Cathay Pacific has put its pilots on notice that the airline will no longer tolerate deliberately slow taxiing before takeoff and after landing after being informed by the Hong Kong Airport Authority of such action.
Cathay has recently modified the way that pilots are paid, so extended flying (and taxiing time) would now result in increased payment, hence the motivation of pilots to spend as much rolling time as possible.
This deliberate running out the clock and pushing duty time costs the airline money, causes congestion on the tarmac and also delays passengers who have to catch connections.
As reported by the South China Morning Post, Cathay has sent an internal memo that this is no longer acceptable and the carrier will now take record of pilots who engage in such action, with consequences to follow.
Cathay Pacific Airways has warned its pilots against taxiing at “considerably slower speeds” after some were accused of contributing to congestion at Hong Kong’s airport, the Post has learned.
In an internal memo sent on April 21 and seen by the Post on Sunday, the city’s flagship airline said it would look into any future cases flagged by the Airport Authority and its own internal team, but would refrain from reviewing past data.
“The Airport Authority advised us that their data indicated that some Cathay Pacific aircraft were taxiing at a considerably slower speed than other operators for both arrivals and departures,” said Tim Burns, the airline’s general manager. “Our own Hong Kong airport team has confirmed that they have tracked similar instances in their own systems.”
Cathay Pacific notes that:
“Should cases be identified where individual aircraft are taxiing at speeds below the average of others in the same time frame, then we will follow up with the relevant commander and then take any further action that may be required.” …
This sounds clearly like Cathay’s pilots have some disagreement with the way they are subjected at this new pay structure which was implemented post-pandemic. Of course, paying pilots based on active time on the aircraft rather than a fixed salary is something that might not end well as it naturally incentivizes pilots to manipulate the flight ground and flying time.
However, one should also look at the economic situation of Cathay Pacific, which got decimated by the pandemic and Hong Kong’s strict quarantine regime during Covid. That the airline is still in existence is a miracle in itself. So maybe these pilots should be thankful they still have an extremely well-paid job rather than trying to scam the company and passengers in the course of their duty.
Even the union representing Cathay’s pilots admits that morale is low and complains that pilots make on average 40% less than pre-pandemic. Not sure how accurate that statement is, but I’d say that Cathay is also having considerably more debt and other problems than pre-pandemic.
These pilots still make a fortune. I’m not saying they don’t deserve it, they absolutely do especially after dealing with all of Hong Kong’s nonsense over the past few years, but they have absolutely no right to make up their own rules and, even worse, manipulate their duty time. If you can’t trust a pilot to properly do his/her job, then better let them go.
Likewise, if you’re unsatisfied with your employer, then leave and find another place of employment. There is a pilot shortage worldwide, and it’s only getting worse. Sure, pilots would have to give up their seniority, but that’s a short-lived consequence, and how much does that really affect your life to a large degree? A pilot will most likely still earn $150,000-200,000 no matter what airline they’ll fly for.
Lastly, I wonder what future Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong as an aviation base have with China encroaching on it more and more. With most pilots being foreigners this would also put a question mark on their long-term career opportunities there. Maybe it’s better to jump ship now if they’re that unhappy.
Conclusion
Cathay Pacific is taking action against its pilots after the HKAA informed the airline that the pilots are deliberately engaging in slow taxiing and clogging up the runway at Hong Kong International Airport as they try to squeeze more paid duty time.
Interestingly I went back into my messenger and checked a conversation I had with a friend after landing in Hong Kong back in February. I complained “how much longer are we taxiing here, it almost takes longer than the flight itself” which is of course an exaggeration but something was definitely up.
Let’s see if we will hear about any disciplinary action being taken against Cathay pilots in the near future.