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Briefs
Conference gives managers insights on strategy for 2016 and beyondMore than 300 Cathay and Dragonair managers from around the network gathered for the 2015 Leadership Conference on 10 December, getting a clearer idea about the Group’s strategic focus in the year to come.
The event took place in the main ballroom at the SkyCity Marriott and once again representatives from staff unions were invited to attend.
In addition to presentations from the Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director, delegates were given updates in various areas, including what Cathay needs to do to succeed in the digital arena, the airline’s sales and marketing focus in 2016, its strategy for social media and Cathay’s readiness to deal with a major incident.
CE Ivan Chu got the morning
underway, with a review of the airline’s fortunes in 2015 and a summary of what to expect in the coming year.
He said that 2016 is set to be an exciting year with the new A350 fleet arriving and new destinations coming online.
“But I think there will be more challenges coming our way,” he said. “We’ll face stronger competition from both home grown and Middle Eastern carriers along with a deflationary economic environment and slow growth in key markets such as Japan, Europe and China. We can also expect more corporate belt-tightening and continued pressure on cargo demand.
“We need to focus on our customers, continue to invest in safety, our team, product, service, our network and our brand. At the
same time we need to maintain a focus on our cost and productivity,” he said.
Finance Director Martin Murray followed on from Ivan and reiterated the importance of continuing to improve productivity in an effort to deliver a higher return on capital employed (ROCE).
He repeated his message from last year’s conference about the importance of giving investors a long-term sustainable return.
“We have seen some significant progress this year but much of this has come from fuel savings and profits from Air China. We shouldn’t worry about things outside our control – what our stakeholders are looking at are what we can control,” he said.
COO Rupert Hogg followed Martin, updating delegates on the
Leadership alignedwork underway to develop a new strategic direction for the airline.
“I think this is the most important activity we can embark on as a senior leadership team,” Rupert said.
Having already held four strategy sessions, the leadership team will conduct another four sessions ahead of the first Quarterly General Managers’ Meeting of 2016.
“We then aim to start sharing some of the priorities and the positions we’ve arrived at with the broader group,” Rupert explained.
“What we are trying to achieve at the end of the day is to have a top-down driven strategy that everyone can buy into – that makes it clear what the priorities are, and that people can understand so we can execute effectively. I think if we can do that, the next 70 years will be just as successful as the last.”
3
This is my first message of 2016 so I’d like to start by wishing everyone in the team a very happy New Year!
As always, the New Year brings new opportunities as well as chal-lenges. Looking ahead over the next 12 months, we can see some very exciting things in store for the Cathay Pacific Group – things that will un-doubtedly make us stronger.
The most eagerly awaited de-velopment of the year is certainly the arrival of our new fleet of A350 aircraft, which are going to bring more efficiencies and flexibility into our operations at the same time as offering an improved experience for passengers. We have also announced the launch of two new destinations, Madrid and Gatwick, and we will celebrate 70 years as the home carrier of Hong Kong in 2016. Other positive developments will include – we hope! – the beginning of work on the third runway at Hong Kong International Airport.
The impact of these positive devel-opments could be tempered by grow-ing concerns over the state of the world’s economy, however, and 2016 may well prove to be a tough year for many businesses, airlines included. The world looks to be moving into deflationary mode: there are indica-tions that the US Federal Reserve will push up interest rates several times in 2016; slower growth is expected in Europe and Japan; and there are concerns that growth in China might fall short of original estimates. Trade is expected to be slow. Turmoil in the stock and commodity markets at the beginning of this year further reflects people’s wider concerns over the economic outlook.
From a Cathay point of view, we need to be braced for the potential impact this economic frailty could have on our business. Fuel prices are the lowest in a decade, which is good for our airline, but unfortunately this is not translating into increased economic activity. We will need to be flexible and quicker to react, exploring ways to get revenues up at the same time as keeping costs under tight control. But, as always, I am confident the Cathay team can rise to whatever challenges are thrown our way!
Ivan Chu
Chief ExecutiveMessage
Gatwick relaunches After a two-decade hiatus, Cathay returns to Gatwick starting from 2 September with a four-times-weekly direct service
The new Gatwick service, once online, will boost Cathay’s London frequency to 39 per week, with a total of 43 flights connecting between Hong Kong, London and Manchester every week.
“The UK has always been an important part of our network, and we are committed to growing our presence there,” says Manager Airline Planning Laura Percy. “Heathrow is the primary gateway to London, but it is also severely congested with limited opportunities for growth in the near future.”
Part of the rationale for choosing Gatwick is to capitalise on its extensive domestic and intra-European network, with approximately 200 destinations. But the main reason for launching Gatwick is to extend more choice and flexibility to passengers.
“Gatwick provides a very convenient option for passengers in London and South East England, which covers more than 22 million people in total,” says General Manager Europe Neil Glenn.
Gatwick will target both business and leisure passengers travelling to and from
China, Asia Pacific and beyond. From a cargo point of view, Gatwick
presents an opportunity for capacity growth. Manager Cargo Sales & Marketing Mark Sutch says: “Most of the large freight forwarders are based in Heathrow, and we will continue to use our Heathrow warehouse to build cargo; any surplus will be trucked to Gatwick.
“The good news is that we have a new warehouse facility that will come online at Heathrow in March. This is well-timed to cater to any growth in capacity. Naturally, we will use the new location at Gatwick to seek out new opportunities; there may be tailored solutions for individual businesses that will make good sense for Cathay.”
Work is already underway to ensure that everything is in place for a successful launch. “Request for proposals have already been issued for key third party services and this will be followed by the recruitment of a small Cathay team to support operations at Gatwick,” Neil says.
