Ready, set, go! - Cathay Pacific

news
features
who, what, where
travel
The year
in review
Change in
The Galley
Adventure
of a lifetime
Picture
perfect
The highs and
lows of 2011
Have your say as
food area revamps
Pilots in ultimate
endurance race
Stunning scenes
from Cleveland Dam
Page 10-11
Page 8-9
Page 14
Page 16
A magazine for staff and friends of Cathay Pacific Airways
January 2012, Issue 190
PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER
Ready,
set, go!
More than 300 PSS coordinators
from around the network met
in Hong Kong on 10-11 January
for a final gathering before the
cutover to the new reservations
system in February.
Chief Operating Officer
Ivan Chu thanked them
for their hard work to
ensure the cutover on
11-12 February goes
smoothly, and also asked
them to consider life in
the post-cutover era
– one day, three months,
one year and even 20 years
after!
Part of the round-the-clock
post-cutover support being
planned is a team of special
Floorwalkers wearing bright
red PSS T-shirts who’ll be on
hand to help out.
Prospects good
for CNY peak
•
See page 2
The dragon
cometh
More extra sectors planned as many routes show growth in bookings
Forecasts for Cathay Pacific’s passenger business over the Chinese New
Year holidays are cautiously optimistic, echoing the moderate revenue
growth seen over the Christmas peak.
“We anticipate revenue growth to
align with capacity increase over Chinese New Year,” says Manager Alliance
and Revenue Planning Katherine Lo.
“However, yields will remain under
pressure,” she adds.
Advance bookings suggest that
both the front- and back-end cabins
will be busy over the Chinese New
Year holidays, which for many will be
a five-day break running from 21-25
January.
“For individual travellers, the most
popular destinations from Hong
Kong are still Taipei, Shanghai and
Singapore,” says Katherine. “Seoul
has the strongest growth in advance
bookings, possibly due to the shift of
market sentiment from Japan.”
An overlap with student traffic is
causing a spike in advanced bookings
to London and Australia this year.
Many routes, including China, Korea, the Philippines, the Middle East
and Africa, also show robust growth
in bookings relative to capacity. Conversely, the increase in bookings for
the United States and India has yet to
catch up with the expansion in capacity.
“We will operate more extra sectors
compared to last year’s Chinese New
Year, primarily on routes to Japan,
Southeast Asia, Korea and Taiwan, to
accommodate the strong demand,”
says Katherine.
The HKIA team is coordinating with
various departments to ensure they
have enough manpower, equipment
and counters to deal with the expected surge in passenger traffic.
•
Continued on page 5
Chief Executive John Slosar was on
hand to introduce this year’s CXbacked International Chinese New Year
Night Parade at a press conference on
12 January.
• See page 2
Ready to welcome the Year of the Dragon
Third runway
project clears
first hurdle
Cathay Pacific will kick off this year’s Chinese New
Year festivities with a parade that cements Hong
Kong’s position as an events capital.
The spectacular Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade will wind through the
streets of Tsim Sha Tsui on 23 January, the first day
of the Year of the Dragon.
This is the 14th consecutive year that CX is the
title sponsor of the event.
At a press conference (left) to announce details of
this year’s parade, Chief Executive John Slosar confirmed that CX would back the parade until 2014.
As an environmentally responsible company, CX
has looked for ways to incorporate used and reuseable items into the float design.
This includes using more than 600 wine bottles
emptied inflight and old aircraft tyres as part of the
float design.
Uniformed frontline staff will join
the parade procession and
march alongside
the float.
Cathay Pacific and industry bodies have welcomed the Airport
Authority’s recommendation
to the Hong Kong Government
to adopt the three-runway option as the future development
blueprint for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).
The recommendation was
made on 29 December following a three-month public consultation period on the development plan.
Secretary for Transport and
Housing Eva Cheng said there
was overwhelming public support for building a HK$136.2
billion third runway, with 73%
of the nearly 24,000 survey respondents backing the idea.
Nearly four-fifths of respondents also called for a fast decision, which she endorsed.
“It could take 18 or even 24
months for an environmental
impact assessment to be ready.
Meanwhile there are other important tasks like feasibility and
funding studies. We now take
this responsible step to push
things forward, and the government can decide when to start
work,” Ms Cheng said.
At press time, the proposal
was still pending government
approval.
Chief Executive John Slosar
reiterated CX’s support for the
development saying a third
runway was of critical importance to the sustainability of
the Hong Kong economy.
“Connectivity with the rest of
the world has made Hong Kong
what it is today so we must be
clear on how we can maintain
and grow these links for our future,” he said.
IATA also expressed support
for the project with CEO and
Director General Tony Tyler saying: “A third runway will help
protect Hong Kong’s hub status
and support economic prosperity by giving HKIA the room
to meet the growing demands
of shippers and travellers.
“It is encouraging to see the
results of the public consultation clearly indicate that this is
well-recognised across a broad
range of interests,” he added.
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With the fourth rehearsal successfully completed in December and
plans in place for the cutover on
11 February, the focus for the huge
Passenger Services Systems (PSS)
project is now on providing sufficient support for teams around the
network.
General Manager PSS Richard
Reed says the team is looking at the
“first 24 hours, first few weeks, first
few months” after the cutover.
“We have significantly boosted
our cutover support – what we’re
calling early life support,” Richard
says.
“For the first two weeks after
cutover there will be teams of people from CX and the vendors on call 24/7 to handle
issues as they arise,” he
adds.
The first line of support
for Airports and Reservations staff will be a team
of Floorwalkers made up
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On-time performance
Sing Jet Kerosene
Within 15 mins
Industry standard
130
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Traffic/capacity (CX + KA)*
82.3%
Passengers carried
2,460,016
7.9%
Passenger load factor
79.6%
-0.5pt
ASKs (000)
11,321,084
8.7%
Freight carried
142,122
-11.9%
Cargo load factor
67.8%
-9.6pt
ATKs (000)
2,325,886
6.0%
120
110
ICE Brent
on-the-dot CX standard
90
Jul/11
2
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we’ll be in a normal support situation,” he adds.
All frontline staff have been
trained on using the Amadeus platform and ongoing refresher practice
is also being provided online.
There is rising anticipation among
users and “the general mood is what
we’re calling nervous excitement,”
says Richard.
“Staff are really looking forward
to getting their hands on this new
system in a real setting. They’ve
seen what it’s like in training and like
what they see.
“That said there is obvious nervousness about whether cutover
will be successful and how long it
will take to become proficient on
the new system,” he adds.
Reservation and Customer Services Officers have been given desktop
access to the new system within a
training environment, and are being
encouraged to practice as much as
possible.
of a specific subject experts such as
trainers and PSS coordinators.
“While they are not technical
experts as such, they have a deep
knowledge of the Altéa Reservations and Inventory platform and
processes. IMT will also be on hand
to answer technical questions along
with people from Amadeus, Calidris,
IBM and PROS to provide support,”
Richard says.
“At the moment we’re planning
for two weeks of 24/7 extraordinary
support which we’ll monitor and review during that time.
“If things are going well we can
slowly reduce the support with the
view that three months after cutover
USD per Barrel
100
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PSS team looks past cutover to ensure support mechanisms are in place
Fuel price - Rolling 6 Months
140
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Providing a lifeline
Performance Index
150
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Jan/12
52.2%
* Figures for Dec 11
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Learn more
about PSS
This month’s issue of CX World
contains a special pullout guide
to PSS with facts and figures
about the mammoth project and
the benefits and changes it will
bring.
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Produced by CX’s Corporate
Communication Department
7/F North Tower, Cathay Pacific City,
Lantau, HK
Publisher: C K Yeung
Managing Editor: Mark Tindall
Editor: Joyce Wong
Enquiries: 2747-5293
GalaCXy ID: CCD#SCT
Email: ccd#[email protected]
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What to expect in 2012?
CX managers and aviation experts give us their views on the coming year
2010 was a record year for the Cathay Pacific
Group, while 2011 turned out to be more challenging in a
number of ways. So what does 2012 hold in store?
The year begins with economies still unsettled, fuel prices still high
and cargo remaining in a slump that began in the second quarter of 2011.
Cathay Pacific has some exciting developments in prospect, but lingering
uncertainty seems to be affecting the industry as a whole.
As 2012 began, CX World spoke to Cathay Pacific managers and
aviation experts to get their views on the prospects for
the year ahead.
James Woodrow, General Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing
2012 is going to be another challenging year for cargo,
particularly the first half of the year. The market from Asia to
Europe will be especially difficult as European governments
continue to struggle with the Eurozone crisis.
On the other hand the economic indicators in America are
rather more encouraging and it is hoped that in the second
half of 2012 the US economy will really start to pick up and
drive air freight volumes ex-Asia.
There are a number of major new product launches
in the pipeline which should help to drive some
volume increases including the completion of the
Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal, which is scheduled
to open in early 2013, and the delivery of several
additional 747-8Fs.
James Tong, General Manager Revenue
Management
2012 will be a year of challenges and opportunities.
