Expert: David A. NewMyer - 5/28/2004

Question
Dear David,

Out of Cathay Pacific and Qantas which these 2 I'm interested in. Which one of these 2 have the best employment and promotion prospects? Thank you

Jimmy

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Followup To
Question -
David,

Thank you for replying. I have one more question, I would like to know which airline is more big, popular and which pilot gets paid more. Thank you very much! You have been very helpful to me.

Jimmy


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Followup To
Question -
Dear David,

I'm a student studying in Sydney, Australia. I would like to start to train for licenses with UNSW Aviation as soon as I complete my studies in high school. I would like to know a bit about how it is like to become an airline pilot. Do airline pilots spend any time at all at home because my parents would like me to have some time with them a at least once a week or twice in future. I'm aiming to work with QANTAS so if you know about their flight schedules for pilots could you please tell. And could you please also tell me some advantages and disadvantages of being an airline pilot. So far I have found no disadvantages except the time spent at home so I really hope there will be allowed a reasonable time spent at home. Thanks alot

From,

Jimmy
Answer -
Hi, Jimmy:

Nice to hear from you.  I will try to assist, however, a contact directly with Quantas Human Resources (pilot hiring) to find out directly from 'THE SOURCE' might also be helpful to you.  Check them out at:

http://www.quantas.com.au/info/about/employment/pilots

It is clear from looking at the Quantas website that Quantas is mostly an international carrier with routes to North America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa.  Therefore, your concern about being gone a fair amount of the time is a realistic concern if you go to work with Quantas.  You must balance the following:

1.  Being gone overnight or two to three, four to six day trips per month

WITH

2.  Being home the rest of the time.  

That is, your work schedule is not the typical Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM work schedule....you will work for four to six days solid two or three times a month and then have the rest of the time off in a month.  A typical work month for most of us is to work 21 or so days per month.  Most airline pilots, including at Quantas, will work about 12 to 16 or 18 days a month.

The other thing to balance is that, if you are traveling on international routes, you may need a day or so after returning from a trip to adjust to the local time zone.  Your "body clock" will slowly adjust over time and airlines are learning more and more how to help their employees to do so, but, it IS a factor to consider in addition to the time on and time off.

As far as the advantages and disadvantages of being an airline pilot:

ADVANTAGES

1.  Pilot pay is usually good, especially after you have worked in the industry and "paid your dues" for five to ten years.  Second officer pay (flight engineer) can be quite low but the pay moves up significantly as you rise to First Officer and then Captain.

2.  Time off is quite good, especially later in your career.  Early in your career you will not have the "senority" to be able to get the best trip combinations to give you the most time off.  This means that you will likely spend more time away from home early in your career than you will later in your career, as you gain more seniority for bidding for the best trip combinations.

3.  Travel benefits....that is, being able to fly yourself and your family cheaply for vacations is a nice advantage, and, many times, on other carriers through agreements with your home carrier.

4.  Prestige of working for an airline...while not what it used to be, is still a bit of an advantage.

DISADVANTAGES

1.  Security concerns and procedures since the 9/11 attacks have changed daily life in the cockpit....it is not as open an environment as it used to be.

2.  With more emphasis on flying low fare customers, there is more of a "bus driver" mentality about the job than there used to be (thus, the reduction in prestige mentioned above).

3.  Time away from home is a concern for some, as you have raised.

4.  The time away from home can be a strain on some marriages and some family situations.

5.  Working your way up to the 'GOOD JOB" at Quantas may take a while, unless you go successfully complete their DIRECT HIRE program (see below).

NOTE:  You can apply to go through the "Quantas Cadet Pilot Training Program."  This program, explained at their website (address was given in my answer above), amounts to a "direct hire" program.  So, if you do well in the program, then, you will likely be hired directly into Quantas to fly for them.

I hope that this answer helps you understand the world of airline flying.  Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Best wishes to you,

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu



Answer -
Hi, Jimmy;

Well, size and pay is not everything....as you indicated in your initial question, lifestyle and working conditions are also key.  The largest airline in the world is American Airlines with approximately 90,000 people...not counting air express carriers such as FEDEX and UPS, which are large companies but their pure aviation employment is a small part of their overall size.    Pilot pay tops out at Delta Air Lines, also US-based, at about $350,000 a year for their Senior Captains flying their largest aircraft.  HOWEVER, Delta is in serious financial trouble and may well have to lay off pilots and cut wages soon.  A more stable carrier here in the US is SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, which pays their top, most senior, pilots about $200,000 a year to fly their Boeing 737 aircraft.

I hope that this helps.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer

Answer
Hi,

At the moment, Cathay Pacific is suffering a bit from the aftermath of SARS, the takeover of Hong Kong by the Chinese (and related economic impacts) and other world events..... While Quantas has suffered from some of these same world events, not so much as Cathay Pacific. So, in the near term, I would say that Quantas is the better bet for employment prospects.  Also, Quantas has a "from the beginning" flight training option to offer that Cathay Pacific does not (as far as I know).  

On thing that I would suggest that you do is some in-depth research into the fiscal and operational status of the airlines that you are interested in.  You can use such websites as Air Transport World Magazine and IATA to gather data on the financial and operational success of the airlines that interest you.  The Air Transport World Magazine website is particularly full of data and can be located at:

www.atwonline.com

I wish you the best in your search for a great career,

Dave NewMyer