Business Class campaign blitzes London

Celebrating 50 years of Bond
Fundraising efforts awarded
Cathay Pacific was among the
recipients of the Hong Kong Red
Cross Annual Big Donors – Diamond Award on 18 October.
The CX Group’s donation
of more than HK$10 million to
various relief projects in 2011
was the highest among all the
corporations in Hong Kong. “Through CX’s corporate
social responsibility activities
we encourage staff to help out
via direct donations or volunteer
work,” said Employee Services
Manager Bob Nipperess, who
represented CX at the awards
ceremony.
Malaysia’s joining date
confirmed
Malaysia Airlines will become a
full member of oneworld with effect from Friday 1 February 2013,
offering the alliance’s full range
of services and benefits.
The national airline of Malaysia
received clearance to board oneworld after successfully completing a thorough review of its readiness conducted by
Qantas, which is
sponsoring its entry
into the alliance,
with the oneworld
central team.
Malaysia Airlines will substantially expand the alliance’s
network in Southeast Asia, where
it will add 14 destinations and
one country – Brunei – to the
oneworld map and strengthen the
alliance’s connectivity between
many key business cities in Asia
and other parts of the world.
Best pyjamas in the sky!
The Australian Financial Review
has named CX’s Shanghai Tang
pyjamas as the best in the air.
The article in the
Sophisticated Traveller section compared pyjamas
from five leading
carriers to find
out which deliver
“true comfort and
style in the air”. CX’s
First Class offering
was a clear
winner with a
4-star rating for
comfort and five
stars for design and
the “at home” feeling.
To celebrate 50 years of James Bond on film, passengers can now view
some of the best-known Bond movies, watch documentaries, listen to Bond
soundtracks and even sip on the secret agent’s favourite drink.
On StudioCX, passengers can choose from six classic films featuring the
celebrated spy: Dr. No, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Spy Who
Loved Me, The Living Daylights, GoldenEye and Casino Royale. The selection encompasses the full range of the 23 Bond movies made since 1962
and feature all the different actors who have portrayed 007 over the years.
Two television programmes will be featured in the Lifestyle/Documentary
section – The Cars of James Bond and a biography of James Bond creator
Ian Fleming.
Even before boarding, eligible passengers can celebrate the 50th anniversary by sipping on James Bond’s favourite martini which is being offered
to - passengers at The Pier (First and Business Class sections), The Wing
(Business Class) and The Cabin (Business Class) lounges in Hong Kong. SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED: REV’s Ed Higgs roadtests the Long Bar martinis.
Sandy wreaks havoc
Great effort from teams gets New York operation back on track
Teams around the network pulled
together when Hurricane Sandy
assailed the north-east coast of
the USA and led to 20 CX passenger sectors being cancelled and
four freighter services diverted.
Sandy’s passage forced the
closure of John F Kennedy International Airport, with extensive
areas being inundated with water
and littered with storm debris.
Flights from Hong Kong to New
York were suspended on 29 and
30 October. Coaches were arranged for passengers who departed on 28 October only to arrive
in New York and find the city’s pub-
lic transport network closed down.
Services resumed on 1 November
with CX888 departing at 1am. An
extra sector – CX2846 and CX2845
– was arranged on 3 November to
get stranded passengers away.
Senior Vice President Americas
Tom Owen says that the planning
done in advance of Sandy’s arrival
and the reaction to the events of
the storm showed the CX teams
at their very best, with close cooperation between Hong Kong and
the USA to minimise disruption.
“The Airport team at JFK, led by
Airport Services Manager James
Groark, coordinated its plans
through daily conference calls
with the Customer and Commercial Control team and key Head
Office departments,” Tom says.
“A CX flight was the last one to
leave JFK before the storm swept
in, and we were one of the first to
return with a full complement of staff
braving the commute to receive and
dispatch flights,” he adds.
The North American Reservations call centre, based in Vancouver, collected phone and email
enquiries from passengers and
prioritised callbacks for rebooking
and protection.
“There was a tremendous effort
here to reply to each and every
passenger enquiry. Hong Kong
was equally busy and the Marco
Polo Club Service Centre assisted
by taking care of our elite flyers,”
Tom says.
Back in Hong Kong, the Reservations & Ticketing teams were in
full force to handle the disruption
with thousands of phone calls being made to passengers trying to
get to JFK.
“With more than 4,000 passengers affected, the teams ended
up making about 2,000 calls to
ensure passengers were kept updated,” says Worldwide Reservations & Ticketing Manager Mary
Chan.
“They assisted with changes
to travel plans and help to make
protection arrangements,” she
added.
Mary says that a lot of operations
decisions were made at odd hours
with short notice, “but the teams
simply took that as a challenge and
delivered their usual excellent customer service,” she adds.
In the end, despite the large
scale disruption, Tom says he has
not heard of a single complaint
from passengers.
“So many of the US and Head
Office staff played a role in this
major disruption and pulled together magnificently to overcome
the problems and expedite the recovery,” he says.
Produced by CX’s Corporate
Communication Department
7/F North Tower, Cathay Pacific City,
Lantau, HK
Publisher: Cecilia Leung
Managing Editor: Mark Tindall
Editor: Joyce Wong
Enquiries: 2747-5293
GalaCXy ID: CCD#SCT
Email: ccd#[email protected]
2
Recently, I was asked – with flights seemingly so full why did we lose money in the
first half and are we doing better now? It’s
a sensible question – one that I expect
many of you wonder about as well – so
I wanted to use this opportunity to share
with everyone my answer.
In the simplest terms, there are cost and
revenue factors which have combined to
make 2012 a difficult year. Let me explain
further.
On the cost side, the biggest issue is
fuel. Fuel is our single largest cost.
We planned for fuel to be expensive this
year, but it has been even more expensive
than we anticipated. The actual cost of fuel
into plane - because we have to pay more
for aviation fuel than the cost of the crude
oil you see reported in the newspaper
– has exceeded budget by about 6%.
Now, 6% may not seem like much but,
looking at all our flights together on an
annual basis, if we had done nothing,
this higher fuel price would have meant
our total fuel bill this year would have exceeded the high budget we had planned
by HK$2.5 billion!
The increase in the price of fuel since
2010 has had a big impact on the operating cost of our routes. On a 747-400 flight
to London, fuel today represents 62.5% of
the total cost of the flight. In 2010, when
fuel was substantially lower, it represented
only 47.9%. That is a big jump! Let me try
to put that into perspective. Taken over a
year, on that one flight pair alone, the fuel
bill will have increased by HK$110 million
– again, on just this one flight pair.
To directly address the fuel situation,
we have limited options. We can and do
hedge, but hedging is not a miracle solution, particularly when fuel prices have
been stubbornly high for so long. Hedging
is like an insurance policy – which like every other insurance policy costs money to
buy – and so it offers some protection, but
it doesn’t remove all of the risk.
We can try to raise ticket prices, but this
is extremely difficult to do in the current
weak economic environment.
We are allowed to collect fuel surcharges, but these require regulatory approval
and help us recover only about 50% of the
extra fuel cost we pay. So this also helps,
but cannot fill the gap.
Finally, we can take steps to reduce
fuel consumption and this is where we
have been most aggressive. Retiring the
747-400s from our fleet more quickly and
replacing them with fuel efficient 777300ERs will help us tremendously. The
777s are overall more than 20% more fuel
efficient than the 747-400s. As we move
into 2013 and take delivery of more 777300ERs, we’ll see an even bigger benefit
but the full benefit will not be realized until
2014.
The cost issue, however, encompasses
more than just fuel. There is significant
cost pressure all around us. We are seeing increases in airport charges, overflight
charges, catering charges, landing and
parking charges, handling charges and
passenger costs to name a few. So we
must tackle our cost base where we can.
Our Chief Operating Officer Ivan Chu is
leading these efforts.
Turning to the revenue side, cargo has
been a huge challenge. Not just in 2012,
but for most of 2011 as well.
Cargo has always been important to CX.
In good years, cargo can be almost 30%
of our total revenue although the result for
2012 will be well below that. 2010 was a
boom year for cargo, but a weaker world
economy changed all that and not for the
better.
