Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Cathay Pacific cuts 47 flights

Cathay Pacific has announced 47 weekly flight cuts due to the spread of SARS (not the Iraq War).

Cathay said it will cut around 47 flights a week, with Taipei, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo the hardest hit destinations.

Its rival, Singapore Airlines, has announced cutting 65 weekly flights.

Wonder if these route cutbacks, and the sudden downturn in loads on remaing flights, might put CX and SQ into the same operating revenue situation as the rest of the world carriers?

Nothing like as bad - they have much better control over their cost base (and less powerful unionisation and labour laws). They made a significant profit last year.

The sudden downturn of demand is the real reason why CX is slashing flights.

CX and KA has seen a 20% load factor drop on popular Taiwan-Hong Kong flight.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Shareholder:
Wonder if these route cutbacks, and the sudden downturn in loads on remaing flights, might put CX and SQ into the same operating revenue situation as the rest of the world carriers?</font>

Most unlikely, since the measure would be quite temporary and figures will rebound as soon as the SARS crisis subsides. What is more, other carriers have also cut, eg, Qantas cut routes a week earlier!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jiml1126:
The sudden downturn of demand is the real reason why CX is slashing flights.

CX and KA has seen a 20% load factor drop on popular Taiwan-Hong Kong flight.</font>

And don't you think this is related to SARS?

Um, yes. The real reason is SARS.


<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Toxa:
And don't you think this is related to SARS?</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jiml1126:
The sudden downturn of demand is the real reason why CX is slashing flights.

CX and KA has seen a 20% load factor drop on popular Taiwan-Hong Kong flight.</font>

That explains why CX cancelled my early morning TPE-HKG flights CX463 and CX465 when I was there last week. CX407 seems to be the earliest flight out of TPE now. Even with the consolidated flights, my flight was 25% occupied in J, and about 40% occupied in Y.

A week ago a friend also got an online fare of $4800NT/RT for TPE-HKG on CX's website. The fare didn't earn mileage, however, and required departing TPE and HKG on late night (10PM and after) flights. The 3AMer was one of the options. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

SARS is having a far worse impact than the war. If you look at BA's March traffic figures, overall they are down 6%, but for Asia-Pacific it's a whopping 25%.

CX today announce additional capacity cut.

The total capacity for April and May will be reduced by 23%.

A total of 108 flights will be slashed, including flights to London till May.

[This message has been edited by jiml1126 (edited 04-04-2003).]

Specifically LA is slashed by 7 flights a week, taking it from a double-daily to a daily, London loses 2 flights a week (midday flight from HK on Tues/Wed) and Melbourne also loses 2 flights a week (Tues/Wed). I think a couple of the Asian destinations might have a few flight cuts on top of the ones announced last week.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by jkc22:
A week ago a friend also got an online fare of $4800NT/RT for TPE-HKG on CX's website. The fare didn't earn mileage, however, and required departing TPE and HKG on late night (10PM and after) flights. The 3AMer was one of the options. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif</font>

Now that on the other hand has zilch to do with SARS. This offer has been around for almost 8 months.

welcome to the Land of Smiles
Don Muang airport ex CX flight (from HKG or any flight from one of the SARS infected areas like Singapore or Vietnam or China)
First u must put on your mask before u can leave the aircraft
Then escorted (all pax) to a quarantine area
Fill out a form - then they take your temperature and stamp the form if you are not about to die
Fill out another form
then a doctor examines your chest with a stethoscope
then they stamp the second form
Take both papers and they then et you to immigration
You are then supposed to wear a sign "Unclean' and wear your mask for 14 days in Thailand or the Mask Police will quarantine and fine you
They could not advise how to go scuba diving or eat in it
Sawasdee krap

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Marco Polo:
They could not advise how to go scuba diving or eat in it

</font>

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Lee Kwan Yew is coming to lecture next week in Bangkok Since he is a VIP he is exempt from the airport health checks and wearing a mask for 14 days as was the female Thai MP who visited HKG and was permitted back into BKK without the Ordinary Mortal checks
I hear the Thai Health Authorities are going to synthesise Lee's genes since he is Sars immune according to the Thai Health people and pass it to the WHO as its new found secret

True, but other carriers don't have all their routes starting from Hong Kong, so only part of their routes were affected. If this drag on for months that I would think that it will have some impact on them, maybe more than the pilot strikes a couple yeas ago.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by IncyWincy:
Most unlikely, since the measure would be quite temporary and figures will rebound as soon as the SARS crisis subsides. What is more, other carriers have also cut, eg, Qantas cut routes a week earlier!</font>

Qantas annopunced the layoff of 1000 staff today
I wonder of CX will come up with a Mileage plan to try and put bumzonseats
Thai are offering 2 for one Business and First to anywhere in the world
Also I wonder of CX will extend the Mileage year in the light of current events

THAI had already offered the 2 for 1 offer before the SARS crisis.

At this point, it is still too early to see if CX is offering any special fares. Last I checked yesterday, fares were still very high from HKG to anywhere considering that flights are near empty!

I'm in London at the moment with a last sector of an expiring RTW on CX/UA. So far, all indications are to avoid flying out of HKG for fear of being treated like a leper. So I have to see what options there are today in flying direct to my eventual destinations BKK, KUL and then SYD.

I think points or no points, CX has got to do something to entice people back. But it's not the airline people are avoiding, its the stigma of arriving from HKG even though one is in transit from a non-SARS country.