Neil also says that tickets have been on sale since 10 December, and a comprehensive
sales and marketing campaign will continue up to the start of the new service on 2 September.
The new Gatwick service will offer a convenient schedule for passengers and will also be showcasing the new A350. Laura adds: “Our ultimate goal is to build the Gatwick service into a daily when the economics are sound and resources become available.”
Ph
oto
by
Ka
ren
Yu
ng
23 October 1946 Betsy operated as a charter to London Gatwick, a month after the airline was born
16 July 1980 Scheduled services to Gatwick began, after former Managing Director Duncan Bluck’s hard-fought battle with London CAA and UK’s Ministry of Trade
October 1993 Final scheduled service to Gatwick, after the addition of Heathrow on 30 April 1991
Journey to London
Gatwick scheduleSummerFlight no From/departure time To/arrival time Days of operation
CX344 LGW 1235 HKG 0725+1 Mon, Wed, Fri and SunCX349 HKG 0055 LGW 0710 Mon, Wed, Fri and Sun
WinterFlight no From/departure time To/arrival time Days of operation
CX344 LGW 1135 HKG 0705+1 Mon, Wed, Fri and SunCX349 HKG 0055 LGW 0550 Mon, Wed, Fri and Sun Note: Flight numbers and schedules are subject to approval and may change without prior notice.
Gatwick figuresOpened in 1958
1 runway
2 terminals
45 airlines
145 aircraft stands
Approximately 200 destinations
Gatwick to central London in 30 minutes
£2.1 billion invested since 2008
4
The Paris Climate Convention, also known as COP21 (Conference of Parties), was part of an international effort to stabilise concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, to halt further dangerous changes to the climate system.
Annual COP meetings were established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
In Paris, 195 nations reached a consensus on 12 December of a global agreement to reduce the impact of climate change.
The following are some of the key elements of the Paris Agreement:
A universal response It delivered a single agreement by 195 nations to tackle climate change.
2°C limit The goal is to keep the global temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and even strive for 1.5°C.
Monitoring national commitments Stock-taking of countries’ individual carbon-reduction plans every five years, which should then be updated and efforts ratcheted up.
Climate finance Developed countries to jointly provide US$100 billion annually up to 2020 to help poorer nations with climate change adaptation and mitigation.
International aviation emissions are addressed specifically under a process led by ICAO, in which Cathay is actively involved. The Paris Agreement provides a positive momentum for this aviation market-based-measures discussion taking place in the lead up to the next ICAO Assembly in September 2016.
The Paris text reconfirmed the use of carbon markets as a CO2 mitigation strategy in aviation. It also supported the use of forestry as a source of carbon offsets.
Climate change is a key pillar of Cathay’s Sustainable Development Strategy, and since 1996, we have been reporting our CO2 emissions publicly on an annual basis. In 2012, we announced an ambitious target of a 2% year-on-year improvement in CO2 emissions per passenger and cargo we carry up to 2020, based on 2009 levels.
Find out more about our climate change initiatives at www.cathaypacific.com/sdreport.
What the Paris Agreement means for aviation
A lot of careful thought and planning went into the new inflight safety video that rolled out on Cathay flights on 1 January.
The new video not only had to meet all the requirements laid down by the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department; it also needed to reflect the airlines’ refreshed branding and allow for quicker and more cost-effective updates when required.
“We decided to use a mixture of live action and illustrated characters to tell the safety message in a simple yet engaging way,” says Jessica Lee, Assistant Marketing Manager.
“Our aim was to create something effortless and contemporary, using a colour palette that is in line with our new brand design ethos and also incorporating some of the key elements of the passenger experience such as the lounges at HKIA.”
The video sees the animated figure of a
young woman strolling through the airport, looking at a new-livery aircraft and passing through the lounge before handing over her boarding pass to a flight attendant – played by Beatrice Chan from the ISD team.
On board the aircraft, an animated family of four is also featured as the safety instructions are given out in English and Cantonese.
All the animated characters were created by a Berlin-based illustrator known for her charismatic style, which adds charm to the family’s interaction.
Jessica explains that one of the key aims was to make the video as adaptable as possible.
“It is 95% generic which creates more continuity and allows us to adapt the videos for different aircraft types, including the new A350,” she explains.
The same concept has been used on the
new Dragonair inflight safety video, also introduced on 1 January, to help create a more consistent passenger experience between the two sister airlines.
Many airlines have taken a marketing-driven approach when creating safety videos, but Cathay decided against this.
“Safety will always be the number one priority at Cathay and we wanted to get the safety message across in a clear and seamless way that people won’t get tired of,” says Jessica.
Both Cathay and Dragonair also introduced new seat-pocket safety cards from 1 January, again reflecting the new brand with their cleaner, simpler look.
New video now on all Cathay, Dragonair flights
The 9th Cathay Pacific Air China Summit was held on 25 November in Beijing. The meetings were co-chaired by Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Ivan Chu and President of Air China Zhiyong Song. The summit marked 10 years of the strategic partnership between Cathay and Air China.
In his opening speech, Ivan highlighted the results that had been achieved in the partnership while acknowledging the benefits it has brought to both companies. He encouraged both airlines to build new strengths and areas for cooperation by leveraging the good working relationship between the two airlines.
Despite the global economy’s uncertain outlook, Ivan said that he believed Cathay Pacific and Air China could help each other weather the upcoming challenges, and take advantage of new opportunities to sustain success in the future.
