Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific to offer new bonuses to pilots for Lunar New Year work
- Cathay will trial special allowance between February 7 and 18 before deciding whether to expand it to other holiday periods
- ‘As a team, we have all worked hard to stabilise the operation and enhance our resilience to future disruptions,’ Cathay’s director of flight operations says
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has said it will offer a new bonus to pilots who fly during the Lunar New Year holiday in a bid to minimise disruptions.
According to a memo issued on Tuesday and seen by the Post, Captain Chris Kempis, Cathay Pacific’s director of flight operations, said the airline would trial the special flying allowance between February 7 and 18 before deciding whether to expand it to other holiday periods.
Kempis said pilots working during the holiday would receive a payment of 15, 25 or 30 per cent of their respective hourly flying rates, depending on the scheduled length of the flight.
Pilots operating services of five hours or less, for example, will get 30 per cent of their hourly flying rate, while those on flights of up to 8½ hours will receive 25 per cent. The rate for flights longer than 8½ hours will drop to 15 per cent.
The hourly flying rate for pilots who have reached their minimum flying hours per month, ranges from several hundred dollars to around HK$3,000 (US$384) at the top end of the seniority rank
A Cathay pilot’s pay comprises basic salary, allowances and productivity pay.
