History

Those Were the Days

American Roy C Farrell and Australian Sydney H de Kantzow founded Cathay Pacific Airways on 24 September, 1946. Initially based in Shanghai, the two men eventually moved to Hong Kong and established the airline. Legend has it that Farrell and a group of foreign correspondents thought up the airline's unique name in the bar at the Manila Hotel!

An Investment In the Future

The new company began to operate passenger flights to Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai. Expansion was fast and, in 1948, one of Hong Kong's leading trading companies, Butterfield & Swire (today known as the Swire Group) took a 45% share in the company. Under the leadership of John Kidston Swire, Butterfield & Swire became wholly responsible for the management of the airline.

Taking the Jet Age By Storm

The 1960s represented our coming of age. Between 1962 and 1967, business grew at an average rate of 20 percent a year. We also initiated international services (another world's first) to Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya in Japan.

The One and Only "Betsy"

"Betsy", a converted Douglas DC3, is fondly remembered as our first aircraft. Sold in 1955, "Betsy" was discovered, almost 30 years later flying cargo around the Australian outback.

We bought the aircraft back, repainted her in the original 1940s livery and returned her to Hong Kong.

Today, "Betsy" hangs suspended from the ceiling at the Hong Kong Science Museum.

Hong Kong
www.cathaypacific.com

Company Profile

Total confirmed aircraft orders: 91 to be delivered by 2019
Aircraft orders (to be delivered by 2015): 2 A350; 15 A330-300; 10 B777-300ER
Contract recently ratified; pay raise varies from 3% up to 14.7% depending on rank and hours flown
The maximum increase is 14.7 total including retirement and using flying pay on an 84 hour month
Basic salary, as well as hourly flight pay were increased (seeking payscale -ed)
Cathay Pacific says A350 "will form the backbone of Cathay Pacific's future midsize widebody fleet"
10 747-8 freighters on order; first two to be delivered in Jan 2011
Retirement age is 65 for all new-hires
All new-hires hired to common seniority list and employed to fly all aircraft as of January 2008
Offering unpaid leave to flight crew and most other departments, introduced Euro salary scale for Europe-based pilots
Mandatory retirement age is still 55 everywhere
Cathay has pilots based in USA, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Australia
Each of these country has its own payscale for both passenger and freighter fleets
Check and trainer pilots receive 10% extra on top of salary
11 747-400ERFs on order; options for 6 more
3 A330s on firm order
Pilots may take 15.5% retirement contribution as taxable cash salary
Cathay covers 70% of international school fees for children, or 90% if they go to English Foundation School (a local and cheaper version of international school)
Housing allowance for HKG-based pilots only
This allowance may go to property purchased or rented in Hong Kong
2 types of allowances: (a) the cash housing allowance which is $14,000, $18,000 or 24,000 HKD (dependent on position and years of service, or the mortgage allowance, which is variable/fixed, currently at $5,800/mo.
15% tax rate in Hong Kong
This page last updated: Apr 17, 2012 (pay info below payscale)