During the Summit, both parties reviewed
the progress of last year’s initiatives and held in-depth discussions on a variety topics relating to different business areas, including the Air China Cargo and Shanghai International Airport Services JVs, passenger business, personnel exchange, joint purchasing, engineering, IT, environmental
and legal affairs, product, services and more. Both sides also agreed to a range of new
collaborative projects to be headed by senior management. The top level discussions again exemplified the deep commitment of both airlines to further enrich and strengthen this strategic partnership.
Positive partnership reinforced
Scan this QR code to view
the video
Simple, stylish safety message
11
As part of the Group’s ongoing commitment to minimise its impact on the environment and help the local community, a group of Cathay Volunteers have been mobilised to help out with a waste management and food donation programme.
Jointly organised by CPCS and local food bank Feeding Hong Kong (FHK), the programme involves retrieving surplus food and beverages from meal carts after passenger flights arrive in Hong Kong.
The unopened juices, cereals and pre-packaged food collected – all within their expiry dates – are being dispensed to 40 welfare centres, including Christian Action and Helping Hand, to help families in need.
“Inevitably we upload more food and beverages on board than needed, to ensure our passengers get sufficient choice,” explains Flight Attendant Jessie Chow, who has been helping out at CPCS on a regular basis.
The Sunnyside Club – a registered charity set up and run by Cathay staff – has recently refreshed its logo to welcome the New Year.
“The old logo has been in use since the 1980s, so we all think it’s now time to give it a more modern look,” explains Vivian Hui, committee member of the club.
The new logo features the “S” of Sunnyside in the form of a radiant, colourful heart, which symbolises “the care, love, and services provided for children with special needs”.
Vivian says that the club’s major goal for 2016 is to recruit new members and volunteers to help the club improve the wellbeing of disabled children in Hong Kong.
“Our membership has shrunk to around 700 as some of our senior members are nearing retirement,” Vivian says. ”We would
Food for thought
“It’s great for me to be able to help distribute salvaged items to the needy. When I am serving inflight I will try to tidy up these items in a way that makes it easier for volunteers to sort them afterwards.”
Another volunteer, Vincent Fong from ECX, says he has learnt the importance of cherishing food through this programme.
“I always make sure I don’t throw away packed food given to me inflight and remind my peers to avoid food wastage from time to time,” he says.
For more about Feeding Hong Kong, visit www.feedinghk.org.
love to achieve the magic 1,000 again, and then we will certainly be able to do a lot more good work for the kids!”
“Next year, we will continue to arrange visits to Cathay City and annual boat trips for children, and help to organise Christmas parties for local special-needs schools,” Vivian adds.
To become a member or to make donation to the Sunnyside Club, please visit the Sunnyside page on IntraCX (About CX> Cathay & the Community).
The Cathay Pacific Group ran an appeal to raise funds to help those affected by the worst rain and floods to hit Chennai in a century.
“Millions of people have lost their homes and possessions; close to 2 million people were displaced,” says Chennai Airport Services Manager Sanjay Yadav. “The supply of basic necessities and fuel were affected due to logistical difficulties, and their prices have soared since the onset of the flood. It will take some time for homes and infrastructure to be rebuilt, but the good news is that many international disaster relief organisations have come in to offer assistance to victims.”
Cathay and Dragonair staff responded
United for Chennai
Sunnyside Club call for new members
NOTHING TO WASTE: Volunteers at CPCS flight kitchen salvage packaged foods for charity.
tremendously after the appeal was launched on 21 December says Jessica Chan, Manager People Services. “As of 8 January, close to HK$260,000 has been contributed by all staff in the form of salary deductions, cash donation, or direct payment into the Cathay Disaster Relief Fund.”
The Group will match staff donations, with the lump sum benefiting the Red Cross’s local relief works in Chennai.
“I’d like to recognise and thank our people for demonstrating the Cathay Group spirit with these widespread donations. Your generosity will go a long way to help rehabilitate those who are devastated by the flood,” says Director People Tom Owen.
Benefiting 40 welfare centres
15,000kg of food & beverages salvaged in Oct, equivalent to weekly needs of 7,000 people
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6
Letters to the Editor
Sometimes, the scheduled departure time for flights on both airlines are very close – even more so if we factor in delays caused by air traffic control.
When the loading is high, ID travellers who list on both flights will have to dash between check -in counters at HKIA – which can be quite far away – to let the ground colleagues know that the travellers are 1) cancelling their listings or 2) they’ve already got seats on the other airline.
Can staff check-in be commonly handled at one designated counter, at either Cathay or Dragonair?
Dicky Or, ENG
Mary Pau, Manager Customer Experience HKIA, replies: Thank you for your feedback. Co-location of Cathay and Dragonair check-in counters is not recommended by the Airport Authority due to the constraints of the Baggage Handling System.
Currently, Cathay check-in counters are located at the South Hall, and Dragonair the North. We cannot accept ID travellers at designated Cathay or Dragonair counter because hall-crossing will lead to more processing time for the Baggage Handling System, which will cause a delay and short-shipment for checked bags.
In addition, should a congestion of overflowing baggage occur, the
centre at Cathay City. For your information, the sofas
are cleaned regularly to maintain hygiene; but PSD is exploring the feasibility of introducing sofas with a material that can be even more easily cleaned and sanitised.
Paper trail Keeping the Lean project in mind, there are many ports that are still using the printed telex as a form of communication. A more cost-effective way will be to send out emails to departments con-cerned. I am sure this practice will save on cost and paper, and make it easier for filing.
Victor Denis D’Souza, Mumbai
Teresa Fong, Quality Assurance Manager AHQ, replies: Thank you Victor for your suggestion.
The airline teletype system has been in use in the industry for more than five decades. It remains as one of the crucial communication tools, in addition to the verbal communication that was used in the olden days, to reach out to ground handlers, airline partners and charter brokers.
