Cathay raises pilots’ school-fees cap, pledges no pay cuts

Cathay Pacific Airways raised the allowance it gives to pilots to cover their kids’ school fees by 50% and locked in pay benchmarks for two years as it tackles a chronic shortage of aircrew that’s led to mass flight cancellations. Hong Kong’s biggest airline will increase its school-fee cap 50% to HK$150,000 ($19,180) for each eligible child between 11 and 18 years’ old, according to a memo seen by Bloomberg News. Other incentives include a pledge to keep a metric of hours flown that’s tied to take-home pay the same through the end of 2025, essentially averting pay cuts. Cathay said in a statement it will continue to listen to and communicate with the pilot community to make enhancements where appropriate. The company has been scrambling to hire more pilots, after Covid-related job losses gutted its ranks and pay cuts for those that remained — more than 45% for some crew — sparked an exodus. The shortage of captains and first officers, and a sudden uptick in seasonal illnesses, culminated in mass flight cancellations through the end of February that prompted the pilots’ union to call for a government inquiry into the carrier’s handling of the issue.<br/>