On the one hand, the world economic outlook is
uncertain and global demand for air transportation will be
under pressure. This, together with intense competition and
high fuel prices, will mean a tough environment for airlines.
On the other hand, the regional economy remains
relatively strong and both Cathay Pacific and
Dragonair should be able to benefit from that.
2012 will also see our new products like the
new Business Class and Premium Economy being
rolled out and this will certainly enhance our
competitiveness in the market.
Alex Gautier, Manager Purchasing – Fuel
As far as fuel prices are concerned, 2012 is likely to be as challenging a year as 2011
given the current macro-economic and geo-political environment.
Last year, crude oil indexes escalated sharply from around US$90/barrel in early
January to over US$120 in late spring, and then undertook a
bumpy descent to end the year just above US$100.
Commodity pricing volatility in 2012 is likely to
be driven by continued economic
uncertainties and any threats to oil
Tony Tyler, IATA CEO and Director General
supply availability in the Middle East.
IATA is forecasting global profits of US$3.5 billion for a net margin
Furthermore, there is the continued
of just 0.6%. We are more optimistic on Asia-Pacific’s prospects,
demand for other mid-range distillate
although we see regional profits down more than a third.
products (eg diesel, heating oil) which
The uncertainty in the Eurozone is the biggest risk factor. If there
compete directly with the production of
is no solution to the crisis and the continent plunges into recession,
kerosene/jet-fuel. Notwithstanding
our modest profit forecast could very easily turn into deep losses.
any new and unforeseen events
Another, more certain risk, from cash-strapped governments
which might disrupt the fragile
using aviation as a source of income.
balance of demand and supply!
A top priority for IATA in 2012 is to remind governments that
aviation is a force for good that generates wealth and can support
economic growth – but we can only do this if we are not over-taxed.
Tom Ballantyne, Chief
Correspondent, Orient Aviation
There is no doubt that 2012 will be
another challenging year for airlines.
Many of those challenges will
be familiar: the price of fuel, cost
reduction, improving productivity,
heightened competition, as well as
further growth in the low-cost sector.
Carriers in the Asia-Pacific region
will continue to benefit from operating
within and from the world’s best
performing airline market and this will
sustain their record of being amongst
the most profitable of the world’s
airlines.
I would say the most serious danger
this year will be a continuation of the
uncertainty over what will ultimately
occur in the economies of other
regions. The ongoing decline in freight
traffic, vital to most carriers’ bottom
lines, is a clear sign that, even in Asia,
consumer confidence is extremely
fragile.
Richard Hall, Director Flight Operations
Andrew Herdman, Director General, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines
Asian carriers are bracing themselves for another tough year in 2012 as the outlook is
impacted by unresolved concerns about the Eurozone debt crisis and wider uncertainty
about the global economic outlook.
From an Asia Pacific perspective this would suggest continuing caution about the
prospects for a quick return to growth in the air cargo business, but the outlook for the
passenger business is more positive.
Demand for travel within the region, for both business and leisure, remains
relatively robust and should show further growth in the coming year.
Looking further ahead, Asia Pacific airlines continue to take an
optimistic view on future growth prospects, which is reflected in
ambitious fleet expansion plans as well as the establishment of a number
of new carriers and partnerships.
The focus for us, as always, will be on flight safety while we sustain the
high standards in operational expertise that we currently provide and
meet the challenges of the expanding fleet.
We are working to maximise the potential operational efficiencies
of the technological advances provided by our latest generation of
aircraft and also preparing for the capabilities of future generation
aircraft.
Maintaining our IOSA accreditation in the 2012 audit
is another goal and we will work with air traffic service
providers to seek the most efficient routings and flight
profiles to minimise our carbon footprint.
We will also commission two state-of-the-art full-flight
simulators at the Flight Training Centre.
Update from the Chief Executive
I think there was a pretty big sigh of relief when
2011 drew to a close, followed by a sharp intake
of breath at the realisation that 2012 probably
isn’t going to be any easier!
There are various projections about how this
year is likely to shape up, and the key word appears to be “challenging”. The golden days of 2010
are long behind us now and it seems that we’ll
need to hunker down and ride our way through
yet another series of threats to our business,
particularly in the first half of the year.
However, in my first message of the New Year
I’d like to accentuate the positive – and there are
indeed a number of good things happening in
2012 that will help make us an even better airline.
Actually, a lot of positive stuff already hap-
pened last year – our new Business Class, 13 new
aircraft, including our first four Dash 8s, and the
great work that went into improving our interaction with customers on all fronts – that will roll
over into 2012. On top of that we’ll be introducing
our new Premium Economy Class cabin and longhaul Economy Class seats in March, opening the
refurbished Level 7 Business Class lounge at The
Wing at the end of this month, bringing another
19 new aircraft into the fleet, and, towards the
end of the year, getting ready to open our new
cargo terminal.
That’s a pretty impressive list and it clearly highlights our commitment to take the airline forward.
We know it’s not going to be easy, especially
given the increasingly competitive environment
we’re in, but we can use all these positives together with our core strengths – a strong financial
position, a location in one of the world’s most
dynamic hubs, and a fantastic team of people – to
come out on top.
One other important development that cannot
be overlooked is the move to a new reservations
system on the weekend of 11-12 February.
This is a huge project for our airline and a
smooth cutover will have many positive ramifications for our airline.
My sincere thanks to everyone who’s worked
hard on PSS since the project kicked off back in
2006. We are almost there!
John Slosar
3
Obituary –
KK Leung
Indian alliance partner
confirmed for February
oneworld’s coverage to grow to nearly 800 destinations worldwide
Staff were saddened to learn
of the death of CX veteran
Leung Kwong-kuen (KK) who
passed away on 9 December
after a battle with cancer.
KK joined CX in 1982 and
during his more than 29 years
of service worked in a number
of commercial departments
ranging from Marketing to
Sales.
General Manager Sales PRD
& HK Chitty Cheung, who was
KK’s manager over the past
few years, says: “I knew KK
for almost 25 years. He had
a great passion for his job
and always strove to do his
best. He was a very friendly,
approachable person and a
supportive member of the
management team.”
KK is survived by his wife
Charlotte and son Vincent.
Kingfisher Airlines will be part of
oneworld from 10 February, making
it the first carrier from India to join
any global alliance.
Kingfisher will be offering oneworld’s full range of services and
extending the alliance’s global coverage to nearly 800 destinations.
oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby said:
“Kingfisher Airlines will expand the
alliance’s network substantially in
a key region of growing travel demand.”
Kingfisher Airlines Chairman Vijay
Mallya said that becoming part of
oneworld will be one of the most
significant steps in Kingfisher Airlines’ history. “It will enable us to offer our customers a truly global network … and will also strengthen us
financially, through revenues from
passengers transferring to our network,” he said.
The addition of Kingfisher will see
more than 40 destinations in India
added to the alliance’s network and
EXPANDING WORLD: Kingfisher will
add 40 destinations in India to the
alliance network.
oneworld named best alliance
the 120 million members of the oneworld partners’ frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and
redeem awards from 10 February.
Two more carriers – Air Berlin and
Malaysia Airlines – are also scheduled to join oneworld in 2012.
second year running from US-based Global Traveler.
oneworld is also current holder of the World Travel Awards’ World’s
Leading Airline Alliance title, retaining that award for the eighth year
running.
oneworld was last month named Best Airline Alliance by Australian Business
Traveller – the first time the leading travel site has presented an airline alliance award.
Earlier in December, oneworld received the Best Airline Alliance for the
Crew gearing up for the
start of Premium Economy
GETTING READY: Charlie Stewart-Cox
(above) addresses the ESAs and
(right) discussing the new Premium
Economy service flow.
As CX gets ready for the introduction of
the Premium Economy cabin on 1 March,
the changes the new product will bring for
inflight service and flow has become a key
part of the Economy Class Service Ambassadors (ESA) programme.
 The service enhancement programme
involves 95 cabin crew who attended three
working sessions in batches from August
last year to January.
“Half of the time is dedicated to Premium
Economy service elements, while the remainder goes towards improving the passenger experience in the Economy cabin,”
says Assistant Manager Inflight Service
Standards Robin Wong.
At the inaugural session for the first batch
of ESAs, General Manager Inflight Services
Charlie Stewart-Cox stressed the impor4
tance of the ambassadors’ role in maintaining high Economy Class service standards
across the board.
Inflight Service Managers showcased the
new Premium Economy service elements,
such as service delivery and service flow
and explained the rationale behind the
new arrangements.
“The ambassadors were curious about
the new service flow and provided feedback on Premium Economy propositions
so they can be improved, right down to
the way the welcome drinks will be served,”
says Robin.
There were also lively discussions about
ways Economy Class service could be enhanced, such as increasing recognition for
Marco Polo Club members and better ways
to handle passenger concerns.