Having said that, Airports started a project called Office Simplification in 2013, which
The latest gadgets I find that CX World covers most of what I want to read about relating to Cathay. However, one aspect I am keen to see included in the magazine is articles on the latest gadgets or apps that could be useful to Team Cathay or write-ups on how such gadgets can add value to one’s life.
Yasser Ahmad, Kolkata
Kawai Wong, CX World Editor, replies: Thank you for your suggestion, Yasser. There are some changes to the look and content of CX World in the pipeline; we think your suggestion regarding gadget and app information is a good idea and we will certainly consider this when we put together the new editorial line-up.
Co-location of CX and KA check-ins Cathay and Dragonair operate from Hong Kong into the same destination on certain routes, for example, Taipei and Shanghai Pudong.
system’s operational efficiency may be affected and this also poses a higher risk of system breakdown.
Good hygiene The sofas in the medical centre appear very well used, and I question the level of hygiene based on the upholstered fabric.
The sofas are also very low to the ground, and therefore inconvenient as waiting room furniture.
Are there any plans to introduce different sofas with a material that can be easily cleaned or sanitised?
CRD staff
Valni Haughton, Company Medical Officer, replies: Property & Services (PSD) plans to replace the sofas in the medical centre with the ones that are currently displayed on the first floor of the recruitment
The winner of the CX World Star Letter scores a bottle of Château du Retout Esperance Haut-Medoc.
Château du Retout in the Medoc region in France produces four wines. The winery adopts viticultural practices that are in line with sustainable agriculture.
The Esperance Haut Medoc is a Bordeaux Left Bank red wine. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this modern wine has expressive aromas of fruits, with a nose of blackcurrant and a good ripeness.
ISD will be offering a bottle from the Business Class selection every month for the Star Letter prize winner, so watch this space!
Star Letter prizeISM Sit Meei Chong and Senior Purser Lucy Ladisla helped to save a passenger’s life onboard a flight from Beijing to Hong Kong.
While meals were being served on the CX347 flight on 18 August 2015 from Beijing to Hong Kong, a male passenger appeared weak and could barely talk. His travel companions asked for assistance from one of the cabin crew.
Senior Purser Lucy Ladisla was soon notified and she approached the passenger immediately. The companions told Lucy that the sick passenger was a long-term diabetic patient and when they were about to give him the injection, they realised that his insulin pen needle was missing.
Inflight Service Manager Sit Meei Chong was informed of the situation. Lucy noticed that the sick passenger was almost losing consciousness, and she immediately paged for medical assistance on board. Unfortunately, no one came forward.
Lucy searched the inflight medical kit for compatible injection needles but couldn’t find any. She then quickly paged for passengers on board who may happen to have a spare insulin pen needle. After a few minutes, another cabin crew rushed to the scene and handed Lucy an insulin pen needle which was offered by a passenger. Fortunately, the insulin pen needle was just they needed.
After insulin was administered, the sick passenger slowly regained consciousness.
Before arriving into Hong Kong, the passenger and his companions expressed their appreciation to Lucy and her fellow crew for the good work they had done. He also asked Lucy to relay his message of thanks to the other passenger for offering the life-saving spare needle.
What Cathay Pacific and the Chennai team witnessed last month was an upheaval the residents of Chennai wouldn’t have imagined in their worst nightmares.
The floods left the city crippled and bereft of basic amenities such as food, shelter and transportation, to name a few.
Networks crashed, leaving the people of Chennai disconnected from the rest of India. Thanks to miraculous Wi-Fi dongles in certain pockets of the city, the Cathay Pacific Mumbai team were able to
Spirit of togethernessconnect with a handful of staff in Chennai.
Be it coordinating to ensure the safety of all staff or making arrangements to send supplies from other cities into Chennai, we saw teams across departments and cities working in harmony and selflessly to get things back to normal.
The disaster brought out the best of humanity in all of us; Team Cathay once again demonstrated a spirit of togetherness and selfless Service Straight From the Heart – this time for our very own people.
Veena Nayak, Mumbai
LIFE SAVER: ISM Sit Meei Chong (above) won praise.
aimed to review back office administration and switch to electronic filing. This project was parked in 2014 due to the update of our Departure Control System.
In 2015, we have revisited this project and included the removal of telex printers in the project scope.
We agree that the company could save holding costs by sending out emails to departments concerned rather than sending a telex. This year, we are engaging with the IT department over data collection, and we target to reach out to the ports early next year and work on this project gradually. Please stay tuned.
Fighting against fraudCan the PSS2 check-in system (CM) automatically detect whether a passenger’s credit card is verified at the airport, when “PCC” (present credit card) is remarked on a passenger’s electronic ticket?
If no such function exists in the CM, are there any other mechanisms to lower the risk of fraudulent card transaction, especially when most tickets are booked online or over the phone these days?
Taipei office staff
Albert Forssell, Amadeus Development & Operations (ADO) Business Solution Lead, replies: Thank you for your feedback. Currently, there is no automatic checking of the PCC flag on a ticket. We rely on a manual process.
Bookings from our call centres or websites will be marked with SSR CKIN PCC. Check-in agents are trained to recognise this and they will manually perform the visual credit card check.
The reason for this is a limitation in the CM, whereby it does not recognise “PCC” on interline tickets. We have a high percentage of tickets with both Cathay and Dragonair flights. If we relied on the ticket PCC flag, there would be many cases where the agent would not be instructed to verify the credit card. We are working with our vendor, Amadeus, to improve this process in the future.
7
Letters to the Editor Business prospects for 2016Last year was a good year for Dragonair in terms of passenger performance. In 2015, the airline’s revenue grew ahead of its capacity growth of 5%, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK).