Cargo volumes track the health of the
world economy – a weak economy means
lower cargo demand. Faced with this situation in 2012, we have cancelled freighter
flights and we have also parked some of
our freighters. But cargo doesn’t only travel on freighters.
Invisible to most customers, but not to
our bottom line, cargo also travels in the
bellies of our passenger aircraft. Cargo
volumes in our passenger aircraft year-todate are below budget and overall cargo
revenue this year is lower than 2011 by
around 13%.
Inside our passenger cabins, loads have
been good. Not as good as in 2010 when
the load factor averaged 83.4% or even in
2011 when it was 80.4%, but certainly quite
good at 80.2% through October. Still, you
can see that we have a lost a little bit here.
While load factor is important, yield is
equally important. Yield basically means
average ticket prices. To understand this,
we have to talk about both premium traffic
(First and Business Class) and Economy
Class traffic.
This year, premium traffic has been soft
also due to the world economic situation.
Our top corporate customers in the financial industry are travelling more than 15%
less than they did the previous two years.
As a result, load factors in the premium
cabins are slightly below where they were
in 2010 and 2011 and average fares are
also lower.
In our Economy Class cabins, load factors are also slightly down over where they
were in 2011. But the real problem has
been a decline in average ticket prices,
which are below budget and below last
year by about 4%.
Many airlines are facing similar challenges and thus the competition for passengers
is even more intense than usual.
Put all that together – high fuel prices,
cost pressure on all fronts, some less fuel
efficient aircraft, lower cargo revenues,
weaker premium revenues, lower average
ticket prices in Economy Class due to competition – all at the same time and the result
is a very challenging year.
We know that aviation has its ups and
downs. We have lived through both ups
and downs over the past five years. What
is important now is that we continue to pull
together as one team, that we continue to
provide our passengers and shippers with
great products and services so that they
keep choosing to fly and to ship with us,
and that we work hard to make Cathay Pacific more productive and more efficient.
As we have before, we will get through
these difficult times and we will be well-positioned to take advantage of the improvement
in the world economy when it comes.
More cost-cutting measures introduced to preserve cash, boost revenue
With the end of 2012 fast approaching, Chief
Operating Officer Ivan Chu has called on
the team to push to reduce costs further as
business continues to stall.
Despite a small pick-up in the cargo
market, driven by shipments of high-tech
products out of the Mainland, the overall
situation is still worrying, Ivan told staff in the
Friday Telex.
“The cost-management initiatives we
announced back in May have been making
a positive impact. Unfortunately, we haven’t
seen much improvement in the underlying
business trends,” he said.
“Compared to the same time last year,
we are a bigger airline with more staff, more
passengers and more assets – yet our
revenues are in decline. That’s obviously
not a sustainable situation, especially in a
continued high-fuel-price environment.
“We cannot allow costs to rise faster than
capacity or revenue, so we must look very
carefully at how to do things more efficiently
and more economically,” he said.
In a memo to department heads, the
COO stressed that more needs to be done
on the cost side.
“If you have had any doubts on the need
to contain costs, let me lay those to rest here
and now. This is proving to be an extremely
difficult year,” he wrote.
He told the senior management team
that a number of “difficult, but necessary”
decisions had been made, including:
• Not holding the management
conference this year
• Further restrictions on duty travel in
place, with a recommendation for
“minimum or no cost” to the company
• Not using company funds for festive
gatherings
• Entertainment expenditure reduced
to a bare minimum, even if already
budgeted
• Stricter enforcement of the current
headcount freeze
“It is never pleasant to have to resort to
such restrictive measures, but they reflect the
negative operating climate in which we find
ourselves,” Ivan said.
He urged the team to look for new sources
of revenue and ways to further manage costs
that don’t impact safety or our customer
proposition. 3
Premium
Economy
revenue
on the rise
Revenue from the Premium
Economy cabin has grown
steadily since its introduction on
selected Cathay Pacific flights in
April this year.
The Premium Economy
product has been progressively
introduced on Southwest
Pacific, North America and
Europe flights since its launch.
“London is the network’s
star performer with regards to
Premium Economy sales, with
recent load factors up to 80%,”
says Revenue & Route Planning
Manager Manuel Tsang.
“Frankfurt is performing
the best out of the continental
Europe routes. There is also
healthy demand for Premium
Economy travel to and from Los
Angeles,” he adds.
Pickup in India, the Middle
East and South Africa is
comparatively slow as Premium
Economy is still a new product
in these markets.
However the Revenue
Department anticipates an
increase in bookings as the
rollout continues across those
routes.
The team is looking forward to
a buoyant demand for Premium
Economy travel before the
Christmas peak.
“Business looks promising
on ultra long-haul routes such
as London, the United States
and Canada, where we have
advance load factors above
40% in the beginning of
November.
“Australia routes are also
expected to be busy,” Manuel
adds.
Cathay Pacific will have 48
aircraft installed with the new
product by the end of this year,
and 87 by the end of 2013.
Joint pledge to cut building emissions
TAKING THE PLEDGE: CX’s Mark Watson (front row, fourth left) joins other signers.
Cargo site gets a lift
Improved interface and a better user experience adds to appeal
Extensive input from the market was
incorporated into the design and
structure of the new Cathay Pacific
Cargo website which relaunched on
4 November.
Cargo Distribution Manager Clera
Lam says: “We have been working
on the entire project for the past 26
months and the brief was quite simply to rebuild the whole site, from
content and functionality to layout
and design.
“We particularly looked at the
user experience. The former site
was very operation oriented with
the ‘track and trace’ and ‘availability’
areas getting the highest hit rates at
more than 80%,” she adds.
“The new layout pulls the focus
to the centre of the page with new
icons and more images providing
a more visually pleasing look. We
also wanted the site be more of a
marketing tool so more information
about cargo products such as PharmaLIFT are now easily accessible
on the landing page,” Clera says.
Based on input from users, a
‘check loadability’ section has been
added, allowing customers to see
whether their cargo can be loaded
onto a particular aircraft.
“They simply input the dimensions and select the aircraft type, so
it’s a very user-friendly tool,” Clera
says.
“We also included an e-rate in the
members-only area which allows
the individual customer to access
the rate on offer for their particular
company. CX is the one of the first
airlines in the industry to offer this
feature,” she adds.
Assistant Manager Cargo Distribution Daniel Chan says the overall idea was to enhance the site to
make it more user friendly.
“For instance, the highly utilised
‘track and trace’ area received special attention. The shipment movement information is very comprehensive and shipment location can
be easily identified.
“The content can also be emailed
directly from the website which allows cargo agents to forward that
information easily and quickly to
their customers,” he says.
200 – and still going strong!
The November CX World celebrates a milestone for the publication – 200 issues of keeping staff
and friends of Cathay Pacific up to
date with everything happening in
the airline.
CX World started out as a biweekly publication, taking over
from The Weekly on 3 April 1998.
The name was chosen because
“we’ll bring you news and information about every aspect of Cathay
Pacific’s world” – and that still
holds true today.
Fourteen years ago CX was a
smaller but fast-changing airline,
Cathay Pacific has joined 16 other leading Hong Kong companies in a pledge to reduce carbon emissions in their buildings.
An initiative of the Business Environment Council (BEC) and
Climate Change Business Forum (CCBF), the pledge requires
companies to annually publish progress against reduction targets in their CSR or related reports. Head of Environmental Affairs Mark Watson represented CX at a signing event held on 25
October.
“We have been running energy-saving initiatives such as automatic lighting, air-conditioning control systems, and motion
sensors in conference rooms at Cathay City,” says Building &
Facilities Manager Jerry Tam.
“We have also been trialling different products for special and
general lighting in the Flight Training Centre and offices, which
can help reduce electricity consumption by 423,400 kWh per
year upon implementation,” he adds.
A detailed energy audit is also in progress, the findings of which
will feed into the energy-efficiency improvement programme.
and all the latest developments
were documented in Issue 1 (below right).
The second daily flight to Los
Angeles was splashed on the
front page along with details of the
airline’s new IT system, GalaCXy.