Briefs
Ivan joins
staff on
the trail
■ CCF applications reviewed
More than 20 applications have
been submitted for the Cathay Pacific Charitable Fund (CCF), which
was launched on 1 November with
the aim of helping support staff in
their charitable endeavours.
The committee will now meet
at the end of January to review all
the applications and let the applicants know the outcome.
Staff can submit applications
on a year-round basis – more
information can be found on the
CCF site on IntraCX.
Chief Operating Officer Ivan Chu
went on a countryside ramble with
around 50 staff and their families
and friends on10 December.
The event, which was fully
subscribed within two days, was
attended by a diverse mix of staff
that ranged from cabin crew to
engineers and managers.
The morning was
filled with laughter
and light chatter as
the hikers took on
Hong Kong Trail
Stage 4, which
starts at Wan Chai
Gap and ends at
Wong Nei Chung
Gap.
■ oneworld in Chinese
oneworld.com is now available
in a simplified Chinese language
version, with the new language
choice rolled out as part of a
major overhaul to make the site
even more
customerfriendly
with less
text, more
pictures,
and popular content
made more
readily available.
The launch of the new simplified Chinese language version
means oneworld.com is now available in eight languages.
The journey begins
Staff travel facilities go fully online and paperless from 12 February
Cathay Pacific and Dragonair
can look forward to a raft of new
functions and 24/7 access to staff
travel facilities with the launch of
iJourney on 12 February.
The entire process will move
online as well as becoming paperless – something which Employee
Services Manager Bob Nipperess
says “is the most exciting development ever in the history of staff
travel”.
For the first time, the same ap-
plication and payment mechanisms will apply across the board.
“Hong Kong-based staff have
been used to ordering tickets
from their desktops for years but
outport staff have not had that
convenience.
“One popular feature which
Hong Kong-based staff already
enjoy – the ability to pay after you
travel – will also be extended to
outports,” Bob adds.
Bob explains that staff logging
Prospects good for CNY peak
• From page 1
“Chinese New Year will be even
more challenging than the Christmas peak, with high passenger
load and midnight extra sectors,”
says HKIA Manager Service Delivery Joseph Chan.
Looking back, the Christmas period showed modest growth over
the same period last year.
“Supported by record high capacity expansion, we saw our
Christmas revenue reaching a new
height,” says Katherine.
Passenger volume increased
at a rate that almost caught up
with the expansion of the airline’s
passenger capacity, but a drop in
yield had a negative impact on
revenue.
Regional destinations were a
hit with travellers during the festive season, with 57 extra sectors
mounted mostly on Northeast
and Southeast Asia routes to satisfy demand.
“Destinations that surged in revenue and efficiency include Osaka,
Fukuoka and Seoul in Northeast
Asia, as well as Ho Chi Minh City,
Bali and Surabaya in Southeast
Asia,” says Katherine.
Secondary Chinese routes also
raked in the revenue, notably Qingdao and Wuhan.
onto iJourney will be directed to
one of two areas.
“One section called iFLYStaff is
for travel on CX, KA and any carriers with interline electronic ticketing (IET) agreements for leisure
and duty travel.
“For all other leisure travel,
there is another part of the page
called myIDtravel,” he says.
Those using iFLYStaff will be
able to pay after they fly while
those using myIDtravel will be
asked to pay with a credit card at
the time the booking is made.
“The other benefit of the new
system is that currently the two
practices of booking a ticket and
then listing are separated. In iJourney they are combined,” Bob says.
“So you cannot issue a ticket
without listing for the flight or, if
it’s for FOC tickets, without making a booking,” he adds.
Staff will have any unused FOC
concessions from 2010/2011 migrated over and added onto the
2012 concessions.
“So anyone who has two concessions left from 2010 and four
from 2011 will find six concessions
on their profile for 2010/2011 as
well as four more for 2012.
“It’s then up to the staffer to use
those concessions however they
wish and, as these concessional
sectors are available for use at
any destination and are bookable,
we expect that feature to be very
popular with staff,” Bob says.
Keep an eye out for a step-bystep guide to the new iJourney
which will be distributed to all
staff in early February.
■ Festive food drive
CX staff donated a total of 1,793
food items for the annual Christmas food drive run by the St James
Settlement in Hong Kong.
The charity mostly received
instant noodles, canned food and
biscuits from the airline.
The Christmas food drive is
organised annually across Swire
companies.
The provisions will go to
deprived families and individuals under the People’s Food Bank
programme.
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CX recruited close to
1,000
Sunnyside gets boost
The Sunnyside Club’s
fundraising efforts got a
boost in both funds and
membership towards the
end of 2011, thanks to the
generosity of CX staff and
management.
The club raised a total of
HK$50,865 and recruited
77 new members over the
Christmas period.
Year-end activities include a charity sale featuring
handicrafts made by students
from Pui Oi special school and a
Christmas hamper auction.
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cabin crew in 2011.
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■ Making a mark
Students from Pui Oi School
also contributed to the charity sale by manning the sales
booth at Cathay City (above).
Director Corporate Affairs Quince
Chong was named as one of
the top 10 influential women in
Hong Kong by Chinese-language
Eastweek magazine in December,
alongside two high-ranking Hong
Kong government officials as well
as the Director General of the
World Health Organization, Dr
Margaret Chan.
The article cited Quince’s ability
to steer CX through difficult public
relations situations.
5
Letters to the Editor
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Service with
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Colour coded
In CX publications, it has been pointed out how important the branding is and
particularly that it is used correctly.
I noticed the Dragonair A330 aircraft now have their engines painted a blue shade
yet their A320 aircraft engines are KA white.
Shouldn’t the same respect be paid to the Dragonair brand? The blue engines are
clearly not part of the KA colour scheme.
Perhaps all of the CX and KA aircraft should have their engines all painted a neutral
dark grey so as to not damage the brand of either airline.
Name withheld
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Daniel Heung, Marketing Services Manager, replies: Having the same colour A330
nacelles (engine cover casing) helps reduce the ground time of a CX or KA aircraft
with a malfunctioning engine.
It was one of the cost-saving action items following an iSuggest programme a few
years ago.
As the colours are very light it is not a big issue in terms of the branding and colour
scheme for the two airlines.
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“I would like to commend
Customer Services Officer
Helen Dai (pictured) who was
extremely useful, friendly and
professional when handling our
check-in at Hong Kong International Airport.
Over the past 12 years, I
have had the chance to deal
with incredibly customer-oriented people within CX who
would go the extra mile to meet
customer’s requirements.
Such people are definitely
a strong asset to CX and their
valuable contribution to making
CX one of the best airlines in
the world should be recognised.”
Star letter
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A Marco Polo Club
member praised
Customer Services
Officer Helen Dai for
the professional
service she offered.
Send us your feedback
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We welcome feedback from anyone in the CX network on any
issue affecting the airline or the industry. Please email your letters
to CCD#SCT. Not all letters will be published but those that are will
be edited for length and to comply with the CX World style.
The sender of the star letter each month will win 3,000 Asia
Miles. The Feedback page is sponsored by Asia’s leading travel
reward programme.
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6
So our new Dash 8 freighters have finally
arrived – late. Can someone explain why then,
after accepting a brand new aeroplane, it needs
to go into the hangar for up to five days thus
preventing it from entering revenue-earning
service?
If one were to use the analogy of buying a
brand new car and driving it home, why would
you want to put it in the garage for up to five
days before you could start using it?
New aeroplanes are expensive and only make
money when they are in service.
Why the downtime when it has arrived fresh
from the manufacturer?
Name withheld
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“I have travelled on different
flights but my experience with
Cathay Pacific is the best. The
seat is spacious and comfortable
with pull up pillows, the washrooms are clean and the crew
offer a warm welcome.
The food is tasty with a wide
range available and is better
than those offered by other carriers.
The crew are the best I have
met – they show concern for
their passengers’ comfort and
always show a smiling face.
They were very patient and
listened to the passengers’ needs
and were kind and willing to
help.
Thank you for making our
journey an enjoyable one and
I look forward to travelling
again with Cathay Pacific in the
future.”
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A Canadian passenger
on CX889 from New
York to Hong Kong in
October praised the
wonderful inflight
experience he had.
Dashing into work Fax frustration
Vanesssa Li, Manager Cargo Planning,
replies: For all new aircraft, our aim is to operate
revenue services as soon as practicable. Usually,
two working days in Hong Kong after arrival is
required to get the necessary Hong Kong Civil
Aviation Department (HKCAD) approval before
it enters into service.
For the 8F, as this is a new fleet type we
needed to accommodate training requirements
for cargo handling, Flight Operations and
Engineering teams so that they could familiarise
themselves with this aircraft, hence the longer
pre-service ground time than usual.
For future 8F deliveries, there is no training
planned and the aircraft will enter into service
as soon as the HKCAD approvals are obtained.
I recently used my husband’s Asia Miles to upgrade our family FOC tickets from Economy
Class to Business.
To upgrade our tickets, the Marco Polo Club
requires us to fax a copy of the FOC tickets, despite us holding a confirmed travel itinerary.
