It's easier to be a Cathay cadet but there's less money in flying

Nelson Chang Way-man and Oscar Francis were members of two very different professions but they had one thing in common: a love of flying.

It led the doctor and investment banker to quit their highly paid jobs and join Cathay Pacific Airways' cadet pilot scheme last year with an initial pay potential of about a third of their previous earnings.

Both said their love of flying overcame any financial concerns and the chance to make a living from it was a dream comes true.

Yet while they may be about to realise their dream, others who have been through the same scheme are far less happy. The reason: the terms and conditions for pilots have been changed. A local captain said that after long-standing friction about unequal terms for locals and expatriates, Cathay, fearing action under Hong Kong's racial discrimination law, has stopped offering a housing allowance - not available to local staff - to all new recruits.

The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, whose membership includes many of Cathay's locally hired and expatriate pilots, said the change was implemented in response to pilots' complaints about the disparity in pay between expatriate and local pilots. But instead of equalising benefits upwards, the bar has been lowered.

A union spokesman, a local captain who has worked for the airline for 14 years and requested anonymity, said the change was initiated after the Race Discrimination Ordinance came into effect last year.