A whole page was documented
to the latest CLK trial with CX’s
move to its new home at Hong
Kong International Airport just four
months away.
On the lighter side, pictures from
department spring dinners featured everything from a bunch of
engineers doing a striptease – not
a pretty sight! – to directors showing off a wide variety of skills.
CX World became a monthly
publication in January but its focus
remained the same – documenting the developments, the
highs
and
lows,
and
the
everchanging
face
of
Hong
Kong’s
home airline.
SITE SENSE: Cargo’s Clera Lam, Stephen Ip and Daniel Chan highlight the
new design features and functionality of the site.
Win a hotel stay with CX Cargo!
To celebrate the launch of the new Cathaypacificcargo.com website, the
Cargo team and CX World are holding a special lucky draw.
The first prize winner will receive a two-night stay in a superior room for
two with daily breakfasts at Hong Kong’s Regal Airport Hotel. The second
prize winner will receive two-nights’ accommodation at the Headland Hotel.
To enter, answer the following question: How many different cargo
products (eg PharmaLIFT) can be found on the new website?
Send your answer in an email with the subject line “Cargo website” to
CCD#SCT by noon on Friday 21 December.
Very special delivery
from Cebu to Rome
Cathay Pacific had special cabin baggage onboard on 17 October when the image of
Blessed Pedro Calungsod flew from Cebu to Rome, via Hong Kong, for a canonisation
ceremony.
Thousands lined the streets as the three-foot high image was taken from Cebu’s
cathedral to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. CX staff also had a
chance to view and touch the image to share the blessing before it was
carefully packed in a case for transport.
The image travelled in the passenger section next to the image’s
official custodian, Father Charles Jayme (inset).
Manager Cebu Grace Ho says: “It was an honour for CX to support
this significant event. It took great teamwork not just within the Cebu
team but across different departments in the CX network to ensure the
image was safely secured inside the cabin for the journey to Rome.”
NZ deal to deliver
customer benefits
Strategic agreement with Kiwi carrier on HK-Auckland route
A ground-breaking strategic agreement
with Air New Zealand is set to deliver a wide
range of benefits for consumers, ranging
from more routing choices and better-coordinated flight schedules to increased opportunities to “earn and burn”.
The new arrangement was announced
on 5 November and Chief Executive John
Slosar said it will “open up a vast range of
potential opportunities for the two airlines to
maximise synergies and better meet customers’ needs”.
The key element of the agreement, which
will become effective from 31 January next
year, will be a code-sharing arrangement
on CX and NZ services between New
Zealand and Hong Kong.
The flight schedules of the two airlines will
be better aligned in order to increase connection opportunities out of both Hong Kong
and Auckland.
Consumers will see a wider choice of fares
between the gateway cities of Auckland/
Hong Kong, while top-tier members from Air
New Zealand’s Airpoints and the Marco Polo
Club will enjoy reciprocal benefits when trav-
Top spot for Inflight Sales
Cathay Pacific was named Best Inflight
Retailer of the Year at the 28th Frontier
Awards held on 24 October in Cannes.
This is the third time the airline has won
the top honour, previously winning in 2010
and 2008.
Inflight Sales Operations Manager
Jessica Wan represented CX at the event.
She says innovation in the sector is
required as competition grows and economic
uncertainty means passengers spend less
than before.
“Our strategic partner ISG has formed a
dedicated product innovation team to look
for the finest and most popular brands
around the world – for instance, in spring
STOP PRESS
More awards for airline
Just as CX World went to press, Cathay Pacific
heard that it had won two honours in the 2012
Business Traveller China Awards – Best Airline
in the World and Best Airline First Class.
The awards were presented at a ceremony in
Shanghai on 15 November.
“These latest awards for our airline are very
meaningful because they were voted for by the
travelling public, and are a real tribute to the
dedication and professionalism of our whole
team,” said Chief Executive John Slosar.
elling on code-share flights.
The strategic agreement does not extend
to the airlines’ cargo businesses.
In terms of the impact on CX’s New
Zealand team, the airline says that the arrangement “demonstrates our commitment
to AKL and the team is encouraged to fully
leverage on this new opportunity and capitalise on it”.
In response to questions about partnering with a Star Alliance carrier, CX stresses
that “oneworld encourages flexibility for
members to pursue bilateral relationships
with carriers beyond alliance members”
and that there is no change in the airline’s
commitment to oneworld.
we’ll welcome Qeelin and Giorgio Armani
beauty products onboard,” she says.
“The home delivery service expanded in
July to cover more regional destinations,
and we continue to groom our Elite Sales
Force, ensuring they are well equipped with
product knowledge and selling techniques,
and suitably rewarded,” Jessica adds.
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Star letter
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New life given to glass bottles
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It was great to see the story in CX
World about the effort being taken
to recycle inflight bottles.
I wonder, given the lack of glass
recycling for the public in Hong
Kong, is there any way that a collection bin can be placed in Cathay
City so that staff can join in the recycling effort?
I personally have many bottles at
home that I don’t want to throw in
the rubbish bin as I know they will
end up in the landfill. A place to recycle them would be welcome!
Please consider adding this service as it would be a nice complement to our current battery, CD’s,
paper and other recycling bin.
Name withheld
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Evelyn Chan, Environmental
Projects Manager, replies: Glass
is not very widely recycled in Hong
Kong at the moment, and only a
handful of facilities handle this.
We have been exploring this
idea for a while now, and with the
help of the Property & Services Department, a glass bottle collection
point has been set up in Cathay
City at the entrance of The Galley
near the recycling areas for batteries and CD cases.
For safety reasons, a number of
shallow containers will be provided
and we will be monitoring this process in the coming months.
These containers will then be
delivered to the Headland Hotel,
where they will join the glasses and
bottles collected from the hotel, Dakota and the restaurants, and be
sent off to the contractor.
Star letter prize
The winner of the CX World
Star Letter wins a pair of
decidedly quirky Quarkie
earphones from the UK.
Quarkie earphones were
created by a British and
Asian design team of music
lovers, marrying striking
sound with eye-catching
designs.
This month’s winner wins
a pair of striking Chameleon
Eye phones featuring British
studio-monitor sound quality.
Find Quarkie at Sogo,
HMV, CD Warehouse and
other outlets in Hong Kong.
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Booting out
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Why is it that the CX desktop PCs
are set to boot from external media?
Almost all security experts suggest that switching off this autoboot
option is the most basic, frontline
step that an owner can take to avoid
virus infection.
It’s very easy to forget and leave a
memory stick or a CD in a machine
at power-off.
Under IMT’s current settings the
PC will then attempt to boot from
whatever executable programmes it
can find on that media.
Maybe other protections will do
their best to mitigate that threat
– but it’s still a danger and there’s
no apparent benefit from leaving this
“door” open.
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James Lockett, Infrastructure
Support Manager, replies: Steps
are being taken to minimise security
threats to CX/KA assets including
PCs and laptops.
In Hong Kong, IMT has deployed
USB Management Tool that will disable .exe (executable programs) to
run from USB media. This is also being extended to outports.
Over a two month period, 8,832
out of 9,929 USB Management
Tools have been deployed. IMT’s goal is to provide a secure
working PC/laptop environment
with minimal service disruption to
the CX business units. In the coming months more security features
will be deployed as part of the IMT
Security Strategy to reduce risk and
threats to the workplace.
Extending
Wi-Fi reach
I was wondering why it is possible to
have Wi-Fi access on The Street at
Cathay City and in meeting rooms as
well as in the Headland Hotel, but not
in the office areas?
These days with so many staff using iPads and laptops to work with,
wouldn’t it be more convenient to
provide Wi-Fi in the office rather
than force them to go down to The
Street?
David McIntyre
CCD
Sam Kynaston, Head of IM, Corporate & Back Office, replies: Rolling out Wi-Fi to more office areas
in Cathay City and overseas ports
has been included in the plan of the
overall IT infrastructure renewal programme.
However, due to the adverse economic situation, the rollout has been
on hold.
We will pursue such a rollout as
soon as funding allows in conjunction with other key components of
our core network infrastructure.
A new look
for cockpit
crew?
