TomYoung

[QUOTE=NZflyer777;35897513]yup and it still shocks me that the current management can get away with the lie that CX is at 70% of pre pandemic capacity.

As I have posted previously Cathay said that its target for THE CATHAY GROUP (which includes Hong Kong Express) is for capacity (more recently expressed as flights) to be 70% for year end 2024 compared to 2019. We have yet to see the numbers but Cathay alone was 65% of November 2019 for November and the massive focus on Hong Kong Express may have pushed HKE's over 200%, giving a group figure over 70%. They may well have achieved the target. Also with the focus on Hong Kong Express I wonder if the plan is to scrap Cathay's 17 regional 777s with their 438 seats and replace them with 25 or more Hong Kong Express A321s. In this case 25 replacement aircraft would cover 18 or so A330s currently aged over 16 years with room for expansion. I choose 16 years because by the time the last of the 25 yet-to-be-ordered aircraft are delivered I would expect the 16 years to be well over 20 years old. As for the replacement type I continue to hope that Cathay chooses a regionally configured A350 similar to that chosen by premium quality airlines such as JAL and SQ rather than the rehashed superseded technology of the A330, an aircraft chosen by the likes of Cebu Pacific and Air Asia. I think that Cathay's choice will be a good indicator of where they wish to position the airline for the future.

percysmith

The answer to every question in HK is now TTPS, not 42.

oldchinahand

Of course it is correct that Cathay are canceling a few flights and this is very unusual for them.
However the story is very much an OTT beat-up as all large airlines cancel more than the few flights that Cathay has cancele
BA cancels daily around 3% of its flights and this is so usual in Europe that it hardly ever commented on.
US airlines cancel many more:
Delta ended up canceling 2% of its flights in 20223 according to federal data.

[size=13px]US majors - Flights cancelled in December 2023. by major US airlines [/size][size=13px]- from federal data [/size]

Southwest cancelled 15 percent of flights, Alaska cancelled 8 percent, Allegiant, Spirit, and Frontier each cancelled 5 percent, Hawaiian cancelled 4 percent, United cancelled 3 percent each, and JetBlue and American cancelled 2 percent each.

This is a significantly higher percentage than the few canceled by Cathay
Interestingly between May 2022 and May 2023 - 3 out of 5 singapore Airlines passengers had their flight ether delayed or cancelled -this according to Singapore government figures.

Cathay undoubtedly needs more pilots but the present temporary situation is very far from being serious - just unusual for Cathay - AND GREAT FODDER FOR THE MEDIA AT A SLOW TIME OF YEAR
15%between

CXYYZ

Intentionally or not, this post comes across as total whataboutism. Like overseas-based airlines, Cathay also experiences cancellations in normal times. For the above US data to provide meaningful context, we would need comparable stats for CX. I don’t have their cancellation and delays performance data at hand but would find it interesting to see how it compares.

It is an objective fact that Cathay management has not met the expectations of its passengers and wider stakeholder group through a controllable failure to be able to achieve its published flying schedule. This was caused by flights scheduled/sold by management that exceeded the availability of crew. The fact that it was not just a December issue points to systemic root causes.

clazza

Why would you make a comparison with BA and US airlines? CX purports to offer a superior service?

sbs2716g

US airlines and BA cancellation are mostly due to weather/ATC. He just want to show that despite cancellation, CX is doing better than those US airlines or BA. Obviously, it is different comparison as CX are due to shortage of pilot , for which he keep saying that CX have enough pilots.

sbs2716g

funny, you claim that SQ cancel or delay 60% of their flights? Delay as in 10 mins? 60 mins? Or 1 day? SQ have been running the flights that they have scheduled consistently even during the covid19 period.


and everyday around 8-10 pairs of cancellation for CX is not serious matter ? There are thousand of paxes being affected daily.

CX HK

Actually I am wondering - are the jobs now in the US instead of other Asian carriers? I'm guessing other Asian 5 star airlines like SQ, ANA, JAL, EVA, Starlux etc all hire more locally than CX does. Would they be looking to hire any CX pilots? From the media I see that it seems only the Middle Eastern carriers are trying to poach CX pilots.

US HK UK flyer

Other East Asian airlines were not paying through the nose as much as Cathay was for expat pilots with benefits like mansions in Discovery Bay, international schools, etc. all included as part of the package. It's a miracle Cathay was able to offer the service it was with these costs - typically better amenities on Asian airlines has been attributed to lower labor costs. Somehow it was still sustainable in good times but one push and the system was less resilient than local recruitment.

In light of that, one thing that's ridiculous to see is the pilots' union and such acting like they've been issued the world's most grievous wrong not getting those insane pay packages back. Some of their criticism of the airline going too far in shedding staff and watering down contracts may be legitimate, but sometimes it seems like there's no understanding whatsoever of the structural conditions the airline faced coming from their side.

sbs2716g

Anyway more cuts on the way.
around 8-10 pairs flights cut daily from 21/Jan to 29/Jan. Not sure will there be any additional cut later on.

CX110/111 (SYD) cancelled 21/Jan to 29/Jan
CX 257/238 (LHR) cancelled 21/Jan to 29/Jan (except 26/Jan).

i tot their LHR flights are alway full?
edit: seem like flights are still on sale

allianceflyer9506

I wonder why HKG-MNL both ways still haven't received a cut yet it's 5x daily. From SCMP on MSN it's caused by seasonal illness and chaotic rosters

triplefives

Many pilots left when they were subject to 21 day quarantines. And well, why can't just hire more? The compensation packages for places like the US are at record highs. The remaining CX pilots are still peeved at the last contract where management basically gave them a take it or leave it proposal. Either CX hikes their pay package (unlikely given the uncertainty of the Hong Kong economy) or they try to do things as a shell of their former self.

US HK UK flyer

Unlikely there's no demand fluctuation for London at all. Late January is a weaker time of year for student demand.

But also noticeable that London has escaped these cancellations so far before this.

pacificboot

Zurich seems to be cut till end of the month, and some days London just see 2 flights VS 4.

Arbeysix

You exaggerate greatly here. The vast majority were not living in “mansions” and had relatively modest packages taking into account cost of HK living. The role requires sold experience and skills and ultimately the jobs market is a global one - as CX is now learning the hard way..CX needs to pay and look after it’s staff better if it wishes to recruit and retain the calibre of pilots and cabin staff it needs. (For the record I don’t work in aviation but am a loyal but concerned DM.).