Surely it would be far more convenient to email
a PDF copy?
I would also like to commend the excellent
service provided to us by Manager on Duty Diana Bachman and her staff at Los Angeles airport, who facilitated our request for an upgrade
using Asia Miles.
They had to contact the Marco Polo Club to
process the request and essentially did the work
for us, which would not have been necessary if
we were able to complete the process online
through email with Marco Polo Club.
Rejina Turner,
ISD
Steve Rackstraw, Manager Member Services,
Asia Miles Limited, replies: I appreciate your
suggestion that sending us a PDF copy by email
would be far more convenient than by fax.
After the PSS cutover, staff will be issued
with an electronic ticket when travelling on CX,
so that emailing or faxing ticket copies will no
longer be required.
However, ticket numbers will still need to be
advised to our Service Centre via our hotline or
the Asia Miles website.
I was also delighted to hear of the great
service given by the Los Angeles airport staff
to accommodate your request, and have
already passed on your compliments to those
concerned.
Lost in translation
Over the last few years there has been an increase in the number of Putonghua-speaking passengers onboard. We have made some
changes to public announcements because of
this and we have at least one Putonghua-speaking crew on the flight.
However the safety videos are still only available in Cantonese and English. Why is this, and
are there plans to include Putonghua in the future?
Harry Leung,
YVR
Aravind Viswanath, Inflight Safety & Standards
Manager, replies: The Hong Kong Civil Aviation
Department requirement is that English and
Cantonese is mandatory in the safety video.
Given that the safety video is required to be
shown in its entirety before takeoff, and in light
of the short taxiing times, it is impossible to
have a third language on the video in addition
to the ones we have to have.
However there is a short announcement
made in a third language to alert passengers
that the safety video will be shown shortly.
Losing my
connection
I was told by the IMT Service Centre that
the current iConnectPlus programme for
Mac does not support operating systems
above the 2005-released OS 10.4.
The normal Apple computers you can
buy nowadays are running on OS 10.7 or
above.
With more and more people using Macs,
would the company consider upgrading
our software so that Mac users can access
more functions available on IntraCX from
home?
Name withheld
Gary Dashwood, IM Head, Service &
Operations, replies: Currently Microsoft
Internet Explorer Version 8 or below is supported on all CX systems via iConnect.
IMT recognises that staff may have need
to use alternate manufacturers of Internet
browsers when outside the CX office and
does provide best-effort support for many
common browsers such as Safari, Lion and
Firefox via the iConnectPlus solution.
Unfortunately, the manufacturer of this
alternate solution only provides minimal
support and cannot always provide an immediate update for all OS manufacturers’
updates.
IMT is investigating remote access solutions that support additional browser technologies.
Return of the
sui mai?
On behalf of many hungry staff, I’d like to
ask if the Headland Hotel plans to bring
back dim sum at Coffee North and South?
We were told many months ago they
were sourcing a new supplier for the sui
mai and beef balls, but there’s still no sign
of their return. Any news on their return?
Name withheld
Changes in the pipeline
keep Dragonair strong
Last year ended on a positive note for Dragonair with healthy demand coming out of
China despite the waning market demand
caused by the deteriorating world economy, says KA Chief Executive Officer Patrick
Yeung.
“Since Dragonair’s biggest market is China,
whose economy is still doing reasonably well
relative to the rest of the world, our flights are
not doing badly,” Patrick says.
“Load factors on the Qingdao, Wuhan
and Kunming routes were very encouraging, as well as Southeast Asian routes such
as Phnom Penh, Kota Kinabalu, Phuket and
Manila,” he adds.
Demand to most KA destinations was
strong over the Christmas period and leisure
destinations were the standouts during the
peak season including Phuket, Sanya, Kota
Kinabalu and Fukuoka.
Patrick also notes that KA racked up a solid
list of accomplishments in 2011 other than
the strong Christmas showing, although he
is hesitant to claim them as his own.
“With only four months in the CEO position
in 2011, I can’t take full credit for KA’s achievements, especially for the results achieved in
the first half of the year. It is great however,
that KA recorded a new single day passenger
uplift of 25,628 on 19 August,” Patrick says.
“The team was dedicated and very professional. It was also a great endorsement from
customers that KA was voted Skytrax ‘World’s
Best Regional Airline’ for the second consecutive year,” he adds.
Just before the end of 2011, the airline also
set out an expansion plan with the acquisition
FROM THE TOP: Patrick is looking forward to new developments for the airline in 2012.
of narrow-bodied aircraft, the introduction
of inflight products, additional destinations
and the announcement of the introduction
of a brand new uniform.
“All of this is pretty exciting, considering
there haven’t been many new things at KA in
the last few years,” Patrick says.
With expansion comes the challenge of ensuring there are enough crew and resources
to cope – “good problems to have,” he quips.
Since taking the top spot, Patrick is keen to
stress the importance of what he calls “ABC”–
assets, branding and culture.
“ABC development is long term. It is not
something that we can achieve in a day, a
week, a month, or a year. It will be in our DNA
throughout,” he says.
To build a good rapport among team
members, Patrick flew to more than 30 Dragonair sectors within his first 100 days as CEO
to meet frontline staff and crew.
Patrick also launched a new column on
Dragonet to convey his thoughts on management and personal experiences to staff.
“I hope my thoughts will inspire colleagues
in both their work and personal life,” he says.
Celebrations for
new Nanjing office
The Nanjing team celebrated the opening of a new office at
Lu Kong International Airport in November with a simple pigcutting ceremony.
General Manager China Sam Swire hosted the ceremony
and delivered the opening remarks in Chinese, expressing his
appreciation to NKG airport staff for their dedication and hard
work and thanking the GHA and other airport-related bodies
for their continued support.
NKG Port Manager Carol Sun and colleagues from
the Airport, Engineering and Cargo teams joined in the
celebration.
Nick Cullum, General Manager Headland
Hotel, replies: Both Coffee North and Dakota’s Coffee have more than 95% of their
products produced fresh within Headland’s
own kitchens.
The dim sum were outsourced from a local supplier and, in line with our HACCP accreditation (Global Standard for Food Safety & Hygiene), audits of that manufacturer’s
production facility were done by the hotel.
They fell short of standards and the products were thus removed from sale.
Variety and product development at our
coffee stalls is very important and the availability of dim sum will be reviewed in future
offerings.
7
Photography passion tak
ISM Marester Macasiano takes stunning photos of birds in her spare time
The beautiful sight of a flock of birds in
flight, or walking quietly through a forest
patiently hoping for an elusive glimpse
of a colourful wing, is what spurs Inflight
Service Manager Marester Macasiano in
her passion for wildlife photography.
Marester (pictured right) says her
interest started with her desire to capture
memories of her travels combined with
her love of the outdoors.
“My initial foray into this hobby was not
a walk in the park. I had to learn about
the different species of birds, explore
their habitats and use the appropriate
equipment and techniques,” Marester
says.
“I mainly go on expeditions in the
Philippines with my husband, who is also
a wildlife photographer. We have targets
to hit along the way about what we can
expect to see.
“You learn a lot, especially about the
patience required to get a good capture
and the need to get up early in the
morning. We also spend countless hours
in the field and basically expose ourselves
to various environmental conditions such
as gusty winds, heavy rain and extreme
heat,” she adds.
Bird photography has also increased her
love of the environment and nature.
“I have had to learn about the habitats
and characters of the birds and the time
of the year when they can be seen. Since
we are capturing migratory birds, it is
often necessary to return several times to
capture them properly.
“Sadly, you seldom find primary forest
now and I have seen all the devastation
and logging going on which means the
forests are almost gone,” Marester says.
Marester is a member of the Wild Bird
Club of the Philippines and the Philippine
Bird Photography Forum and the group
took part in a photo exhibition in Cebu
in July entitled “Migratory Birds: Global
Ambassadors
of the Changing
Environment”.
“The photo exhibit was
to show selected migratory
shorebirds taken in the locality and
highlight their role relative to climate
change. A lot of our birds are in the brink
of extinction due to ignorance and lack
of education,” Marester says, adding that
an exhibition of forest birds is now being
planned.
On a personal note, Marester is hoping
to get more sunbirds into her album.
“I only have a few of these beautiful,
colourful birds but I would love to have
the full collection!”
Feedback needed as The Galle
If you’ve ever looked around The Galley at Cathay City and wanted to make
changes, now is your chance to provide feedback as the food court area
prepares to undergo a major overhaul.
A project team, which includes staff
from Airline Purchasing, Personnel and
the Property & Services Department,
has been tasked by Chief Operating
Officer Ivan Chu to introduce shortterm improvements to the area.
Staff are also being invited to share their
views on the food offerings via an anonymous survey being conducted from16-31
January. More information can be found on
IntraCX.
Ivan says the end result will be a better
dining environment for all staff to enjoy.
“The feedback we receive via the survey
will be very important to us as continuous
improvements are made,” he says.