I see from CX World, that Dragonair
staff are getting new uniforms. However, as with Cathay Pacific’s uniform
project, it looks as if the cockpit crew
uniforms have not been included in
the project.
Clearly it would be cheaper for
the company to have uniforms redesigned by the same person and then
made at the same time.
As we are all supposed to be part
of the same team, can I ask why the
cockpit crew were not included in the
uniform redesign?
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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.
Throughout Hurricane Sandy,
Reservations staff
in Hong Kong and
North America
received many
written and verbal compliments
for their service
recovery efforts.
Here are some
examples:
“Owing to my husband’s
medical condition, I
was prepared to take
the risk of letting him fly
home alone if a seat was
available earlier than
our confirmed flight on 4
November.
A CX staff called with
the good news that all of
us could fly home together
on 1 November. We were
ecstatic.
Thank you so much
– this is one of the many
reasons why we always fly
Cathay Pacific.”
“Your staff all worked
so hard to accommodate passengers, taking
the time to reach out to
customers and always trying to find the best flight
schedule for passengers.
And best of all not charging a change fee!”
Are there any plans to redesign
the cockpit crew uniforms for CX/KA
in the future?
Name withheld
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Dave Lomax, Manager Basing
Companies, replies: Currently, an
exercise is underway to review the
contract for the supply of pilot uniforms.
There is no plan to change the
design of the CX cockpit crew uniform at the moment; this is simply a
review of the supplier of the uniforms
and the quality of the production process and end result.
While we will not rule out the possibility of reviewing the style and fabric of the uniform in the future, this is
not the intent at present.
Jenny Ho, Head KA Uniform
Project, replies: The scope of the
Dragonair new uniform project only
covers ground staff and cabin crew
and there are no plans to change the
cockpit crew uniform.
“The staff we spoke to
was absolutely amazing
to deal with. She was so
helpful, so knowledgeable
and so kind.
Not sure what I would
have done if I was travelling on a carrier other
than Cathay Pacific.”
“The CX staff are very experienced and helpful. I was so upset due to
the weather situation in
New York and the person
I spoke to made me feel
much better in a difficult
situation. Every time I call in I
find your staff so helpful
and well trained.”
“Cathay Pacific handled this trying situation
wonderfully… you are the
best airline!”
Yangon route opens up myriad possibilities
Manager Manuel Tsang.
The Southeast Asia Games, which will
be held in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw
in 2013, is expected to cause a spike in
government and leisure travel. The 2014
ASEAN Summit, which will be chaired by
Myanmar, is also anticipated to help sales.
Labour traffic from Yangon bound for
Southeast Asia, Taipei and the Middle East
will likely be another key market.
Advanced bookings for Yangon in January and February are slowly picking up.
Hong Kong ticket sales are anticipated to
account for 75% of January bookings, while
offline sales in Europe and North America
will contribute the remaining 25%.
Dragonair’s newly announced service to
Yangon is exciting news for those who have
always wanted to visit Myanmar.
Starting 9 January, Dragonair will operate
four flights a week to Myanmar’s largest city
using an Airbus A321 aircraft.
Dragonair joins a host of airlines that have
shown interest in Myanmar after sweeping
socio-political changes in the country last
year, including the abolition of a five-decade
tourism boycott.
It is widely believed that the opening up of
the country will attract investors and tourism
to Yangon, whose economy and infrastructure has been lagging behind other major
Southeast Asian cities.
The new Dragonair service capitalises on
the anticipated surge of inbound visitors in
the years to come.
“Travel demand for Yangon from Hong
Kong will likely come from leisure travellers,
who are drawn to Yangon’s rich historical
and religious background. We also expect
business traffic as Hong Kong is a key
market of exported Myanmese stones and
jade,” says Route and Revenue Planning
Business focus at staff forum
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Even in the present volatile economic climate, CX and KA are in the right
part of the world, with passenger
traffic to and from China key to the
future growth of the Group, according to CX Chief Executive and KA
Chairman John Slosar.
John was speaking at a staff forum held on 22 October at Dragonair House.
He was joined by Dragonir CEO
Patrick Yeung, Manager Airline
Planning Vickie Yue and General
Manager HKIA Paul Loo in updating
staff on the Group’s development.
“Ultimately, the most important
thing for CX and KA is to get the most
out of their combined networks,” said
John in his opening remarks.
“I don’t think there’s any other air-
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line in the world that has the breadth
of network that we have, and the ability to connect passengers between
China and the rest of the world – at
the same time with our service and
style,” he added.
John highlighted the two airlines’
premium products and services as
the unique selling point over Mainland carriers.
Patrick thanked the Dragonair
team for their hard work in a year of
unprecedented growth. “Our frontline staff, as well as the teams supporting our operations, have done
a lot to ensure not only excellent
service delivery and safety, but also
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the generation of value across the
Group,” he said.
Staff also received an update on
the performances of the six new
destinations opened or resumed
since April.
“The results are varied. Chiang
Mai is the star performer, Xi’an is
performing reasonably well and
Taichung and Jeju are showing improvement,” Vickie said.
“Guilin, a seasonal destination, is
doing well, but Clark has been underperforming,” she added.
Paul updated the team on the situation at Hong Kong airport, pointing
out that air traffic is near saturation
and parking bays are fully occupied.
“The team also battled a historic
number of weather disruptions this
year, particularly typhoons that seriously affected flights in and out of
HKIA,” he said.
“Solutions have included improving coordination with air traffic
control and apron control, and the
implementation of more self-service
channels, such as online check-in
and mobile boarding passes.”
FROM THE TOP: John Slosar (above) and Patrick Yeung (left) both took
questions from Dragonair staff during the forum.
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On the move
While excited about his new post
and responsibilities as Manager
Sanya, Kevin Gao said he will
definitely miss Changsha, where
he began his career with KA
more than 12 years ago.
Kevin was born and brought
up in Changsha, and joined KA
right after graduating from Hunan University in 2000.
“I was attracted to work for the
airline because of its great reputation. My first international flight
was with KA when I flew to Hong
Kong in 1996,” says Kevin.
Kevin started his career at KA
as a Customer Services Officer
and rose through the ranks to
become Changsha’s Airport Services Manager.
“My experience in Changsha
allowed me to have a better understanding of the different operations in the company.
“Working with the Dragonair
team and the local ground handling agent allowed me to develop communication and management skills, which I hope to put to
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good use in Sanya,” says Kevin.
“I will definitely miss my family,
colleagues and friends in Changsha. I grew up in there and like the
warmth of the people – and I will
miss Hunan food too!” he adds.
Kevin recommends those visiting his hometown to try local delicacies such as the double pepper
fish head and kouwei shrimp.
Top scenic spots Zhangjiajie and
Fenghuang County are also not to
be missed, Kevin adds.
Looking ahead, Kevin is confident that he and his new team will
continue to build the KA brand that
attracted him so long ago.
“My motto is to be passionate
about the job, focus on communication, and carry out one’s duties
with an open mind,” he says.
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ion
Co
mp
e ti t
Hundreds of photos from around the network flooded in when the CX World
Photo Competition launched in August.
A total of 1,397 images were received over the one-month contest period for the
two categories of People and Places.
It was then over to the judging panel of CCD photographer David McIntyre,
CX Camera Club organiser Samuel Lo, one of Hong Kong’s premier wedding
photographers and ex-CX staff Rosa Tseng, and Yung’s Harmony Photography owner
and CX staff Karen Yung – to provide a shortlist of 10 photos in each category.
Staff were then asked to vote for their favourite with more than 1,000 individual votes being
cast over the two-week period. The winner in the People category received more than 30% of the
votes, while the Places winner received just over 28% of the votes cast.
Displayed here are the final winning photos as well as the other images which made the shortlist.
Thank you for your participation!
Keeping
our coast
clean
Around 70 staff and family
members joined Director Service
Delivery Philippe de Gentile-Williams and Director Corporate
Affairs Chitty Cheung on 20 October to take part in the Coastal
Cleanup Campaign.
They cleared away trash and
debris from the Tong Fuk rocky
beach on Lantau Island, leaving
it in close to pristine condition.