For 2016, IATA envisions that growth in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) will reach 8% in the Asia-Pacific region, with China continuing to be one of the fastest -growing markets.
Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Algernon Yau believes that Dragonair is in a good position to capture this growth.
“The addition of two more flights to our previously daily Shanghai Hongqiao service plus some planned capacity upgrades on our China
Captain Keven Tate spends much of his spare time training for a gruelling 100km run. His motivation is not so much the challenge of the HK100 race itself, but the knowledge that he is raising funds for a cause that is close to his heart.
“It began about eight years ago, when I volunteered at the Buddhist Child Home (BCH) in Kathmandu, helping to fix things around the orphanage and spend time with the
routes in 2016 will further strengthen our presence in the Mainland,” he says. “But we should always be poised for any unforeseen difficulties.”
Business analysis reveals that the global economy will remain uncertain for 2016, with the situation in China being particularly opaque.
“All these factors play a part in our development for 2016,” says Algernon. “Furthermore, the development of the Chinese yuan can determine the travel sentiment out of China, as a weakening currency can raise costs
kids,” he says. “That’s how I started taking bags of
clothing and toys to Nepal. Initially it was just stuff I had in excess at home, then other pilots started giving me items as well.”
From there, Keven developed Freedom Care; through this initiative, seven orphaned kids live in a property rented by the charity in Kathmandu and are provided with schooling.
“I do an ultramarathon each year
for passengers and thus dampen their desire to travel.”
Two new destinations, Hiroshima and Haneda, were added to the Dragonair network in 2015. But there are currently no plans to open any new ports in 2016.
Algernon adds: “One of our priorities will be to strengthen
our foundations in Hiroshima and Haneda to enable sustainable growth on these services. Secondly, it is crucial for us to ensure smooth
to raise the US$13,000-$15,000 it costs per year to run the project. Any shortfall I make up myself,” he says.
On 23 January, Keven will again be participating in the HK100. He agrees that the reason he runs is that his sponsors like to “see me in pain”, he laughs. “So, the more challenging the race, the more I can raise.”
Keven is also on the board of Australian charity Beyond the Orphanage, in charge of its Nepal
operations network-wide.”Dragonair has been proactive in
adjusting to the ‘norm’ of congestion and ATC delays – limiting factors that are beyond the airline’s control.
“As for factors that we can mitigate, we endeavour to tackle them in our Ground Time Optimisation project which we rolled out in 2015. We hope that some new measures will help to improve our overall efficiency and productivity,” Algernon says.
Looking beyond Asia Pacific, Dragonair will leverage on Cathay’s expanding long-haul network.
Algernon says: “We will be looking at increasing frequencies to certain Chinese cities to capture the traffic between continents.”
Racing to help Nepalese childrenoperations.
“I’m doing so many projects in Nepal because we have a responsibility towards the children of the world as we globalise. I’m always motivated by the saying ‘What if the cure for cancer is locked away in the mind of a child who doesn’t have an education?’”
Those wishing to sponsor Keven can donate to the Child Welfare Scheme (HSBC 400-279451-838), and send details to Keven.
HELPING CHILDREN: Captain Keven Tate (left) does a 100km run every year to raise the funds needed to help the various charity projects he is involved with in Nepal, including the Freedom Care initiative.
WELL POSITIONED: Dragonair CEO Algernon Yau.
8
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec2015• Deli-Delight launches its online sales platform
to the public
• Cargo launches first direct freighter to Kolkata • 32 aspirational youngsters graduate from the 10th
Dragonair Aviation Certification Programme
• Cathay Group’s contribution to Nepal earthquake relief is valued at more than HK$10 million
• Manila lounge opens at T3• Boston launches; gala dinner is hosted by
Chairman John Slosar and Chief Operating Officer Rupert Hogg
Fourth Skytrax Best Region-al Airline award for Dragonair
• Cathay reaches a formal agreement with the Flight Attendants Union
• Moscow service discontinued• Line Maintenance management team
visits every manned station
• Betsy Awards ceremony
• First Spark corporate-wide challenge launches
• Release of 2014 Sustainable Development Report
• Madrid announced• Dragonair hosts
30th anniversary Staff Thank You Party
• New Business and First Class inflight menus
Announcement of the next chapter of the Marco Polo Club
Cathay Group
Life Well Travelled Global marketing campaign launches as part of Cathay’s new brand promise
Cathay and Flybe codeshare agreement expands in Europe
Chefs from Mandarin Oriental design First Class menus
New First and Business Class amenity kits
• Catering Planner rolls out to
improve catering processes• Cabin Tablet with Pax Insight
app replaces paper passenger information
Anna Thompson becomes Director Flight Operations
Automatic tray-setting machine begins operation at the flight
kitchen of CPCS New directors announced
Tom OwenDirector People
The Pier First Class Lounge and Bangkok lounges open
Paul Loo Director
Corporate Development
Simon Large
Director Cargo
DragonairNew twice-weekly Hiroshima service
Tech Lounge opens on
The Street
70 cabin crew and HKIA staff sing in the Hong Kong Coliseum at the 25th Anniversary Asian
Youth Orchestra concert
REVIEWLast year was one of growth and
development for Cathay Pacific and its subsidiaries. Here’s a summary.
