Has CX ever had a cabin crew strike?

Yes.. last one was around 2000-2001 if I remember.

CX had to charter planes to carry passengers. You show up at airport and realise that although you're booked on a CX flight number, the aircraft you're flying on is some other airline... (sometimes you're lucky and see some nicer airline taking you ... ie SQ, JL, NH. But other times its China Southern or whatever...).

The strike lasted 3 weeks I think.

JL has lots of 744 lying around for CX to charter this time around :D

I read another article from Apple Daily today saying there are 3 FAs from Thailand currently assigned to HKG-MEL right now. Their hourly rate is 20% of the HK FAs. Before this, they are only assigned to flights to/from Thailand. The HK FAs worried that it is CX's long term policy to hire more Thailand crew to replace HK ones...

All these little things add up I guess...

JL must be happy they stay in OneWorld with CX and BA.... :p

IIRC, CX had a crew-training agreement with MU back then. So CX was using a lot of MU FAs (and probably planes) for lots of destinations. For the poor pax who paid premium price for CX, though, their two options were to take it or stay at the airport.

I remember that. I would expect CX to repeat this if there's a strike. It's probably cheaper too!

With AA and CX's FAs talking about strike, BA's going to strike...maybe OW should change its name to strikeworld ;)

Of course it is going to be less flexible to do swaps...they will need to work the hours they are paid to work! I don't really sympathise with the FAs in this case.

The airline says most FAs work 80+ hours anyway, so it won't affect most of them.

As for assigning Thai crew to other routes, maybe it will make the HK based crew pull their socks up and provide better service. Thais are great at providing a more graceful service.

How about Strike Three?

And so they should be since the Thai FAs are probably twice as good at 20% of the price!

CX has deferred this plan, understandably, avoiding a potential strike (probably in view of the BA / European strikes lately).

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_...0007d21c39____

The union is still holding the emergency meeting despite the suspension.

What counts as hours worked? Always wondered this.

When does the 'clock' start, and stop, for the following two examples:

HKG-DPS-HKG (turnaround flight for crew)
HKG-LAX-HKG (at least a 48 hour layover, if not more)

There are also standby time too.

Usually the 'clock' start 2 or 3 hours before flight schedule take off time and stop 30 mins after landing. (I can't remember it is 2 or 3 hours)

For HKG-DPS turnaround it will be 3 hrs before took off and 30 mins after the plane back to HKG. (5+5hrs flying time, ~2hrs layover in DPS, 3hrs before/after flight duty= nearly 14-15hrs) For HKG-LAX-HKG, it will be 3 hrs before take off until landed at LAX. It starts again 3 hrs before takeoff from LAX til 30mis after landing.(12hrs flying, 3rs ground duty = 15hrs *2= 30hrs per round trip) A short TPE turnaround already give FA 6-8hrs working hrs.

The problem is the CX will give FA around 70-80hrs working hours per month, with only 5 chance could swap. It is not easy to swap only <30hrs left. Those hardworking crew would like to earn more can't get those extra hours. With those working hrs <70 can't swap duty, where those extra duty come from? At the past it mainly comes from those who don’t want to work or prefer less working hours.

Also after GFC, CX cut frequencies on many route. The result is CX actually can't give their crew >70 working hours per month.

The other matter include deploy BKK based crew to MEL also help to trigger the huge negative respond from crews.

I read on a public Hong Kong forum yesterday that the ill-informed public tended to side with the FAs. They blamed CX for changing the policies, cutting costs, supporting the FAs' strike proposal, blablabla. In this case, however, I fail to see what CX has done wrong. CX is just trying to impose a change to the unfair rule - those who trade away their hours below 70 hours "at their own will" should not share the same benefits as those working over 70 hours... It is just plain ridiculous to work 10 hours (hum.... less than 30 minutes a day...) and receive 70 hours of pay, and you still get to be picky of what you want to do from your employer, or no?

They then went on and blamed CX for not giving them pay raise, poor raise opportunity, getting paid the same HKD$15,000 at the 5th year of job, etc. Didn't they choose THAT career path from the start? What do they expect? Serve the F cabin with 5 years in the job?

Also what is wrong for CX putting BKK-based FAs on other routes? IMHO, I would jump to take the flights that would have BKK-based crews. Regardless of their pay scale, I am more confident in them providing me with better CX hospitality.

FWIW, at AA, IIRC, clock starts for cabin crew when the aircraft door is closed for departure, and clock stops when door opens on arrival.