to HK$500 ($64) a month that each pilot will pay, depending on rank. Cathay has 3,300 pilots globally, two-thirds of whom are members of unions. The HKAOA notice said the levy is meant to prepare members in the case of “industrial escalation”, which is described as action taken by the company. It also aims to provide financial support for any member demoted or dismissed by the airline for carrying out “reasonable action on behalf of the union”. The union and management have been unable to agree on new package terms after four months of talks, according to the union, which said it was concerned the airline would seek to resolve the impasse by unilateral means. “The pilots are concerned about the attacks on their living conditions in Hong Kong,” HKAOA General Secretary Chris Beebe said. He said the pilots were willing to make some concessions given the company’s weak financial state, but they wanted assurances those would be recoverable once the company’s finances improved.<br/>

Chinese airlines are circling disaffected pilots at Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, offering sky-high salaries to fill a shortage of experienced captains in a rapidly expanding aviation industry. Chinese carriers, including China Southern, Hainan Airlines and Juneyao Airlines, will need more than 100,000 new pilots over the next two decades, according to forecasts by planemaker Boeing, as air travel takes off with increased prosperity in the world's second-largest economy. China trains around 4,700 new pilots a year at home and abroad, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), but the industry's sharp growth has left it short of captains with several thousand hours flying experience. "Chinese airlines are growing so quickly, and ... it takes a lot of time to become a captain," said Xu Dandi, head of recruitment at Yu Feng Consulting, whose clients include China Southern and Loong Air. "Pilots hired in Hong Kong have likely passed strict assessments ... and have experience flying in Asia." Pilot recruitment firms have flocked to Hong Kong hoping to attract established pilots from loss-making Cathay, which has this year axed 600 jobs in its biggest round of staff cuts in almost 20 years. While Cathay is not firing any of its 2,500 Hong Kong-based pilots, it has warned of cuts next month to their housing allowances, which for some veteran captains can be worth up to HK$100,000 (GBP9621.38) a month. Some Cathay pilots - who are widely regarded as among the industry's best-qualified and highest-paid - say cuts could price them out of living in one of the world's most expensive cities. Many are expatriate Australians, Americans and Britons.<br/>