CX Wor
1. ‘Hidden Smile’, Flight
Attendant Ari Kusumawardana.
Judge’s comment: “Nice
lighting with great composition.
Captures the little boy’s
shyness in his eyes.”
2. ‘Happy Kids in Mongolia’,
Flight Attendant Carol Kwok.
Judge’s comment: “Special
moment that captures the
essence of kids being kids.”
3. ‘Hey...’, HKIA Supervisor Joe
Li.
Judge’s comment: “Good eye.
Captures a cute moment from a
different angle.”
The group cleared 50 bags
of rubbish – equivalent of 500
kilograms – from the site.
Items found include stray pieces of polystyrene foam, broken
flip flops, plastic bottles, mangled
wire netting and even a flag.
CX has been taking part in this
event since 2009 and during this
time more than 2,800 kilograms
of debris has been collected.
“This was a great effort by our
staff volunteers and I thank them
all for giving up their free time to
take part,” Chitty says.
to
o
h
P
d
l
1. ‘Buffalo on the Move’, Loyalty
Marketing & Corporate Sales
Support Officer Shirin Koh.
Judge’s comment: “Captures a
nostalgic experience and it’s been
presented like a lovely Chinese
Ink painting. A stunning magical
moment!”
2. ‘Magnificent Sculpture - Hani
Terraces’, Cabin Crew Operations
Supervisor Carmen Pang.
Judge’s comment: “Striking image.
Creative way to show the sunset.”
3. ‘Antelope Canyon’, Senior First
Officer Paul Adams.
Judge’s comment: “Strong framing
and composition helps the colours
really stand out.”
CX World would like to thank the
following companies for their generous prize sponsorship:
-
Cathay Pacific Holidays
The Upper House
Rosa & Daniel Photography
Intercontinental Shanghai Puxi
CX World will not be responsible for any claims or
complaints against infringements of rights or
damages from third parties relating to entries.
Exercise puts
CARE team
to the test
About 50 members of the CARE
Team took part in a Family Assistance Centre (FAC) exercise organised by Airport Authority Hong Kong
and held at the Regal Airport Hotel.
These bi-annual exercises help
test the operation of the FAC and allow care teams from airlines to take
part in the whole process, from family registration to the completion of
reunion.
Some 300 volunteers played the
role of passengers and family members, and external agencies such as
the Red Cross were also activated.
Crisis Response Manager Carrie
Shiu says the chance to practice the
skills they learnt in the classroom is
useful for the CARE Team members.
“Specifically, they use the skills
of handling distressed passengers,
undergo the process of reconciliation, and get to work with different
authorities. They also learn how to
do manual reconciliation without
Einstein [CX’s crisis communications system] and manage the various FAC areas,” she says.
While a proper wash-up will be
held later, Carrie says she made
several observations during the exercise including the need to improve
the overall coordination and signage
at the hotel.
“The CARE Team members may
not be able to memorise the hotel
setup and where all the meeting
rooms are. During an exercise, we
have time for a pre-exercise briefing and a walk through, but in reality they might be deployed to an
outport where they would need to
get acclimatised in a hurry,” Carrie
says.
“That said, I would prefer the
CARE team concentrate on providing humanitarian assistance and be
patient with things they have limited
information on, or things that they
have to learn right away such as the
logistic arrangements,” she adds.
Carrie says more than 80% of the
reunion cases were successfully
carried out.
“As this was done manually in
less than three hours it was a very
good result,” she says.
First real test begins
Teams begin full-scale trial of operations as opening date gets ever closer
The construction is complete, the
systems are installed – and now the
first real test of the Cathay Pacific
Cargo Terminal has begun.
On 29 October, the first of three
operation trials commenced in the
facility, with all the systems in operation and ULDs – the unit load devices that carry cargo – moving around
the building for the first time.
The terminal will open in three
stages and operation trials, each
lasting approximately two months,
will take place before the launch of
each stage.
“The trials will ensure we’re ready
at every stage,” says Stephen Luk,
Head of Operations & Services
with Cathay Pacific Services Ltd
(CPSL).
“We need to test that all the right
procedures are in place and assess
our level of confidence before letting
the management team know that
we’re ready to go.”
The first stage will focus on the
shipment of valuables, transit civil
mail and interface transfers – that
is, freight with tight connections between aircraft.
Some 200 staff from CPSL and
other stakeholders – including CX
Cargo, HAS, government departments such as Customs & Excise
and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation, and sub-contractors – are
participating in the trial, which runs
every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through to late December.
“It took us more than a year to develop the trial plan and we are asking every person taking part to follow
a specific script,” says Stephen.
“We’re doing a full test of the flow
and procedures, and after each day
of the trial we conduct a full assessment of how it went. The findings
are fed back to the working team so
we can fine-tune things for the next
day of the trial.”
Stephen says that a big emphasis
is being placed on safety throughout the trial.
“We have new staff, new handling
procedures and new technologies
employed in the terminal, so safety
is paramount,” he says.
The early stages of the trial have
been going according to plan and
Stephen says the team has been
encouraged by the progress.
“It’s a challenging and exciting
event for all of us. There’s a lot to
understand and a lot to follow up,
but we are on track so far,” Stephen
says.
1. The Stage 1 Operation Trial commenced in October with staff and
contractors working closely together
to simulate the operations.
2. The terminal is equipped with extensive Wi-Fi services to facilitate the
use of handheld devices.
3. The first piece of trial cargo gets
moving in the materials handling
system.
4. Stakeholders and business partners were also involved in the trial.
5. The Terminal Control Centre (TCC)
monitors and governs all activities on
the ground.
Boneyard airfield tests flying skills
The traditional destination
for retiring aircraft has been
Victorville in the United States,
but the latest Boeing 747-400
passenger aircraft to leave the
fleet have gone to Kemble Airfield
in the UK .This has posed a
challenge to pilots as the visual
approach is carried out on a very
short runway.
The latest 747-400 to retire
departed Hong Kong on 22
October following the salvage of
its cabin equipment.
At the controls of B-HOX was
Captain Peter Lees and he was
joined in the cockpit by Senior
First Officers Paul Aubert and Ben
Haigh-Smith and Second Officer
James Robinson.
Once the decision had been
made to phase out the aircraft
and it became clear there was no
market for either selling or leasing
instead, a procurement exercise
was launched by the Aircraft
Trading team to find an agent that
could extract the maximum value
from the breakdown, marketing and
sale of the salvaged spare parts.
“GA Telesis were chosen as they
have a strong reputation and track
record in the business of parting
out and marketing aircraft spare
parts and offered the best solution
for extracting maximum value,”
says Manager Aircraft Projects
Robert Taylor.
“Kemble in fact, is only one of
five facilities used by GA Telesis.
They also have facilities in the
US, which include Victorville, and
future aircraft retirements may go
there depending upon capacity
and where the demand is for the
inventory at the time,” Robert adds.
After a short delay due to bad
weather over Kemble, Captain Lees
successfully landed the aircraft on
25 October on an airfield he last
saw in the 1980s.
“I have landed in Kemble before
when I was in the Royal Air Force,
but the last time I landed there was
in 1986 and that was in a Hawk not
a 747!,” he says.
“The challenge posed by
Kemble is that not only are there
no approach aids, there is also no
approach lighting – both things that
RETIREMENT READY: B-HOX’s crew
in Hong Kong before the aircraft’s final
flight.
we are used to having in normal
day-to-day operations. Additionally,
there’s no air traffic control as
such, only a flight information
service,” Captain Lees adds.
B-HOX is the third 747-400 to be
retired from the fleet early as part
of the airline’s efforts to employ
more fuel-efficient aircraft on longhaul routes.
Six more of the aircraft will be
retired in 2013.
New status board at HKIA
Spend a day with CX staff
Behind-the-scenes videos show life in the air and on the ground
Hundreds of CX Facebook fans
had the chance to go behind the
scenes of the lives of three CX
staff through a series of People
and Service videos in October.
The first video, which launched
online on 9 October, was with Flight
Attendant Grace Hui (pictured
above left) as she prepared to fly
from Hong Kong to Sydney. The
second video focused on Airport
Service Leader Sammy Yeung,
while the third showed a typical
day in the life of Senior First Officer
Richard Clausen (pictured above
right).