The fifth Cathay Pacific Community Flight ‘CX8795’ takes some 200 less-advantaged families on a 1.5-hour journey above the South China Sea
New booking engine Travel Retail Platform rolls out first in Singapore,
followed by other ports in the year, to let custom-ers to buy air and non-air ancillary items on
www.cathaypacific.com
Daily service to Zurich launches
Daily service to Haneda launches
rolls out to all Cathay and Dragonair staff
A350 simulator arrives at Cathay City
Discovery gets a new look
CX884 makes a precautionary diversion to Eareckson Air Station on the island of Shemya. Relief flight CX884D is mounted to assist passengers. The operating teams are thanked at a special luncheon
Flights to Düsseldorf begin
New Cargo mobile app for easier tracking, loadability checking and more
CPCS Ground Breaking at the new facility construction site, due to complete in the first quarter of 2016. CPCS plans to produce 140,000 meals and handle 310 flights a day
Algernon Yau becomes a Cathay Executive Director
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A step closer to EIS
With the delivery of Cathay Pacific’s first A350 fast approaching, a number of key milestones for entry-into-service (EIS) readiness were achieved before 2015 drew to a close.
Chief among these, the formal application to the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (HKCAD) to add the A350 to Cathay’s Air Operator’s Certificate was submitted.
“This application is the culmination of 18 months of project work and contained over 100 individual approval applications that demonstrated to HKCAD how Cathay Pacific will comply with the various regulatory requirements,” says Bob Taylor, Head of A350 Project.
“The CAD is now reviewing the application and will be performing a number of audits prior to issuing their approval.”
Among other milestones reached last month:
Cathay’s A350 flight simulator was commissioned and approved by the HKCAD.In-house training for flight crew, cabin crew and engineers was approved by HKCAD and a wide range of training completed both in-house and with Airbus. IT infrastructure to enable aircraft connectivity for eOperations was implemented and successfully tested. New teams and support structures were created in Engineering, Flight Operations and IT to manage and support eOperations.
A long-term deal was signed with Airbus for the supply, repair and technical management of A350 components and spares. HAECO achieved key readiness milestones for the training of engineers and mechanics and the purchase of specialist tooling and equipment for the A350.A first year deployment plan was produced and line station readiness plans commenced.
Meanwhile, at the final assembly line in Toulouse the first Cathay Pacific A350 (MSN029, to be registered in Hong Kong as B-LRA) has been painted in the new livery and had its engines installed.
“The aircraft is currently undergoing cabin and product installation which is a complex, risky and time consuming production stage,” says Bob.
Once the cabin installation is complete, the aircraft will move into the flight test phase.
Six more Cathay A350s are currently in the final assembly line.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
• Colombo welcomes new daily direct service• New Careers site goes live• Alcohol and Other Drugs Programme launches to help
Cathay create a healthier and safer workplace
• Singapore becomes the first in the network to benefit from self-service bag tag technology
• Flight Operations recruits a record 302 pilots in 2015• Regional A330 retrofitting completes
• Asia Miles membership hits eight million • Cathay’s Boeing 747-8F freighter flies into Brisbane
West Wellcamp Airport in a trial operation • Catering Planner completes roll-out to 109 stations
for both Cathay and Dragonair
©Ai
rbus
©Ai
rbus
New livery unveiled
DeliveredCathay’s 70th and final
Boeing 777-300ER
#OneDayOffline campaign kicks off
Cathay pilots swap gold bars for pink epaulettes to raise awareness and fundraise for breast cancer throughout October
Cathay announces return to Gatwick with a four-times-weekly service beginning in September 2016
Algernon Yau becomes a Cathay Executive Director
takes flight
Airbus A340 aircraft recycling programme unveiled – largest to date
Positive partnership reinforced
Bringing joy in the festive season Brand Design column
“The strongest force in the human personality is the need to stay consistent with how we define ourselves.” Tony Robbins, author of Awaken the Giant Within
To drive consistency in all our internal and external commun-ications, Cathay Sans has been chosen and registered to be our corporate typeface.
“Consistency and alignment with the Brand Design Ethos are essential in every aspect of the business,” says Brand Design Manager Daniel Heung. “We’d like all outgoing communications to project our brand image of being professional, premium and consistent at all times and it’s through these efforts we continue to resonate with our customers and business partners.”
Since Cathay Sans is not one of the regular font types which comes pre-installed in different operating systems, Arial has been chosen to be the fallback, default typeface for Outlook and other Office applications.
“Not only does Arial look similar to Cathay Sans, it is simple, modern and legible, which delivers the same consistency that we strive to maintain. Arial should be used whenever Cathay Sans is not available.”
With the help of Information Technology, Arial will be set as the default font type in all our office applications. The implementation date will be announced shortly.
To find out more, please visit the Brand Design page: IntraCX > Teams, Depts & System > Marketing > Brand Design.
The Brand Team
QUESTIONS? If you have any special requests
which you’d like us to cover, please email [email protected]
The Cathay Choir was busy throughout December, first belting out Christmas carols at the Swire White Christmas Fair in Quarry Bay on 3 December, then at the Cathay Management Conference on 10 December, followed by performances at Cathay City and HKIA on 22 December.
The choir also delighted pedestrians with their angelic voices on Hong Kong Island, as they carolled on a tram from Sai Ying Pun to Happy Valley. The choir was joined by General Manager Cabin Crew Maggie Yeung and General Manager HKIA Liza Ng, who both wore the cabin crew uniform.
Meeting your requirements!Clean, fresh design and better IT for all Conference Tower rooms
Staff looking to hold a meeting at Cathay City are in for a pleasant surprise when they book a room on the 8th floor of both the North and South Conference Room Towers.
The two spaces have been chosen as the location for the pioneer meeting room redesign that features bigger, brighter spaces and more sophisticated technology to enable better interaction.
Each floor now has four conference rooms instead of five, with the elimination of the pantry and long corridor allowing for more efficient utilisation of floor space.
The entrance to the suite of rooms features a bench with individual work spaces that are suitable for vendors or visitors.