Executive Assistant to Chief Operating
Officer Rozana Lee says: “Working with
the CX food service provider, Maxim’s Catering Service, our team aims to increase
the capacity, improve the ambience, and
enhance food quality and variety over the
next six months before long-term fixes are
put in place.”
Staff will already start seeing changes in
February, with the large 12-person tables
on the second floor Cha Chaan Teng replaced with booths and smaller tables both
inside and on the balcony area.
The blue sofa area outside the Auditorium will be refurbished with new furniture
8
and tiles, providing approximately 100
seats, and staff are invited to suggest a new
name for this area.
To help ease congestion at the tray return area at the back, additional trolleys
will be utilised for tray collection and the
lighting of the low-ceiling areas will also be
adjusted to enhance the ambience.
The results of the staff survey will be analysed, and a phased implementation plan
will be published by March. To minimise
disruption, the first renovations will be
done during the Easter break in April.
A change to the service flow has been
proposed to help minimise queuing time
and confusion.
Staff will be asked to select and
collect their food before paying for
it at one of four cashiers located
at the side of the escalators.
The “pay last” concept is a
proven model and is already
widely used at universities and
shopping malls throughout
Hong Kong.
kes flight
Cathay Pacif ic
cares
Spreading some
Christmas cheer
Primary school students were treated to an
afternoon of games, presents and carols when
they visited Cathay City on 10 December.
Twenty-one CX Volunteers helped spread
Christmas cheer on the day. Santa Claus distributed presents to the children, and Director
Corporate Affairs Quince Chong also dropped
by to wish them a Merry Christmas.
The 37 schoolchildren were referred by the
Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council Tung
Chung Integrated Services Centre.
ey gets ready for a makeover
CHANGE IN THE AIR: (Main
picture) a computer
rendering of the new
“pay last” concept
at The Galley.
The other pictures
show the concept
at work at City
University of
Hong Kong.
Soon after the Christmas event, members
of CX Volunteers discovered they could keep
up with the latest team news by logging onto
their own Facebook page.
“The CX Volunteers Facebook group was
set up to celebrate the team’s fourth birthday
and to facilitate communication among members,” says Assistant Corporate Communication Manager – Community Relations Chloris
Leung.
“The team has moved forward in leaps and
bounds since its inception in late 2007, with
membership growing to more than 1,000
staff,” she adds.
The page, which is only viewable by team
members, is constantly updated with information about upcoming activities, event photos,
polls, and other types of content.
As of 11 January, the page had already attracted more than 100 subscribers.
A regular column highlighting
the airline’s commitment
to the community
9
2011
– the ch
M
arch
Everyone knew that 2010 – “the
year the stars really were aligned” – was
going to be hard to beat, but few expected that
2011 would be turn out to be quite so challenging.
The year actually kicked off promisingly, with an “upbeat
start to 2011” declared on the front page of the January CX
World.
For the first three months everything did indeed look good, with both
the passenger and cargo businesses maintaining the momentum of the
previous year.
However, by April airfreight demand had begun to soften and cargo found
itself on a slippery slope that it couldn’t get off for the rest of the year.
On the passenger side things held up much better. Passengers continued to
travel for business and pleasure, despite the economic gloom that prevailed for
most of the year, and the premium cabins in particular showed healthy growth.
But fuel prices – once again – managed to dampen whatever positives the
year had to bring, remaining stubbornly high despite the frailty of the world’s
economy.
The economic problems paled beside a series of natural disasters that tested
the mettle of people around the world, with the earthquake and tsunami in
Japan in March and flooding in Thailand later in the year having particular
resonance with the airline and its staff.
Despite the difficulties faced, CX kept its eye on the prize and
continued with a slew of developments – from new aircraft orders
to the cargo terminal and product rollouts – that will help to
make it a better airline in the year to come.
Moving into 2012 and it looks certain the challenges
are set to continue.
J
anuary
F
• The Marketing team launches the Travel the
World in 80 Days contest on Facebook, offering a
unique travel
prize.
• The Wing
named the
world’s best
airport lounge
by Frommers.
• Sustainable
development
strategy
launched offering a cross-company sustainability
programme.
• Asia Miles launches mobile membership card.
• Shanghai Cargo team wins We Suggest! contest
with idea for better container utilisation.
A
• The new Business Class takes to the air for the first
time, operating to Sydney on 1 March.
• “Connecting Your World” ticket giveaway launched
as part of celebrations for the centenary of
powered flight in Hong Kong.
• CX Group declares record profit of HK$14,048
million for 2010, with staff receiving five weeks’
profit share. Airline announces intention to acquire
another 27 new aircraft.
• Japan rocked by huge earthquake and tsunami.
The CX JPN team responds magnificently while
staff around the network contribute to an appeal
that raised
HK$10
million.
• John Slosar
takes over
from Tony
Tyler as Chief
Executive,
with Ivan
Chu becoming Chief Operating
Officer.
• Hong Kong Sevens sponsorship spiced up with TV
commercial featuring rugby-playing cabin crew.
J
uly
Highest weekly cargo tonnage
36,747 tonnes (w/e 19 Mar)
pril
Lowest daily
passenger
total
45,805, 4 Apr
(CX)
13,265, 6 Jan
(KA)
• Flight Attendant Jim Kong wins the 17th CX Singing Contest.
• Ad campaign to promote new Business Class launches in Hong Kong and key
overseas markets.
A
• More than 12,000 frontline staff begin
wearing the new CX uniform, designed
again by Hong Kong’s Eddie Lau.
• Latest Organisation Alignment Survey
gets a snapshot of staff opinion on
the way the airline is run, with an 84%
response.
• CX continues engagement work on HKIA
third runway through series of briefings,
speeches and presentations.
• Winning team in Cathay Pacific Aviation
Knowledge Contest – organised as part
of the aviation centenary – awarded
with Seattle trip.
ugust
• First part of The Wing to go through renovation – Level 6 – reopens.
• Project to upgrade 10,000 PCs at CX begins, alongside rollout of Outlook email
system.
• Full-scale test of the Flight Disruption Control System assesses CX’s readiness
for typhoons – but no major storms strike Hong Kong in 2011.
• Biggest inflight menu promotion to date launched with eight restaurants from
the Miramar Group.
ebruary
• Year of the Rabbit welcomed with the CX-sponsored International
Chinese New Year Night Parade.
• Hong Kong added to growing list of ports offering online ticket
change function.
• The huge Passenger Services Systems (PSS) project is
rescheduled to the first quarter of
2012.
•
Staff appeal launched
to help New Zealand Red
Cross after earthquake hits
Christchurch.
•
“Japan Unlimited”
campaign launched to boost
the leisure traffic segment
from Hong Kong to Japan.
M
ay
Lowest
weekly cargo
tonnage
24,367
tonnes (w/e
12 Feb)
• The cargo joint venture between Cathay Pacific
and Air China is formally launched, based in
Shanghai and operating under the Air China
Cargo name.
• Philippe de Gentile-Williams named as new
Director Service Delivery.
• CX announces it will join with HSBC as co-sponsor
of the Hong Kong Sevens from 2012-15.
• CX publishes its first Sustainable Development
Report, winning an A+ rating under Global
Reporting Initiative guidelines.
• First of three freighters being dry-leased from CX
begins operations for Air Hong Kong.
• Asia Miles welcomes its 4 millionth member.
• Launch of twice-weekly freighter
service to Bengaluru broadens Cargo’s
reach in India.
• Interim profit of HK$2.8 billion
announced – down 59% on 2010 due
to fuel prices, cargo softening and
impact of Japan disaster.
• Latest aircraft order includes four
more 777-300ERs and eight 777-200
Freighters – a new type for the airline.
• Internal investigation launched following
photos of indecent acts involving crew.
• First aircraft to be retrofitted with new
Business Class, a 777-300ER, goes into the
hangar at Xiamen.
• CX confirms it will launch a Premium
Economy Class product in early 2012.
• First CX Green Explorer programme takes
place in Hong Kong and Sichuan Province.
hallenges return
J
S
eptember
une
• CX gives backing for third runway at HKIA as
public consultation on the future of Hong Kong’s
airport begins.
• Latest destination is launched on 2 June with new
four-times-weekly service to Abu Dhabi.
• Mike Corey, winner of the “Travel the World in 80
Days” contest, begins an amazing three-month
journey, all chronicled on Facebook.
• “We Love Japan” campaign launched to encourage
Japan public to invite friends, relatives and
colleagues from Hong Kong to visit.
• Nineteen CX and KA staff and seven frontline
teams honoured at the seventh annual Betsy
Awards.
• A new book, Flying High with 38 Hearts of Gold,
highlights the volunteering efforts of CX staff.
• Daily flight to Chicago launched, bringing
America’s Midwest into the network.
• IATA warns that “the industry is shifting gear
downwards” as demand softens and economies
come under pressure.
• Premium traffic holds up on CX while raft of
promotional fares boost Economy numbers.
• Cathay Pacific Loyalty Programmes split into Asia
Miles Limited and the Marco Polo Club to allow
the two brands to grow separately.