To increase engagement, there
were lucky draws with CX-branded
items as prize or fans could leave a
question for the staff with the most
interesting ones receiving a reply.
“The filming was like a reality
show and I had to remember that
every single thing I said was being
recorded,” Grace says.
“I have been flying for four years
now and flying has become a
normal activity. The video brought
me back to the feeling I had when
I first started flying and everything
was so new, so I tried my best to
explain as much as I could. It was
actually like bringing my friends
and family to work for a day!” she
adds.
Richards says he was amazed
at how a full day of video shooting
was able to be condensed into a
short five-minute clip.
“I enjoyed meeting the filming
crew and seeing behind the scenes
of their own operation,” Richard
says, adding he wished filming on
the flight deck had been allowed,
but regulations unfortunately do
not permit it.
The
videos
Teams gear up for Oxfam Trailwalker
For the ninth consecutive year, Asia Miles will be the logistics sponsor of the annual Oxfam
Trailwalker. Once again, several staff will be taking part, and some are pictured above.
Asia Miles is donating one million miles as a fundraising prize, with teams who raise more
than HK$30,000 entering the draw.
Asia Miles is also supporting six teams this year including Pari Passu, captained by
Employee Services Manager Bob Nipperess (far right), who will be competing in his 13th
trailwalker event.
The teams will take on the challenge of the 100-kilometre MacLehose Trail from Pak Tam
Chung to Yuen Long from 16-18 November to raise funds for Oxfam’s charitable projects.
More in the December CX World.
attracted hundreds of comments
from fans with several saying it
gave them a greater appreciation
for what CX staff do. They also
asked many questions ranging
from how the crew stay awake on
overnight flights to whether there is
time to enjoy the view.
“There were some really
interesting questions. My favourite
would have to be the one about
the decision on who answers a
passenger’s call light and whether
it’s always the most junior crew.
It made me realise how our
passengers pay attention to details
like this,” Grace says.
A new electronic flight status
board has been installed behind the staff standby counter
at HKIA, allowing staff travellers
to view their flight number, destination, the acceptance status
for three classes and departure
times.
The board also features
reporting times so staff know
when to go back to the counter.
It also tells them the area where
they can check in directly if the
flights are open.
INDIA
Traditional welcome for new faces
The India team held a special
welcome event for Charlie StewartCox and Samantha Horn on 21
September.
Charlie will shortly be taking over
from Tom Wright as General Manager
South Asia, Middle East & Africa, with
Samantha as his assistant.
The evening began with Tom giving
a speech followed by few words from
Charlie and Samantha. Financial
REAPING REWARDS: An increased sales focus has
helped the Philippines team boost revenues.
Services Officers Shobha Gowda
and Nita Shah performed a traditional
Indian welcome ceremony and
Samantha and Charlie both received
flower garlands.
Charlie wore a turban and a dupatta
to perform a short Bollywood-style
dance, with Customer Sales Agent Tina
Naidu and Reservation Sales Agent
Claudia Dsouza assisting him with the
steps.
SRI LANKA
Painting smiles in Colombo
The Colombo team took part in a CSR project on 1 August,
by visiting the Vajira Sri Children’s Development Centre in
Pitakotte.
The centre provides both refuge and education for more
than 150 disadvantaged children between the ages of two
and 18.
The staff, including those who were on duty at the airport
the previous night, volunteered to devote their mid-week
Poya Day holiday to upgrading the dormitory facilities for the
boys aged 16-18.
The day’s work included colour washing the dormitory and cupboards
and fixing the lighting system to give the area a refreshed look and feel.
The team also had snacks for the children, who put on a performance to
celebrate the visit. The day ended with a cricket match.
Trying out Premium Economy
Since 1 September, passengers have been able to
fly in Premium Economy
Class from Frankfurt to
Hong Kong, and staff from
the Frankfurt Town Office
had a chance to sample the
new product for themselves
during an airport visit.
The staff walked around
the cabin trying out all the
different features, noting the wider seat and the extra legroom.
As there are several staff on the team who are taller than
1.80m, the extra space and legroom came in very handy for
them.
747 farewell
AMSTERDAM
2012 has been a rewarding year for the Philippines
Sales, Marketing and Direct Sales teams.
“Around three to four years ago, the Direct Sales
team focused mainly on servicing passengers and
taking new bookings as well as rebooking existing
ones, but less on the selling,” says Direct Sales Manager Marnic Adriano.
But when the focus changed to emphasise more of
a sales perspective, the direct sales revenue started
to improve.
In previous years, the Direct Sales team were more
conscious of the number of calls answered per hour.
“But since last year, each person was given a sales
target and we also started a recognition programme
for staff who were able close group bookings from
telephone sales. These proved to be very effective as
everyone’s mindset changed from plain servicing to
sales generating,” Marnic says.
The CX/HSBC tieup in 2011 which offered CX/KA
tickets for credit card spend, also boosted sales.
“To say it was a success is an understatement. It
was dubbed the ‘promotion of the century’ in terms of
the revenue generated as well as the exposure it gave
the CX/KA brands.
“We reaped the rewards until well into 2012 and it
also gave us the opportunity to practice our upselling
skills by introducing our Premium Economy and Business Class to this market,” Marnic says.
The team also started to do callouts to prospective direct corporate accounts including embassies,
churches and manufacturing companies.
“From July to August, the team visited 10 companies and presented the corporate proposition, with
three already signing contracts,” he adds.
A “race” incentive was also implemented with the
team taking part in a Pilipinas Grand PriCX staff campaign.
“The Grand PriCX is aimed at tapping into the selling
skills of all Philippines-based staff wherein each staff
would run a race and a driver would move forward
by referring friends or relatives. The Grand PriCX will
run for six months, with the top driver winning a grand
prize,” says Marnic.
Marnic proudly says the days “when we just waited
for passengers to call the reservations line” are over. “One of the things that we instilled in the minds of
all direct sales officers are the words proactive selling.
Whether it is doing callouts, offering alternative routes,
upselling or looking for other ways to sell. The bottom
line is that we have to do things differently to grow
revenue now while ensuring that service level targets
are continuously surpassed,” he says.
The India team held a press briefing for local media on
17 October to announce the introduction of the airline’s
award-winning new Business Class cabin and its new
Premium Economy Class cabin on the Delhi route.
From 29 October, Cathay Pacific aircraft operating
between Hong Kong and Delhi have been featuring
a three-class configuration – new Business Class,
Premium Economy Class and the new long-haul
Economy Class seats.
General Manager South Asia, Middle East & Africa
Tom Wright was joined by Area Sales Manager
– North India Abhijit Abhyankar and Regional Sales
& Marketing Manager – South Asia Rakesh Raicar to
meet the press.
Selected journalists from major newspapers such as
the Asian Age and travel trade titles including Trav Talk
and Aviation Times attended the event to learn more
about the new products.
GERMANY
Direct sales
on a growth
spurt in the
Philippines
Celebrating launch of new products on Delhi route
On a cold autumn morning,
the CX team in Amsterdam
said goodbye to the last passenger flight to the city operated by the Boeing 747-400.
The day also marked exactly
26 years of service by the 747.
The final flight carried 379 passengers from Hong Kong.
An Airbus 340-300 will operate the Hong Kong-Amsterdam
route until the Boeing 777-300
takes over later in the year.
Business Class campaign blitzes London
UNITED KINGDOM
Customers and business commuters alike celebrated the launch of the
new Cathay Pacific Business Class cabin on the London to Hong Kong
route at a three-day event.
Set against the spectacular backdrop of the iconic dome of St Paul’s
Cathedral and offering panoramic views of London, the team invited people
working in the area to experience the seat. Exclusive events were held for
valued travel partners, Marco Polo Club members and media to soak up the
new Business Class environment over a glass of champagne and canapés
The campaign was supported by an outdoor advertising campaign in key
business sites throughout the Square Mile, including 12-sheet posters at
Bank, St Paul’s and Mansion House and the landmark site at Bank Station
above the Central Line escalator. In addition, two transvision screens at Liverpool Street Station were also
used along with 41 screens across 21 buildings in the nearby vicinity.