Off to the left is a more informal meeting space, suitable for project
teams or meetings with clients. To the right, the previous two smaller rooms have been transformed into an airy single room with enough seating for 14 people.
The main meeting rooms are a similar size to before, but the space has been utilised more effectively, with the use of brighter materials aligning with the new brand design ethos and the ongoing office
renovations in Cathay City.The projectors have gone in all of
the rooms, replaced by flat-screen TVs and powerful Wi-Fi connections.
The biggest room on each floor features a twin-screen video-conferencing capability, with a specially tapered table that allows for optimal viewing of the participants.
A new BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) feature allowing wireless screen projection from laptops, tablets and smartphones will be introduced at a later date by the IT department.
Director People Tom Owen says: “Our Property team has been working with designers over the last few months to deliver a more modern working and meeting space for all our people at Cathay. This is in line with progressively improving the overall working environment at Cathay City.”
The Property team is gathering feedback now and work on other Conference Tower floors should begin in April.
Meanwhile, the renovation of office spaces will continue in 2016 with seven sections – on the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th floors – already completed.
The renovation of toilets at Cathay City will, apart from those on the 1st and ground floors, be complete by Chinese New Year.
BRAND-ALIGNED: More spacious and better-equipped meeting rooms will be progressively rolled out in both Conference Towers at Cathay City.
5
happeningsClose to 10,000 Cathay and Dragonair staff are actively Yammering...
GATWICK MEMORIESTraining Captain Gordon Ramsay posted this shot of Cathay in Gatwick, explaining that the aircraft in the foreground had Rolls-Royce RB211-C2 engines that could not make HKG-LGW direct. So where did this service make its stop? Find out in the CX History group.
A WARM INDIAN WELCOMECustomer Relations Officer Sahil Puthran shared photos of Toby Smith and Simon Kriss’s visit to India, where they received a traditional welcome followed by an annual staff party!
JOB WELL DONE!LHR Engineer David Cheung posted this shot showing his colleague going beyond the call of duty. “Well done James Downes, exceptional effort and an extra million miles by removing the toilet bowl to retrieve a passenger’s wedding ring – SSFTH!” “Top man”, “Fantastic job” and “Oops” were among the other comments.
Are you security vigilant?
App transforms training at CathayAircraft visualisation tool has been developed in-house to help crew and engineer training
10
A new software called Virtual Aircraft Training System (VATS) has been developed in-house for staff to visualise Cathay’s aircraft. The application works in a similar way to Google Maps, putting the viewer in and outside an aircraft, and offers a 360-degree panorama of all accessible areas on a plane.
By clicking on the control panel on the app’s interface, the viewer can navigate through the cabin, crew areas, maintenance compartment areas, and the exterior of an aircraft. For security reasons, two versions of VATS have been created – one with the safety equipment shown for the Safety Training School (STS) and another for general interest.
VATS was originally developed for flight crew and engineer training courses, and was five years in the making. Behind the app is Flight Operations’ Training Specialist Kingsley Birkett (right).
Photographing the interior of an aircraft requires a different set of techniques than taking outdoor panoramas. Kingsley explains the challenges he faced: “Photographing inside a plane involves using both long and short focal ranges; the pipes and subsequent shadows all add to the difficulty in merging images into a seamless view. Painting with light and long exposures for each of the 22 photographs in each panorama makes it
The IT department is embracing Lean with an aim to improve efficiency without compromising on quality.
The IT Practice Team has been working on a six-month Lean project to simplify overall software deployment – a repetitive delivery process that currently involves many hands-off players across multiple IT functional teams.
Through brainstorming workshops, the project team identified major bottlenecks during the development and testing phases.
a long process.” The success of VATS also called for
coordination between departments. The STS expressed their requirements for flight crew and cabin crew training, HAECO provided platforms for shooting, and Maintainence Control Planning arranged aircraft and parked them accordingly for outdoor shoots.
With the addition of new features such as customised icons, information,
As a proof-of-concept, the project brought in one application – the FOP iLog project – as the pilot for implementing the Lean solution which resulted in an 80% reduction in IT effort and a 90% improvement in the software deployment cycle time.
The IT Solution Centre plans to roll this out to approximately 50 applications over a three-year period, and expects an efficiency improvement of at least 855 man days per annum.
“Prior to Lean, our software
and live data feed, the app can be customised for different business units, thus extending its purpose beyond crew training.
“Take Catering for example,” Kingsley says. “I can add identification placards for the galley and link documentation for catering providers to improve their operations.”
Staff can access Virtual Aircraft via vats.cathaypacific.com.
enhancement processes were quite manual and required almost 33 hours to compile, test and deploy software changes to the test environments,” says Andrew Loh, IT Development & Support Lead in Flight Operations. “By implementing a Lean solution for FOP iLog we have streamlined and automated many of our software development processes and now accomplish the same tasks within a couple of hours.” The practice team has started training to help roll it out to more teams.
Another IT Lean project was related to the IT contractor payroll process in which the approval process from 11 individual project cost owners was simplified into one single approval by the Director IT.
As a result, the team was able to achieve significant cycle time reduction from two months to eight days – which in turn led the service provider to initiate a 10% reduction in management fees.
Lawrence Fong, General Manager IT, says: “This initiative is a perfect example of good things that happen when Cathay and vendors work together with a positive mindset and commit to improving our way of working.”
Planning for each photoshoot 12 hours Photography 60-100 hours
Post production 60-100 hours
Number of photos 8,000+ in RAW
App scope B777, A300-600, A330
In the pipeline B747-8, A320, A321, A350
LEAN COOPERATION: IT staff and vendors work together to improve way of working.