Special
mention
goes to …
At December’s Management Conference,
Chief Executive John Slosar paid tribute to
the special efforts of a number of teams over
the course of 2011.
Busiest day at HKIA
33,854 on board ex-HKG, 17
Dec
O
Tokyo team/HKIA volunteers
ctober
• At CX-sponsored Greener Skies conference, airlines voice
opposition to European Union emissions scheme that will
launch in 2012.
• New freighter services to Chongqing and Chengdu tap into
Western China’s growing export market.
• Latest phase of “People and Service” brand campaign
launched, with new TV commercials and new faces on the
Meet the Team site.
• Internal “People and Service” campaign attracts more than
8,000 staff to make their own ads in Hong Kong.
• Torrential rain and flooding causes chaos in Thailand,
prompting CX to launch another fundraising campaign.
N
• First Boeing 747-8 Freighter arrives in
Hong Kong. Three more are delivered
before the yearend including Hong Kong
Trader in a special livery.
• Airline launches Cathay Pacific Charitable
Fund to provide funds to support staff
volunteering efforts.
• Zaragoza in Spain added to the freighter
network, targeting garment shipments to
and from Asia.
• HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang
officiates at topping-out ceremony for
Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal.
• The Frankfurt lounge is refreshed and a
new lounge opens in San Francisco – the
first branded lounge in the US.
• Martin Murray takes over from James
Hughes-Hallett as Finance Director.
Japan sales team
Number of
pilots on 31 Dec
2,570 (3.1% up
on 2010)
Despite the huge impact of the earthquake,
the Japan sales team remained focused and
motivated. Up to December they achieved
revenue growth of 5% in local currency
terms, despite an ASK drop of 3% over the
same period last year.
Japan (Tokyo) Central Reservations
Team/Mary Chan
Number of new
aircraft
13 (6 777s, 3
A330s, 4 7478Fs)
ovember
Aircraft with new
Business Class
15 (including 6
retrofits)
The Tokyo team did an impressive job
coping with the March earthquake, handling
passengers who were stressed, panicked,
and looking to exit the country. Despite
the outward flow of people, a team of HKIA
volunteers went to Japan to provide relief
and support.
D
Number of cabin
crew on 31 Dec
8,976 (6.9% up on
2010)
ecember
Highest daily
passenger
total
67,557, 17
Dec (CX)
25,628, 19 Aug
(KA)
• Hong Kong jockey Matthew Chadwick takes top the top honour at
the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races.
• CX announces details of new Premium Economy and confirms
introduction of new long-haul Economy seat from 1 March.
• Management conference
acknowledges
challenges ahead in
2012, including need
to reduce costs, while
highlighting the many
exciting developments
taking place.
• A full evacuation of
CX365 takes place
in Shanghai on 9
December. Seven
passengers and two crew suffer minor injuries.
• Daily passenger record broken on 17 December with 68,026 carried.
• Airport Authority recommends HKSAR Government to build a third
runway following public consultation.
The idea of having a remote CRO team work
from Hong Kong was proposed by JPN’s
Fabrizio Raponi. Mary Chan and WRT in
Hong Kong provided tremendous support,
making arrangements using the CEPIC room
and CEPIC number.
Thailand team
During the recent flooding crisis, homes of
staff were affected, but the team worked
diligently to keep operations running
smoothly.
Bahrain team
Throughout the whole Arab Spring
disruptions in Bahrain, the team kept
operations running while contending with
daily disturbances close to the Town Office.
While many airlines closed offices, CX in
most cases kept the office open.
People and Service
Grace Cheung, Donna Chen and the brand
team were commended for their work on
the external and internal campaign.
CX Volunteers
With more than 1,000 members, the CX
Volunteers contributed their own personal
time to offer a total of 2,300 service hours for
the betterment of the community in 2011.
11
NEWS FOCUS
AMSTERDAM
Web company shows its
power at award event
The Amsterdam team hosted the 15th edition of the China
Business Awards at the Duin & Kruidberg country estate in
November.
The big winner was Web Power which is the market leader
in email marketing services in China. The company was
founded by CEO Jacco Bouw in 1999 and expanded to China
in 2006, which has proved to be a great business move.
The event was hosted by General Manager Europe Angus
Barclay who welcomed the guests and introduced the
Chairman of the China Council, J.J.C.M. van Dooremalen,
who was also chairman of the panel of judges.
WINNING SMILE: (From left) Angus Barclay and J.J.C.M. van
Dooremalen congratulate Web Power’s Jacco Bouw.
Offering help to
earthquake survivors
WORKING TOGETHER: Staff from around India developed
hundreds of ideas to help CX.
12
JAPAN
NEW ZEALAND
Taking time to celebrate local heroes
The New Zealand team joined with the Herald on Sunday
newspaper for the Cathay Pacific Community Heroes awards,
which recognise remarkable people who have made a difference
in their community.
The 2011 winners were Rob and Moira Reed who hold
workshops for local children to learn how to carve out of wood
and bone; 16-year-old Rupert Scobie who helped to rescue his
aunt when a chimney fell on her during the earthquake; and
Kohan McNab who helped to coordinate and mobilise a 1,000
strong student army to help clean up after the earthquake. The
winners will all receive a trip to Hong Kong as a reward.
“As well as rewarding inspiring people who are the backbone of
our community, this project also provides us with the opportunity
to give back and support the local communities that support us,”
says Ken Chiu, Country Manager New Zealand & Pacific Islands.
Traditional welcome for new lounge
UNITED STATES
The Indian team has been working hard on eight different
staff projects for the past few months following a “Vision and
Mission” kick-off day (pictured below) held early in 2011.
In October, the groups presented 200 ideas to a panel,
ranging from small-scale initiatives to make offices a greener place to suggestions on how to improve revenue or minimise costs.
The staff projects
were also an opportunity for staff to
learn more about
a different area of
the business outside their normal
operation.
For instance,
Cargo Manager
Suket Suri led
the passenger
product team, Airport Services Manager – Mumbai Deborah Gonsalves
delved into the world of cargo, back office staff looked at
service delivery and the frontline team got an insight into
back office thinking.
With team members scattered throughout the country,
great teamwork and coordination were required to get all
the ideas together, but Personnel Manager Neil Andrade
says the enthusiasm of the teams was amazing.
“Many staff went well beyond the call of duty, working
evenings to visit airports, interviewing passengers and inspecting cargo warehouses,” he says.
One team even handed out questionnaires to passengers,
staff and their families and friends to gather opinions on
what CX or competitors do well.
The projects will be continuing throughout this year with
managers assigned to take each suggestion forward.
Ideas which the team can implement immediately include
having a designated printer that uses recycled paper.
Other suggestions have been forwaded to Head Office
including arranging for Indian newspapers to be offered on
the Hong Kong-India flights or having iPads on standby to
give out in the case of a defective IFE system.
General Manager South Asia, Middle East & Africa Tom
Wright, says: “At the end of the day, some ideas might not
be feasible but the projects really got us all thinking about
what we can do better and everyone came together in a
fantastic display of teamwork, enthusiasm and dedication
to working towards our company vision of being the world’s
best airline.
“The work conducted was thorough and insightful. Most
importantly, it was a fun, collective team effort and we’re
looking forward to sharing our suggestions across the network,” Tom adds.
The very first Cathay Pacific branded lounge in the US, located at San Francisco
International Airport, officially opened its doors on 15 December in front of
more than 80 guests.
The ribbon and pig-cutting ceremony was officiated by Senior Vice
President Americas Scott Mowrer, Vice President Marketing & Sales
Americas Eric Odone, San Francisco Airport Director John
Martin, Director of International Affairs San Francisco Mark
Chandler and Airport Services Manager Hernan Papagno.
The 520-square-metre lounge features a comfortable
seating area which includes the Cathay Solus Chair, a
variety of hot and cold food items including the signature Noodle Bar, and three shower suites for passengers
to freshen up prior to the flight.
Sri Lanka teams take out
cricketing honours
SRI LANKA
Teams project
forward to
improve airline
The management team in Tokyo visited Sendai to join
volunteer work to help those affected by the earthquake
and tsunami in 2011.
The team helped clean a rice field which was covered
by reeds after the tsunami and then
moved to another site to clean up
land where a house had been swept
away.
It was a hot day but the
managers enjoyed the time and
hope their work will be of some
help to people still recovering
from the tragedy.
Nine teams from around the network took part in the 2011
CX/KA International Cricket Sixes from 11-13 November in
Colombo.
The two final matches saw the Sri Lankan ladies team beating the Indian female team, and the male Sri Lankan team in
an exciting match against the UAE team, winning with only
two balls to spare.
S&R Chairman Nick Rhodes was on hand to present
awards to the male and female players of the tournament and man of the match. Nick said the tournament
was one of the best he had ever attended and promised
to return in 2012 with a Hong Kong team.
New premises as Service
Centre team grows
PORT PEOPLE
Speedy snapper
Sales Officer Offline Europe Dirk Lucas acted as tour guide during a familiarisation trip in November for six sales agents from the GSA offices in Offline Europe.
