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Commuting to Cathay

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The idea behind bases is that it allows pilots to live AT HOME.

CX will not babysit you on residency or tax issues. If you claim you have the right to live and work in a country, so be it.

Fall foul of the tax or immigration authorities and you will be terminated - unable to perform your duties - and get to feel what it's like to be a Mexican Migrant Worker in SoCal.
 
Just out of curiosity, what are typical North American based schedules like these days? I've been told that it's something along the lines of 5 on 10 off, only working two 5 day trips a month.

Seems a bit too good to be true. Is this typical? What can one realistically expect to fly as an ATL or JFK based 747 FO?
 
DC10 said:
Just out of curiosity, what are typical North American based schedules like these days? I've been told that it's something along the lines of 5 on 10 off, only working two 5 day trips a month.

Seems a bit too good to be true. Is this typical? What can one realistically expect to fly as an ATL or JFK based 747 FO?
Click to expand...

That is almost true...more like 6 on, a bunch off, 7 on....HOWEVER, CX is now making all new hires relief qualified(you are in charge when CA is sleeping).....FO's with that qual are typically seeing a 6 day trip and a 9 day trip each month. Be advised, when you get this qual you WILL be doing 6-10 day trips.....its not advertised at the interview.
 
i'mbatman said:
That is almost true...more like 6 on, a bunch off, 7 on....HOWEVER, CX is now making all new hires relief qualified(you are in charge when CA is sleeping).....FO's with that qual are typically seeing a 6 day trip and a 9 day trip each month. Be advised, when you get this qual you WILL be doing 6-10 day trips.....its not advertised at the interview.
Click to expand...

Good information. If you get hired and work out of ATL or JFK, should you expect to primarily fly the same routes over and over? For example, as an ATL-based pilot, are you primarily flying to ANC (maybe a stop in ORD) and onto HKG and back for every trip or can you expect a little variety beyond that down route (maybe some Middle East or other parts of Asia on the freighter)?
 
Cpt. Underpants said:
The idea behind bases is that it allows pilots to live AT HOME.

CX will not babysit you on residency or tax issues. If you claim you have the right to live and work in a country, so be it.

Fall foul of the tax or immigration authorities and you will be terminated - unable to perform your duties - and get to feel what it's like to be a Mexican Migrant Worker in SoCal.
Click to expand...

I should have done a better job with my original question. I understand the consequences of doing it illegally. I just wasn't sure what the deal was between the US and Canada specifically. Historically the relationship between US and Canada has been a bit more liberal than with other countries.

I wasn't sure if they'd even consider basing someone in a country in which they didn't have a passport for.

Second, as I'm certain the requirements cant be as difficult as they are in the EU, has anyone pulled this off legally? If so, what did it take?

Bonus question: If you get based in HKG, do you also have to arrange your own permit to live and work in HKG?

Thanks.
 
dash8driver said:
I should have done a better job with my original question. I understand the consequences of doing it illegally. I just wasn't sure what the deal was between the US and Canada specifically. Historically the relationship between US and Canada has been a bit more liberal than with other countries.

I wasn't sure if they'd even consider basing someone in a country in which they didn't have a passport for.

Second, as I'm certain the requirements cant be as difficult as they are in the EU, has anyone pulled this off legally? If so, what did it take?

Bonus question: If you get based in HKG, do you also have to arrange your own permit to live and work in HKG?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I took this right off the Cathay website... This should answer your question..

An applicant must possess the right to live and work in the chosen Base Area. The Company will not sponsor applications to immigration authorities for Flight Crew to live and work in any port other than Hong Kong.

Hey Captain Underpants good to see you providing succinct and valuable information. I have always valued your input...
 
fogrunner said:
I took this right off the Cathay website... This should answer your question..

An applicant must possess the right to live and work in the chosen Base Area. The Company will not sponsor applications to immigration authorities for Flight Crew to live and work in any port other than Hong Kong.

Hey Captain Underpants good to see you providing succinct and valuable information. I have always valued your input...
Click to expand...

Thanks, I also appreciate everyone's time to answer all of our questions. I'll be happy to buy a beer or grape Nehi if we ever cross paths.

That does answer the bonus question. Now I just need to find out if anyone successfully got a permit to work for CX out of YVR from the US and if they did, how difficult it was.

For the record, this isn't my plan. I agreed to put this question up for a friend of mine who is also applying. It's not a deal breaker for him but it would definitely help if he could pull this off (legally of course) and keep his house.

I'm nowhere near a base. If I'm able to survive the gauntlet, I'll be moving no matter what.
 
dash8driver said:
They are offering Canadian ports to US pilots? If you wanted to live in SEA and work in YVR, is it a problem to get a permit to work in Canada?
Click to expand...


In fact, a good friend of mine got offered just that, A340 DEFO out of VYR while he is an Amercian citizen and living in Bellingham, WA.

I won't pretend to know the details.
 
Well, if he told CX that he had the right to live and work in YVR, then they would have offered him the job in YVR.

They may even know that he's American, and choose to ignore it.

I can assure any of you thinking along similar lines that if the Canadian Immigration and Tax Authorities get wind of your situation (US Citizen living in the US and working out of Canada and not on a work visa or without a landed immigrant visa - like a green card) you will probably regret it.

They typically levy large fines and interest on back taxes, occasionally jail terms.

Canadian income tax can be very punitive - two parts, Federal and Provincial added together can be upwards of 50%. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/individuals/faq/taxrates-e.html

I really wish all of you the best of luck in your pursuit of better jobs, but please don't take these positions away from Canadians...there are few enough jobs to go around anyway up North! (Legal issues aside).
 
What about all the Canadians based in the US (USAB)? At least on the pax side, the great majority of the pilots are Canadians.
 
How easy (or hard) is it to move around bases? One reason CX interests me is the ability to live in AMS, PAR, LON etc. Assume the right to work in each place...just wondering if say 3 years in one base and then 3 years in another base is possible?
 

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