lixiaojuventus

I don't think so, especially to China. Currently CX only has (limited) traffic rights to PEK and PVG, while KA can fly to many places in China. I doubt CX can suddenly convert all KA landing rights to its own.

ctb213ctb213

CX's pilot and crew cost is higher than KA, i guess they would choose to shrink CX more than to shrink KA....

CXFlyerBoy

it is an intrinsic game. Some times it is not just dollars and cents. Branding and strategic importance places a part as well. Sofitel and Novotel is same same but different.

peasant

post COVID, the governments will be flexible to get flights started again. And I think most of the places in China will go to UO, not CX.

djsflynn

You can add QF to that list, Alan Joyce remarked earlier this week that the Qantas of 2021-2022 will be very different to the Qantas of 2019. Airlines around the world are 'right-sizing' to reduced fleets (combo of early retirements of older jets and a push-back on deliveries of new ones) with a focus on smaller jets, as well as smaller staff headcount, and because the travel market will have a staged recovery rather than immediately springing back to The Way Things Were, it's also a rethink of routes and frequencies.

Even when things are back to whatever passes for normal, which most experts and pundits expect to be around 2023, it'll likely be a 'new' normal which won't look the same as 2019. In fact, a few years in and certainly by the end of the 2020s, I think we'll look back on the 20teens as a bit of 'peak aviation' in terms of routes and frequencies, PaxEx perks such as A380s with cocktail bars and lounges and showers.

So, yeah, this CX restructure is totally geared around informed speculation (no other way to put it) about the shape of travel in the COVID19 and post-COVID19 era.

Reply1984

Not likely.

1. KA has gained more consumer awareness.
2. Due to traffic control measures and significant delay problems in Mainland China, CX has even considered to transfer its PEK/PVG flights back to KA to avoid domino effect on its fleet. Their current solution is to use 'dedicated fleet' to fly to China. Delay could cause more problems for a LCC.
3. Again, if you look at attractiveness of UO, it is in Japan. It is the leisure travellers based in Hong Kong.

brunos

It seems to me that consolidating the brands would not achieve much but will be a painful process (different employment contracts, different landing rights, and different planes).
However , CX is a purely international airline (no domestic flights) and badly hurt by countries travel restrictions. My guess is that it will operate at a few percent of pax traffic for the coming months and won't be able to reach 50% for many, many months probably years. That calls for layoffs and severe restructuring of its operations and HQ.
The future could be a bit more rosy, but not much in the coming two years.

Nicc HK

see quote below

Nicc HK

Bit late Frontier already announced one US$89. Admitedly after outcry this was dropped

lixiaojuventus

Just saw a report on hk01.com: CX is rumored to combine Cathay Dragon and HK Express into Cathay Express. (The article is in Chinese though). Interesting development! In short, the article suggests that the Cathay Dragon and HK Express brands will go away, and that there is only Cathay Pacific and Cathay Express moving forward. It is really sad to lose Cathay Dragon if the rumor turns out to be true.

CS300

1. I would argue that the "Cathay Pacific" brand gained more than the "Dragonair" brand. After the rebranding of "Dragonair" (no Cathay name in the brand prior to 2016) to "Cathay Dragon", the Chinese network is serviced by KA aircraft with "Cathay" painted on the side. You will never see a "Cathay Dragon" aircraft service a destination beyond Asia.

gear down

if true, 1700 briefing

cx4ever

Anyone hear about this yet?

sxc

Appears it was just a delay of the AGM

yohy

CX as we know it is finished.

KA becomes the full service carrier (with its lower cost base than CX) and UO the LCC in leisure markers across Asia.