For most of them it was their first trip to Hong Kong and, as they are dedicated to selling Cathay Pacific in their
countries, it was a great opportunity
for them to experience the product first
hand.
While in Hong Kong, the group had
a tour of Cathay City, dropping by the
training facilities, the CXperience museum and sampling the food at The Galley, before seeing some of Hong Kong’s
main attractions including the Peak and
shopping in Mong Kok.
FRANKFURT
Tour offers insight into CX’s home
Dashing into Sydney
AUSTRALIA
There was great excitement on 29 November
when Hong Kong Trader arrived in Sydney to be
met by Boeing Chief Pilot Captain Mark Hoey
and a contingent of media keen to see the giant
“Dash 8” aircraft up close.
Business Development executive
– Cargo Murray Cassar gave a tour
of the aircraft including the cargo
hold, cockpit and even the crew
quarters.
Two hours later, the 747-8F took
off for Melbourne where another
tour was held for CX staff and
customers.
For Sales Manager Offline Middle East and veteran shutterbug Jasim M Al Bastaki, nothing quite matches up to the
thrill of photographing cars racing round a track.
Jasim, who has been taking photos for 25 years, is now
the official photographer of the Bahrain Grand Prix and he
also shot the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year.
In his spare time, he also teaches photography to a select
group of students out of a small studio in Bahrain.
“The beauty of photographing motor sports is the competition between me and the driver—who will be faster?”
says Jasim. “It is a challenge between the speed of the car
and the click of my camera.”
Jasim is motivated to take photos because he wants to
show the beauty of the world to people who cannot see it
through their own eyes.
“A good racing photo is one that captures both the driver
and the car in motion. You cannot freeze the car. People
have to know that the car is really on the track,” he says.
Jasim’s portfolio also includes remarkable imagery from
the Himalayas, safaris, and the deep sea.
“I want to show these pictures to people who cannot afford to travel,” he says.
Jasim advises aspiring photographers to focus on learning the basics of their camera instead of splashing out on
fancy gear, and to be creative.
“I always tell my students to think out of the box and
show me something different,” he says.
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Saving the day
Director Services Delivery Philippe De Gentile-Williams, General Manager Airports Adrian Harley and General Manager Cabin Crew Liza Ng
visited Bangkok to thank the teams and take part in an appreciation day
on 6 December.
After facing the impact of Thailand’s devastating floods for almost two
months, the Thailand team finally had the chance to gather for a relaxing lunch.
In spite of the difficulties they faced, the staff demonstrated their professionalism throughout by maintaining normal operations, with some
even commuting to work by boats and trucks.
The managers visited both the Bangkok Town Office and the Suvarnabhumi Airport Office to host lunches for ground staff and cabin crew.
THAILAND
Appreciation shown for
staff after difficult time
Life’s a (clean) beach
events in Taipei and Kaoshiung on 29 October and 5 November respectively. More than 510kg of trash was collected from the beaches.
TAIWAN
More than 155 participants including CX and KA staff,
Facebook fans and children from the Southern Taiwan
Children’s Home took part in the annual beach cleanup
ON TRACK:
Jasim will
showcase his
photography
skills at the
Bahrain Grand
Prix.
INDIA
The Mumbai Service Centre (MSC) team celebrated
the opening of a new office in early December with
General Manager Sales & Distribution Clarence Tai
and General Manager South Asia, Middle East &
Africa Tom Wright present to cut the ribbon.
The occasion was marked by traditional Indian
religious ceremonies to purify the premises and
bless everyone with health and prosperity.
The MSC started in 1996 with eight staff. That has
now grown to nearly 300 staff divided into 10 teams
to handle various tasks including customer relations,
reservations and ticketing and fare loading.
Melbourne-based Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Umaharan Yoganathan (Uma) is a quiet hero.
The Sri-Lankan native was performing routine servicing
on an Airbus 330 in June this year when he noticed a defect
on the P-Clip, a device used to secure the position of an
aircraft’s fuel pipe.
The problem needed attention and Uma reported the issue to Technical Services, resulting in a wider inspection to
make sure it didn’t escalate.
His vigilance earned him a Quality Award, an accolade
given by Engineering management to recognise outstanding performance by staff.
“I really appreciate the award,” says Uma. “I didn’t expect
it, since I was doing what I was supposed to do.”
General Manager Engineering Technical Steve Chadwick
says that the ENG team in Hong Kong appreciates the feedback it receives from line maintenance staff around the
network.
“Uma did really well in noticing and reporting the
issue,” he says.
WELL SPOTTED:
Uma receives a
Quality Award
from Steve
Chadwick.
13
One A
hell of an adventure!
minute with...
Karen Bishop, First Officer
1. What are important
attributes for pilots to have?
Good hand-eye coordination and
communication skills. The ability
to prioritise and manage many
tasks while being interrupted
and then go back to that thought
process.
2. What part of your job do
you find most enjoyable?
There are so many variables in
flying, such as the weather and air
traffic control clearances.
3. What is the most difficult
part of your job?
Being away from my partner,
family and friends.
4. What was your most
memorable flight?
Two CX Captains – Kurt Lynn and Matt McLaughlin – put their bodies to
the ultimate test in the World Championships of Adventure Racing, held
in Tasmania in November.
The race – known as XPD 2011 – was not for the fainthearted, involving 750km of non-stop kayaking on the ocean and rivers, trekking sections, caving and mountain biking.
The format was expedition style, like the televised Eco Challenge races of the 1990s and early 2000s produced by Mark Burnett of Survivor
fame.
Seventy-eight international teams followed maps to navigate their
way between the 53 checkpoints in the race with approximately 375km
of mountain biking (in five stages), 225km of trekking (in four stages),
and 140km of kayaking (in three stages).
Kurt and Matt raced with the Sportsworld Hong Kong team together
with locally based French businessman and adventure athlete Pierre
Le Magnan and Brasil-based US athlete Bobette Burdick.
The race was so tough that only 44 teams finished the full course.
“It was cold, wet and windy for some of the coastal and mountain
stages, and some of the mountain bike stages involved more carrying than riding,” says Matt.
“For one section at night in a forest we had to push the bikes along
a shin-deep muddy trail choked with roots and foliage – it took six
hours to cover just eight kilometres!”
Teams also had to swim in mountain and coastal streams that were
so cold the body started hyperventilating and cramping up, and Team
SportsWorld averaged just two hours sleep per day.
The team finished after 9.5 days of non-stop racing, coming in 40th
place in the premier mixed-team division, and gaining a ranked finish
in the 2011 Adventure Racing World Championships – the highest ever
achieved by a Hong Kong team.
CX veterans recognised
Flying home into Melbourne
Airport for the first time. We get
a great view of the city as the sun
rises behind it in the morning.
Chief Operating Officer Ivan Chu was on hand on 16 November
to present long-service awards to six staff from around the network who have worked for CX for 40 years or more.
Pictured with Ivan are (from left) Vancouver Financial Services
Officer Frederick Chan, Mrs Nozaki, Tokyo Cargo Services Staff
Koichi Nozaki, Manager Contracts & Services – Airports P L Ching,
Auckland Airport Services Supervisor Maria Chow, Tokyo Cargo
Services Coordinator Naoyuki Watanabe and ex-CX staffer
William Leung.
Tokyo Licensed Aircraft Engineer Hiroyuki Tateyama was unable to attend the ceremony and will receive his award separately.
5. Your dad was a pilot.What
is the most important piece
of advice he gave you about
flying?
Listen to your instincts.
6. What destination do you
most enjoy flying to and
why?
New York. It’s an amazing city and
the New York cheesecake served
on the flight is another plus!
7. Is it hard to go against
the views of your peers as a
female pilot?
Sometimes I feel the expectations
of others to conform to old ideas,
such as staying at home instead
of doing things you are passionate about. I think that is a fearful
way to live.
8. What do you like to do in
your spare time?
Yoga, aerobics, surfing and reading. I also enjoy taking loved ones
on joy-flights around the city.
9. If you weren’t a pilot,
what would you be?
I’m a qualified personal trainer
and aerobics instructor so I’d
work in the health industry.
10. What advice will you
give to aspiring pilots?
To be the best you can be, take
calculated risks and never be
afraid to fail.
14
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE: (Top, from left) Bobette, Pierre, Kurt and
Matt celebrate at the finish line; (above left) Matt and Kurt during the
ocean kayak stage; and (above right) Kurt goes mountain trekking.
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Winnie previously worked in the banking industry.
She is delighted to find that CX provides many opportunities for her to learn.
“All of my colleagues are nice and helpful,” she
enthuses.
“CX provides a comfortable working environment for their employees and I enjoy working
here.”
Winnie likes to swim and play badminton in her spare time. “I can do these
activities in Cathay City—that’s great!” she says.
Stanley has been interested in aviation since high
school and studied Aeronautical Engineering &
Aviation Management.