‘Liking’ the JATA tourism fair
Staff from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia gathered to bid farewell to Country Manager
UAE & Oman Daniel Cheung and welcome
his successor, Brian Yuen.
Also present at the event were
General Manager South Asia,
Middle East and North Africa
Tom Wright and his successor Charlie Stewart-Cox.
Daniel was presented a
dhow as a farewell memento
to commemorate his time in the
Middle East.
JAPAN
The Tokyo team participated in the JATA Tourism Forum & Travel Showcase 2012
from 21-23 September with giveaways, a lucky draw and Facebook fan activities.
The showcase is held annually by the Japan Association of Travel Agents and
is the largest sightseeing event in Asia with a variety of exhibitors including travel
agencies, foreign and domestic travel tourism bureaus and airlines.
The CX team offered giveaways including special ballpoint pens and pin
badges to those who signed up for CX Specials.
The new subscribers went into a lucky draw to win Asia Miles, luxury hotel
stays in Hong Kong or a voucher to try the collagen-rich set menu at T’ang
Court at the Langham Hotel Hong Kong. Over the three days, more than
1,400 new subscribers were signed up.
The CX Japan Facebook page was also a highlight. Visitors who “liked”
the page when they visited the booth were given an airplane key chain. More
than 300 “likes” were recorded and the number of CX Japan Facebook fans
was boosted to more than 10,000.
SAUDI ARABIA
Farewell Daniel and
hello to Brian
When CX105 touched down at Adelaide
International Airport on 4 October, it
was not only the 3,578th Cathay Pacific
flight to arrive in the city; it also marked
the 20th anniversary of flights to South
Australia.
A crowd of almost 100 people gathered to celebrate Cathay Pacific’s two
decades of flights into Adelaide including General Manager Southwest Pacific
Dominic Perret, Adelaide Airport’s Vince
Scanlon and South Australian Tourism
Commission’s Karyn Kent.
In 1992 the first flight was captained
by South Australian Trevor Burgess,
and another South Australian, Captain
Ben Briggs, was at the controls on 4
October.
On 4 October 1992, CX commenced
flights to Adelaide with a weekly
service to Hong Kong. Since that time,
flights have increased from one to
seven per week, steadily increasing the
carriage of passengers and cargo.
Dominic also presented a 20-year
long service coin to Airport Services
Manager Karin Brady and a 15-year
coin to Airport Services Officer Chris
Stemper.
Royal escort to Canberra
Moving precious air cargo around
the world is something Cathay
Pacific does well, so when called
upon to ship Glorious: A Diamond
Jubilee portrait of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II from London to Sydney,
the airline rose to the occasion.
The large painting, measuring
262.3cm x 254.3cm, left London on
22 September, connecting with CX029
in Hong Kong to Sydney before being
trucked to Canberra.
Pictured with the painting are
Business Development Manager NSW
and ACT Richard Jones and Cargo
Manager, Australia Nigel Chynoweth.
AUSTRALIA
20 years celebrated in Adelaide
‘One whiff of the
kerosene and I
was hooked’
A 34-year journey is about to reach its final destination
for Allan Hine, Cargo Manager Victoria, Tasmania &
South Australia, who retires from CX in December after
a long and rewarding career.
His roots in the business actually go back to 1961
when he joined freighter forwarder Thomas Meadows
in the UK, working out of Heathrow. He migrated to
Australia two years later, but his career path was
already cemented.
“One whiff of the kerosene and I was hooked for life,”
he smiles.
He eventually got back into the industry in 1967,
working for New Zealand National Airways in Wellington
and then for Trans Australia Airlines in Melbourne.
Later, he met Rex Swann, then CX Airport and Cargo
Manager in Melbourne, who sold Allan the idea of
working for the Hong Kong carrier.
“It sounded interesting, different to what I’d been
doing, and I took to it like a duck to water,” Allan says.
When Allan joined in June 1978, CX had only been
online to Melbourne for 18 months and there were just
three Boeing 707 passenger flights a week to the city.
A team of three staff handled every aspect of the whole
operation, including cargo.
Things developed fast and in 1983 the Airport and
Cargo functions were separated and Allan was made
Cargo Manager. His focus was to further build the cargo
operation out of MEL.
Life took another turn in 1990 when he got a call
from Simon Heale from the Head Office Cargo team
and found himself working as Manager Cargo Services
at Kai Tak from July 1990 to December 1992 – a time
when CX had only three or four freighters and the Cargo
Services team numbered just 12 people.
After returning to Melbourne, Allan saw the nature of
the industry beginning to change.
“It was becoming more mature and shippers were
more willing to pay decent rates,” he says. “We began
to see fewer perishables being moved and more
specialised cargo – and CX has been able to capture a
significant share of that business out of Melbourne.”
He is leaving behind a much bigger and more
sophisticated cargo operation, and says the thing he’ll
miss the most is the people. “I’ve been happy to go to
work every day,” he says.
Allan will keep himself busy in retirement, travelling
with his wife to places in Australia he hasn’t visited
before, and indulging in a new passion, photography. “I
did my first wedding recently and I’m pleased with the
results!” he grins.
CARGO
CRAZY:
Allan Hine is
hanging up
his hat after
34 years.
Cebu
Mechanic
Jorge
Bartolabac
1. Earlier this
year, you took part
in the International Ironman
70.3 race – what did you have
to do?
It started with a two kilometre
swim, then a 90 kilometre bike
ride and a 21 kilometre run in the
hot sun.
2. How did you do?
I finished in six hours and 33
minutes – not bad for a first time
joiner!
3. How gruelling was the training regime?
I woke up at 5am and Monday,
Wednesday and Friday were
for swimming and running. On
Tuesdays and Thursdays, I cycled
for four hours.
4. What was the most
difficult part of training?
The cycling, because I needed
a lot of time and distance to do it
properly.
5. How long was the training
regime?
You should do four to six months
of training but I couldn’t do it all
because of work.
6. What is your favourite discipline and why?
The swimming. But it is also the
most difficult of the three for me.
When not in the air, Flight Purser Ruby
Lee can generally be found gliding swiftly over water as the wakeboard fanatic
works on improving her skills.
Ruby, who holds a scuba-diving licence
and used to own a jet ski, says she has
always enjoyed water sports.
But her main focus is now on wakeboarding, which she started about seven
years ago.
“It is just so cool!” Ruby grins. “I can still
remember how euphoric I was the first time I
managed to get up on the wakeboard on top
of the water.”
Wakeboarding is a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing, Ruby explains.
As she began to improve, she decided to become more serious about the sport.
“I hired a private instructor and tried swapping
some long-haul duties with colleagues to give me
more time to practice in Hong Kong,” Ruby says.
FLYING HIGH: Ruby in action
“Certain tricks are extremely difficult and you need to
on the water. Below right: Ruby
practice them over and over again. Perhaps the reason I
(centre) with her team mates in
never get bored is because it’s so challenging.,” she adds.
Hong Kong.
In 2009, Ruby applied for nine months’ unpaid leave and went
to Taiwan “to get a taste of how it’s like to be a full-time athlete”. She
spent up to 12 hours a day wakeboarding including formal training, auxiliary exercises and cleaning up the boat and other equipment.
Her arduous efforts have certainly paid off and she has become one of the
most promising female members in the Hong Kong team. The difficult tricks such as
the jump-up, turnaround and even somersaults have earned her medals over the years. This
summer, she reached the final eight of the Asian/Australia Wakeboarding Championship,
which is the best result attained by a Hong Kong athlete so far.
“Wakeboarding has given me a lot of satisfaction and sense of achievement. And I would
like to thank the company and my colleagues who have been very generous in ensuring
that my roster does not clash with important contests,” Ruby says.
7. Why is the swimming portion so hard?
It’s very technical and you need to
learn how to glide on water. Correct strokes are the most important
thing.
8. How did you get into triathlons?
I did marathons and fun runs before I decided that I could do more.
9.Would you encourage others
to do triathlons?
