christep

It's also interesting to see the swing in perception: 5-10 years ago the feeling here was please can I have cabin crew from anywhere EXCEPT Hong Kong!

kaka

PacificSunrise

[QUOTE=tabeko;30767405]Not sure how the packages are structured but do note NY doesn't have ISMs - could mean easier to cut if no legacy clauses (not sure about this at all) but lower cost savings.

zhaobao

I noticed a few Bangkok-based crew getting on CX654 on Sunday.... whereas the rest of the crew (Hong Kong based) were doing return trip from CX653. And going back to the earlier comment of Southeast Asian crew based in Hong Kong back in the 90s, the few Bangkok-based crew made the flight so much better. They even speak basic Mandarin to deal with the many Mainland Chinese travellers !

kaka

CXYYZ

This is unfortunate. I have found the YYZ crew to be pretty good over the years. Good luck to all those affected!

etkuo

Same here. I frequent the YYZ routes and recognize many of the YYZ based ISM/SP/FP. They have always been nice and it's always a good feeling (at least for myself) to walk onto the flight and see some familiar faces. (Disclaimer: I don't make extra demands.)

agjil

Speaking of North America based crews, I think I read somewhere that for Cathay's JFK flights, some flights are served by JFK based crew and some by HKG based crew.
Is this correct?
I thought it was kind of strange to split crew for the same destination.

kaka

gear down

Yes, some are rostered with mixed bases as the operating crew may fly on two different types eg 777 ex hkg, 350 coming back.

not entirely sure. Just a guess

PacificSunrise

Usually 830 is JFK-based crew but since no JFK-based ISM as stated above, it's always "mixed crew". On JFK-HKG it's more variable as to which flights they get on but think usually 845 - not sure if that changed as recently been on 899 whenever to HK (always HK) and 865 to YVR (always YVR).

StuckInYYZ

Does this mean that if a crew times out at YYZ (which cab happen during the winter), that the flight will be cancelled? Seems kinda short sighted.

FlyPointyEnd

It happens to other ports with no crew base, most probably CX feels that those one-offs don't out weigh the extra cost to operate an outport crew base.

I think in some cases they fly up to Japan/Taiwan where a new set of crew is waiting for them.

QRC3288

Actually, almost all outports do not have a crew base. Obviously this doesn't really impede operations. In N. America none of ORD, BOS nor IAD have bases. In Europe, the majority of cities don't have bases. Service survives! Replacement crew can be flown out, or cycled from another flight in the region. Or two flights consolidated into one.

It's worth noting that YYZ had a tiny base anyway. If not the smallest crew base, then # 2 or # 3. With such a tiny base if a whole plane went tech and/or crew time out, a 12-24 hour delay was still a possibility. It's not like shutting the base takes away an "ace in the hole" or something. You cannot call the entire standby list - essentially what would happen in a small base like YYZ, they don't have a lot of people on standby at any given time - to roster a full plane. Then you have no standby for tomorrow, and the next day, etc. The standbys at a small outport like YYZ are really a luxury if a crew or two get sick, get injured over their stay, etc. Not to replace an entire plane.

Larger outport bases like SFO and LAX would still be strained if you drained the entire standby list on a flight. Possible, but you're risking some serious consequences the next 48 hours that might make it not worth it.

There are other ways to mitigate crew rest issues. Some of the less-ethical but permitted ways CX skirts things is having the crew wait essentially on standby in their hotel rooms, since their clock doesn't start according to regulation until they get downstairs. The crew aren't really getting rest (hence violating the spirit of the rule) but they can fly because the clock doesn't tick until they muster downstairs.

As pointed out above, your question / assumption isn't really correct!

PacificSunrise

Correcting myself, 865 / 888 alternate between YVR and HKG, and increasingly more HKG because YVR base is shrinking over the last few years.