Carfield

CX management has come up with a new strategy to combat the latest industrial actions taken by the CX pilots!

BUT CX's choice of STANDBY aircrafts is not necessarily DESIRABLE!

Air China Boeing 777-200 49J296Y
Air China Boeing 747-400 18F36J350Y
China NorthwestAirbus A300-600R 28J240Y
China Northern Airbus A300-600R 24J250Y
China Northern Airbus A300-600R 24J250Y
China SouthwestAirbus A340-300 12J358Y
China SouthwestAirbus A340-300 12J358Y
China SouthwestBoeing 757 8J192Y
China SouthwestBoeing 757 8J192Y
China Eastern Airbus A300-600R 24J245Y

Carfield

HKTransplant

Is CX chartering the pilots along with these wonderful airplanes?

Shout

Probably yes.

There may be a few in Hong Kong looking for jobs soon as well.

Vunder31

CX claim that these planes (including crew) have been chartered to handle the problems associated with the typhoon Utor, which has very little to do with the pilot action situation.
Of course, having pilot action and a typhoon happening at the same time isn't exactly helping...
http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/inte...,17321,00.html

tedhl

just had a look at the disruption pages...looks really great - all flight departure/arrival info for every single flight, general weather info, check-in services availability, contact info, all in one easily accessible place...

Carfield

Yes, CX also charters the complete flight crews (pilots and F/As). All aircrafts are here in HK now and are parked on the CX apron prepared for any kind of operation.

I don't think a CX passenger will be happy to see its flight operated by a mainland Chinese carrier. the local HK news report about CX's latest move, and passengers can request a refund if they don't like to fly its chartered flight.

Carfield

JohnAx

Looking at the Cathay web site, which lists apparently complete particulars of their actual operations and short-term plans, it's interesting how badly chewed up their flight schedules are. Pehaps CX needs to dispatch a physician to each station to assist aircrew in achieving speedy recoveries from their various sicknesses.

My understanding is that CX pilots are to a great extent western nationals. Does this kind of action put CX management in a position where a need to save face will make settlement difficult? I don't see how this is going to play out - the pilots can play along for a fairly long time, knowing that even those who get sacked for imaginary or too-frequent illness typically get reinstated at the end of the process, and CX, although they clearly are having a tough go of it, seems determined to continue trying to operate their airline under these conditions.

YVR Cockroach

You have to go into the British psyche to determine this. A significant amount of CX's management are British - a friend who is aircraft lease banker for a very large U.S. bank in HKG says that he doesn't deal with CX as all the managers who make the leasing decisions are based in the U.K.

I think the amount of CX's senior managers who are Asian was and still remains insignificant.

tedhl

this might give you a feel of the mix of the management team...

http://www.cathaypacific.com/intl/ab...,47774,00.html

JohnAx

Interesting list, Tedhl

gear down

actually i would not mind BUT IT HAS TO BE THE B777 otherwise i'm not flying!

Guy Betsy

Interesting to note: Availability on travel agents' Computer Reservations Systems show some flights on CX cancelled (it shows a "X" next to the flight number), or showing 0 on all available classes, economy, business, first. But the most interesting aspect of this is that the flights that seem to be still operating are showing availability in economy only. All Business and First Class seats are showing ZERO availability.

What I surmise is that CX thinks that only economy class passengers will go along with whatever the airline will charter to fly them to their final destination. This being the peak of summer travel, tour groups will complain the least if they at least get to where they are going and will not notice the difference. As for the Premium class passengers, Cathay management figures that it's better to avoid situations which might compromise their loyalty to Cathay. So basically it's like shutting the door in your face. "Hi, we're open for business sometimes, but we can't serve you".

As reported in HK's i-mail newspaper today: http://hk-imail.singtao.com/inews/pu...334&intcatid=1

To quote: " Customers are attracted to airlines by schedules and frequent-flyer miles. Mr Ross said loyal customers would likely double-book on Cathay and another carrier just to hedge their bets.
Even if customers flew on another airline during this crisis, if they were attracted to Cathay for the convenience and the frequent-flyer miles, they would probably go back to Cathay in the long run, Mr Ross said. But even this early in the dispute, there's a toll. "

Does this mean, we, frequent flyers of the public and Miles-addicts does not mind that Cathay is causing us grief and that we'd have to reroute, inconvenient ourselves while we change airlines, and fight for what little available space there might be left for flights to/from HongKong, all for the sake of some 'compensation' frequent flyer miles when all of this is over?

In 1999, when the Cathay pilots went through their sickouts, Cathay Pacific offered a "thank you" miles bonus of something less than 20,000 miles when it was all over. But that was only on Asiamiles and only for HK residents. What about the rest of us? If CX management honestly believes that customer loyalty is still going to be there by slapping us personally, then they will be mistaken.

I'm going back to the US in a weeks' time. I'm not hoping for Cathay pilots to end their strike by then as the ripple repurcussions will be felt for a long time. I'm switching carriers instead. As one among many who are the main core of Cathay's real revenue passengers (ie First and Business full fare customers), the final profit margin for Cathay Pacific shareholders will be felt for a long time to come. For it is them who are just sitting iddly by and doing absolutely nothing.

I'd settle for double miles on CX flights to any oneworld FF programme, thanks!

[This message has been edited by Guy Betsy (edited 07-10-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Guy Betsy (edited 07-10-2001).]