“I have worked in the commercial aviation industry around the world, including Sydney, Singapore and Xiamen, working in aircraft maintenance
and engineering,” Stanley says.
“I think this is the most dynamic, challenging
and exciting industry and it will always be interesting to me.”
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CX World welcomes all new staff. Here is a selection of the
newcomers who recently came on board...
Winnie Leung, Accounting Officer 2,
FIN
Stanley Lai, Liaison Engineer, ENG
■
Raj Muthuratnasamy, Document Data
Specialist, FOP
Raj previously worked in the pre-press division at
Toppan Bestset Premedia.
He specialises in providing XML-based publishing solutions, automated XML workflows and ePub
publishing solutions for the science, technical and
medical publishing markets.
“I feel great to be part of the Cathay Pacific team,”
he says.
His hobbies include travelling and reading.
Ruaraidh Smeaton, Purchasing Manager – Marketing, APD
Ruaraidh (pronounced Rory) is not only new to
CX but also new to Hong Kong having just moved
here from London.
“My role is very much building upon the
experience I have gained working at a purchasing
consultancy firm. I am excited about the many new
experiences which no doubt await me,” he says.
In his spare time, Ruaraidh throws himself in
“absurd sport-based endurance events. From what I gather Hong Kong has
its fair share of these events to offer,” he says.
■
Olympic dream
in sight
Disabled rider Natasha Tse further improved
her chances of reaching next summer’s London Paralympic Games with an impressive performance in the Hong Kong International Para-Equestrian Dressage Competition on 28 November.
Natasha, who has cerebral palsy, is the daughter of Inflight Service Manager Gail Siah (pictured above), and she started riding with
the help of the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA).
Both Swire and Cathay Pacific are sponsors of the RDA with Director Corporate Affairs Quince Chong heading up the PR
and Fundraising Committee.
Natasha scored a career high of 67.75% in
the two-day event in Hong Kong.
“My sights are now firmly set on the
London Games and I want to represent Hong Kong in the biggest competition there is for disabled riders,”
she told a local newspaper.
“Since Natasha was chosen for
the Hong Kong team last year
she has been to a contest in London and will also enter another
contest in Spain in late January
before a decision will be made
about the Olympics,” Gail says.
“Being on the team obviously
means a lot to her and shows
that what started as a hobby 10
years ago as part of her rehabilitation, has now become a real
passion. She has a way of communicating with horses which is
very special,” Gail adds.
Find more information on the
Riding for the Disabled Association
at www.rda.org.hk
erations team
IMT’s Service & Op
FUN AND GAMES:
g.
Q and teambuildin
Sai Kung for a BB
PICTURE THIS: Teambuild
ing for the ISD Catering
Team involved an art-jam
competition.
TRADING PLACES: Cargo’s Hong Kong Sales team had a
model assignment at Cathay City.
The Quiz
The first prize this month
is two nights in a superior
room at the Sukhothai
Bangkok with breakfast.
The décor of the hotel
derives from the capital
of Thailand’s ancient
Sukhothai Kingdom with
symmetrical colonnades,
reflection pools and openair arcades combined with natural materials.
The hotel has a selection of dining outlets including fine Italian dining
from La Scala, authentic Thai dishes at Celadon and international buffet
with live cooking stations at the Colannade.
Guests can also enjoy signature spa treatments at Spa Botanica and try
out the jacuzzi, sauna and steam room at the Health Club located next to
the 25-metre infinity lap pool.
Go to www.sukhothai.com for more information.
The second prize winner will receive
a 29-piece Shanghai dinner set from
Maxwell & Williams, which is the
perfect complement for a home looking for a modern twist on Chinese
tableware.
Maxwell & Williams dinner sets are
the real deal when it comes to timeless, classic and stylish white porcelain.
This high-quality porcelain collection is dishwasher, freezer, microwave
and conventional oven safe.
Maxwell & Williams started from humble beginnings in Melbourne but today is a global brand with a presence in over 30 countries
around the world including the USA, the UK, Germany, Italy and Canada.
For more information, go to www.maxwellandwilliams.com
To enter, visit the online quiz entry form on the CX World site.
The deadline is noon on Friday, 10 February.
in
team got
HAPPY TIMES: The Toronto Airport
.
heon
lunc
luck
together for a pot
ONE BIG FAMILY: ISD’s Ann, Christine and Eva enjoyed
dinner with Shanghai CX/KA colleagues Clement, Henry
and Ronnie.
showcased their cookTASTY TREATS: The Saigon team
a lunch gathering.
at
ing (and home delivery!) skills
TAKING THE M
ICKEY: Cabin
crew had a gr
the Flight Atte
eat time at
ndant dinner
held at the Ho
Disneyland Ho
ng Kong
tel with some
special cartoo
n guests.
WELL DONE: The Manila team were thanked
for
their hard work at the completion of a succe
ssful
promotion with a night out on the town.
BIRTHDAY WISHES: Crew help Captain Andy Morison
celebrate his special day on board CX251.
A dam fine view
Licensed Aircraft Engineer Dominic Yu finds spectacular
natural vistas close to his home city
Most visitors to Vancouver are familiar with
the Capilano Suspension Bridge as it’s a
popular tourist attraction in the area.
This 450-foot bridge is suspended over
the Capilano River and stretches over the
Capilano Canyon.
The Capilano Canyon is one of four in the
Vancouver area and visitors can see splendid
views of rushing water over rock nestled in a
rainforest surrounding.
But an adventurous alternative to the view
from the bridge is the Cleveland Dam which
spreads out across 640 feet of canyon.
The view from the Cleveland Dam is wonderful. This concrete dam sits atop the Capilano River Regional Park blocking Capilano
Lake and supplies approximately 40% of the
fresh drinking water to the area.
The effort of climbing up to the dam is
rewarded by beautiful, spectacular views
which provide phenomenal photo opportunities.
From the top you can see sheer cliffs cut
into the mountains by the Capilano River;
the Capilano Reservoir with the backdrop
of Grouse Mountain and the Lion Mountains
in the distance; the Salmon Hatchery with
viewing areas to watch salmon migrate upstream to where they will be harvesting their
eggs; the Second Canyon Viewing Deck; the
Pipeline Bridge; Cable Pool Bridge; lush forest with ancient trees; and the water’s torrential release into the Canyon.
Travel
bites
■ Scenic Yunnan captured
Cathay Pacific Holidays is offering a seven-day/six-night selfdrive photography tour through
Yunnan from HK$35,290.
National Geographic photographer Ron
Yue will join the tour running from 17-23
February to help participants hone their
photography skills.
The tour goes from Yunnan’s bustling markets to the exotic sights of Xihuangbanna.
CX/KA staff will receive a 5% discount on the
published rate.
Go to Travel Desk for more information.
■ Smooth sounds in Dubai
LOOKING OUT: (Main picture) the Capilano
Reservoir; (below left) Capilano River
Regional park; and (right) the spillway
area of Cleveland Dam on a dry day.
The Dubai International Jazz Festival will be
held from 16-24 February offering quality
music and spectacular performances at
Dubai Festival City.
World of Jazz, a creative concept of street
entertainment, and Network Jazz Garden, a
seven-day jazz schedule, are added on to the
main concerts.
Celebrating its 10th birthday in 2012, the
festival promises at least three live concerts
each night and 27 live shows over nine days.
Special guests James Blunt, Jason Mraz
and James Morrison have already confirmed.
Go to www.dubaijazzfest.com for more.
■ New Zealand on the fringe
First held in 1994, the Fringe NZ Festival
presents more than 100 productions at
venues throughout Wellington.
Shows, cabaret, drama, street theatre,
gigs, live music and madcap stunts all celebrating the art of performance will be held
throughout the festival.
The 2012 event will be on from 10 February-3 March featuring more than 70 visual,
music, dance and theatre performances in
30 sites around the city.
For more information, go to www.fringe.
org.nz
SHOW US YOUR TIPS!
CX World welcomes staff travel tips from
across the network – email us at CCD#SCT
Snap happy
This month’s
contribution comes from
Senior Component Engineer David
Neale and shows a private villa on Tablas Island,
Romblon Province in the Philippines.
“It is close to a place called Looc where they have a fish
and marine sanctuary and all the family can go snorkelling,”
David says.
“The island is a bit off the normal tourist paths, but is situated only
around half an hour boat ride from Boracay.”
David says the laidback atmosphere and calm tranquillity on Tablas
Island is wonderfully relaxing.
“I hope you get the feeling of warmth and calm from these pictures. If you see yourself as an eco tourist and enjoy the laidback simple life then this place is worth a visit,” he adds.
16
HK$500 for a travel tale!
Every month, CX World invites all CX staff to
tell unusual, interesting or just downright
quirky tales of travel moments around the
world.
Sponsored by Inflight Sales, the lucky
sender of the main
story receives HK$500
worth of inflight
sales products of
their choice from
the ever-changing
collection of over
260 items on offer
(excluding liquor
and cigarettes).
Go shopping
at www.