Yes, but remember that it’s an
expensive sport because you need
a good bike. And if you are a newbie, you need a coach, especially
for the swimming part.
10. What is your
advice to new
starters?
Train hard, set
goals, have a
reason and an
inspiration
and
strive
hard.
But
make
sure
you enjoy
yourself.
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United troops for WARR
CX and KA presented a united front at the recent World
Airline Road Race (WARR), held in Qingdao in October.
Staff from various departments, some joined by family
and friends, flew to the coastal city for the event, held in a
national park close to Qingdao.
As always, participants from airlines around the world
flew in for the event, with around 300 taking part this
year. Beyond the race itself, highlights included
the famous T-shirt swap party, where airlines
exchanged self-designed T-shirts with each other,
and the gala dinner after the race.
KA CEO Patrick Yeung flew in to cheer on the Hong
Kong contingent and there was great local support from
Manager Qingdao Sarita Chan.
Next year’s WARR will be hosted by South African Airways
in Cape Town – visit www.worldairlineroadrace.org
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Steven says goodbye
After more than 38 years, Cabin Crew Line Manager – FP & FA
Steven Tsang said goodbye to the company that he first joined
as a cabin crew in the 1970s.
Steven joined CX in February 1974 and worked as cabin crew
until 1990, when he joined the ground staff team and was appointed Cabin Crew Performance Officer.
Steven has many happy memories of the many cabin crew
wedding banquets, birthday parties and dinners for various crew
ranks he has attended over the years, and looks back fondly on
his time with the airline.
“It has been good to see a change in culture; things are more
open, the management team is very approachable and there’s a
harmonious working atmosphere inflight,” he said in a final interview with Cabin Crew Newsletter.
“When I first joined, I hoped that
one day I would be able to be a part
of this kind of change. It is one of my
proudest achievements.
“My life has been greatly enriched
by the kindness and encouragement so many of you have shown to
me. I will always be grateful for the
colleagues and many friends I have
made along the way,” he added.
First prize this month is a mixed
case of wine worth HK$1,200
sponsored by Essential Fine
Wines.
Essential Fine Wines is a
Hong Kong-based company
specialising in providing
boutique wines from around the world.
Every wine is hand selected by the experienced team who
make regular visits to Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand,
South Africa and Spain looking for exciting new wines.
Essential Fine Wines also supplies to hotels, clubs, restaurant and
bars around the region.
Visit www.efw.com.hk for more.
The second prize winner will receive a Maxwell &
Williams dim sum 22-piece set and an elemental
five-piece kitchen condiment and grinder set.
A fun and artistic product, the dim sum set
includes four pairs of chopsticks, chopsticks
stands, bowls, placemats and a bamboo steamer,
while the condiment set consists of a glass
pepper grinder, a glass salt
grinder, a stainless steel
storage caddy and two
pieces of glass oil or dressing
pourers.
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, 14 December.
tels-managed
ER: The Swire Ho
HAPPY TOGETH
crew on 22
CX
st
fir
lcomed its
EAST Beijing we
Dragonair.
the crew hotel for
October. It is also
CHAIR-RAISING: Staff dre
ssed in sorcerer/sorceress costum
es took part in
the sedan chair race aro
und the peak
in October, raising funds
to support
charitable organisation
s.
YEARS ADD UP: Abacus Hong Kong GM Winnie Lau
(first row, third from right) and her team celebrate the
23rd anniversary of the CX subsidiary.
Corporate Sales
DOING THE MOBOT: The London
s Half Marathon.
Team ham it up at the Royal Park
PIT STOP: Manila’s Simon Miranda takes a rest at a crater
lake during the Mt. Pinatubo 50km trail ultramarathon.
MATCH UP: The CX Tennis Team was third
in the
Interhong 2012 championship.
Maintenance team had
TOP SCORE!: The Bangkok Line
from Thai Airways.
a fun football match with a team
BABY TALK: ISD hosted a baby-crawling contest
with more than 60 children taking part. Philippe
de Gentile-Williams and Liza Ng were on hand to
present the prizes.
FIRST DECADE
: JNB’s Sharon
Chen receives
her 10-year se
rvice award fro
m Country
Manager Fros
ti Lau.
wear Indian dress to farewell
COSTUME CULTURE: ISD staff
es for South Asia.
leav
Charlie Stewart-Cox before he
Southern stays
The Indaba Hotel – Fourways
in Johannesburg is offering
CX staff special prices from
810 ZAR (US$93) for a single
room with breakfast.
The 260-room country-style property
is located north of Johannesburg and is
nestled beneath the Magaliesberg Mountains.
Guests can enjoy a range of massages
and beauty treatments at the Mowana Spa
before sitting down to a traditional African
cuisine buffet of game meats at Chiefs
Boma. The property also has an all-day
dining venue called Epsom Terrace with
international buffets available all day.
More information on Travel Desk.
It’s coming down
Christmas
The festive
season is fast
approaching and
thousands of visitors will descend on the
medieval Belgium town of Bruges for the
annual Christmas Market.
Running from 23 November to 1 January, the Christmas Market is held in the
main square and forms a ring around an
open-air ice rink.
The festive stalls are crammed with
elegantly packaged chocolates, brightly
coloured sweets, unusual hand-made
decorations and a range of toys.
After a day of browsing, visitors can
relax in one of the many bars and restaurants surrounding the square.
Go to www.christmasmarkets.com for
more.
Regional Assistant Marketing
Services Manager – South Asia
Desiree Dubier soaks up the party
atmosphere of the casino capital
If you are looking for a crazy, fun holiday,
then Las Vegas is the place for you.
The Las Vegas strip is home to some of
the most unbelievable hotels in the world –
The Venetian, Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace and
Luxor to name a few – and it’s a treat to walk
through these pleasure palaces and take in
their authenticity and grandeur.
Many of the hotels are themed
and each one has taken an
idea and run with it – the
Paris Las Vegas Hotel
is built like the city of
Paris,
complete
with a miniature Eiffel Tower, while the
pyramid-shaped
Luxor leaves the
visitor in no doubt of the
fact that Egypt was the inspiration.
Casinos, of course, are
the lifeblood of Las Vegas
and it’s impossible not to
try your luck.
The best part is when
you sit down at a slot machine – the drinks are free
and if you pick up a drink in VIVA LAS VEGAS: (Clockwise from top) The world at your fingertips;
one hotel you can drop off the Bellagio’s dancing fountains; and indulging in a shoe fetish.
your glass at another!
Las Vegas is also known
fountains at the Bellagio or the Fire & Water
for its numerous shows with entertainers
show at the Mirage are mesmerising.
ranging from Criss Angel and David CopFor the brave-hearted, try the rides at the
perfield to Celine Dion and Rod Stewart.
Stratosphere Hotel which offer heart-poundThe Cirque du Soleil shows are a must.
ing thrills high above the building. Their performances combine acrobatics
You can also experience a sky jump from
with music, dance and take creativity and
the 108th floor or the X-Scream ride that
imagination to a whole new level.
propels you headfirst 27 feet over the edge
The Bellagio, Mirage and Treasure Island
of the 886 foot-tower.
hotels stage free shows practically
For me, Vegas was everything I’ve ever
every hour. The magical dancing
seen in the movies and much more.
This month’s contribution comes from
Systems Specialist Francesca Law and is a
sunset shot of the Gaomei Wetland Preservation Area in Taichung.
The wetlands have been set aside as a
nature reserve and a wide variety of wildlife,
including migratory birds, can be seen
throughout the area.
“We made a trip there over a long weekend and saw many different animals. There
is also a windfarm with18 turbines and the
view of the sunset there is amazing,” says
Francesca.
The area also has biking paths and hiking
trails which enable visitors to go exploring.
Lighting up the centre
The 80th Rockefeller Center Christmas
Tree will be lit by 30,000 energy efficient
LED lights on 28 November and will remain on display until 7 January.
The ceremony signals the start of the
Christmas season in New York City and
is loaded with live entertainment and
celebrity glitz.
See www.rockefellercenter.com
SHOW US YOUR TIPS!
CX World welcomes staff travel tips from
across the network – email us at CCD#SCT
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.cathaypacific.
com/dutyfree