It sounds like a very trivial question to ask the Chief Executive Officer of Cathay Pacific, but how much money has the airline saved by getting rid of the porcelain pebble salt and pepper pots in Business Class? Yes, they have gone, replacing by tiny plastic sachets of seasoning, which, apparently, you have to ask for.

John Slosar, who next March will trade his CEO business card for one saying “Taipan”, as the chairman of Swire Pacific is known, chuckles. “I do not know and I will be very honest. I flew business class this weekend and it was the first time I saw that and I didn’t know the detail.” The porcelain things were very cool, to the extent that people who travel on Cathay Pacific appreciate style, he added. “And, they were the most frequently pilfered items in the history of Cathay Pacific, by a huge margin.” He laughed, adding he thought the airline should have just distributed them with a huge gift box – or put “stolen from Cathay Pacific” on the bottom.

They were extremely popular – I hope we haven’t just done it to stop the pilferage, he said. “Even in my role I don’t know the detail of every last bit of the service.” There’s a kind of a compliment there, he decided, “it means they were pretty good, and I think we should try to keep the good stuff.”

Selling on Ebay

“Do you have several sets, by the way?” he asked. No I don’t, I replied, truthfully, remembering the holes were too small and would soon clog up with salt in the humidity. I thought of checking on Ebay - Cathay salt and pepper shakers and see what they are going for, said Slosar. I took a look. A set listed as “brand new” went for pounds 7.70 – about HK$100 - on October 27, with 18 bidders. The seller came from Marlow, which is suspiciously close to London’s Heathrow Airport.