VATS stats
Leaner IT deliveryThis photo hunt game is about information security. Find six inappropriate practices in the photo and email your answers to IMT#RNS with the subject Cyber Security Awareness for a chance to win a HK$100 Sogo Department Store cash voucher! Answers will be revealed on Yammer.
Tip: This Cathay City office worker has left work for the day. Their lack of security awareness means that there are six inappropriate practices both on and off screen!
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IND
IAAU
CKLA
ND
BEIJI
NG
TAIP
EI
MA
NCH
ESTE
R
REVAMP: Creating smoother journeys at MAN airport.
NEWS FOCUS
First anniversary!On 8 December, the Manchester team organised a celebration at the airport, where branded cupcakes were given to passengers of CX358, who also watched a live painting session by renowned artist Rob Pointon before departure. Anniversary mementos included a set of specially-printed postcards by Pointon, which depicted various scenes in Hong Kong.
The Manchester service recently marked its first anniversary on 8 December (see below, right). Looking back on the first year of operation, Airport Services Manager Paul Smith says: “Our operation has been smooth so far – our OTP is the best of all European flights, and as of the end of October, our Reflex score was the 15th highest in the entire network.”
But no operation is immune from glitches that are beyond the airline’s control, and Paul recalls one of the biggest challenges in 2015: “At the end of January, heavy snow grounded the airport – no one was flying out and there was a backlog of passengers.”
Paul and his team worked through the night to arrange accommodation for those who were stranded. Paul says: “Hotels in the vicinity were all booked up. Some passengers had to stay as far away as 40 miles away!”
In a difficult situation like this, the team noticed the need for a Cantonese-speaking ground staff, who would be able to handle disruptions in addition to daily operations.
“We worked with the ground handling agent Dnata to find a suitable staff. When the staff joined the team in May/June, we noticed that the atmosphere in the terminal was instantly calmer. We now have at least one Chinese speaker on duty for every flight,” Paul says.
Going forward, Manchester Airport is injecting £1bn (HK$11.3bn) into a redevelopment project that will begin at the end of 2016. The project involves building a super-sized Terminal Two and an improved T3. T1 will be demolished.
“Cathay is based at T2, so the impact for us will be minimal,” says Paul, who serves as an advisor to the Manchester Airport Redevelopment Project. “And one of the clear benefits for Cathay is an improved transfer process for our passengers.”
Currently, transit passengers must go through T1 to board their onward flight, regardless of where they land. So if they landed at T2 and were to catch an onward flight from the same terminal, they would need to route through T1 before returning to T2.
Paul explains: “We have a code-share agreement with Flybe; some of our passengers are connecting from as far as the Isle of Man and Inverness, where they can check their bags all the way through to their final destinations. So a better passenger transfer experience can really enhance their overall journey.”
The redevelopment will also incorporate future airport features that match with Cathay’s 20/20 vision. “Come 2019, when the new facility opens, there will be self-service bag drop facilities, compatible with electronic bag tags. There will also be fast-track immigration,” Paul says.
But the most important benefit is that the redevelopment will bring about a more level playing field for all airlines.
“Airlines that operate at T1 can enjoy a better passenger transit journey and a shorter aircraft taxiing distance. They also have their own dedicated gate and lounge facilities. For us, we are sharing a lounge with others in T2. The lounge is a limiting factor in our customer satisfaction results – only 50% of customers are happy with it.”
From March 2016 onwards, the lounge will be closed for eight weeks for renovation. The first part of the airport redevelopment will be complete in 2019.
New office for Cargo The Beijing Cargo team recently celebrated the completion of its office renovation. Director Cargo Simon Large paid a visit and officiated the opening with a pig-cutting ceremony. The refreshed office offers a more comfortable working environment for staff, where the Operations team and Cargo Sales team can work closer together to enhance efficiency.
Getting into the swing The Taipei Sales team took part in the Asia Miles-sponsored Swing Age Lawn Party 2015. Some partygoers wore 20s-inspired Huashan Grassland costumes and enjoyed a great day in the outdoors.
The team took the opportunity to introduce the airline’s products to potential customers. Marketing & Sales Manager Taiwan Linda Tse said that she was happy to promote with Asia Miles at this special event on a beautiful weekend.
Christmas long-service celebrationsAt the Auckland office’s Christmas party, two staff were presented with long-service pins by Country Manager Mark Pirihi. Pricing & Distribution Coordinator Kathy Beck (left) celebrated 20 years of service while Customer Sales Officer Fiona Yick celebrated her 10th.
“Both Kathy and Fiona are an invaluable part of the Auckland team and we look forward to many more years of service from them both!” says Mark.
The sixes are back!After a two-year hiatus, the All India Cricket Sixes returned in November at the Western Railway Sports Grounds.
A total of eight men’s and four ladies’ teams entered the sixes from all ports in India. Precision bowling, splendid batting, and rib-tickling commentary from Bharat Raghav, Pritesh Nardhany and V.V. Satish kept spectators entertained for two days.
In the end, the Mumbai Mermaids and Mumbai Marvels won the ladies’ and mens’ champion titles respectively. Congratulations!
Next step for Manchester
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MIL
AN
FUKU
OKA
JAKA
RTA
TORO
NTO
PORT PEOPLE
Los Angeles Engineering Manager Jay Scott was the first in the company to broadcast through Cathay Pacific’s Periscope – a mobile app that streams live events to the world.
So how did the Los Angeles-based engineer end up filming B-KPM in its new livery?
“I was contacted by the North America Marketing team, who advised they wanted to use Periscope to showcase the first American arrival of the new livery,” Jay says. “It was an exciting proposition and of course I agreed.”
However, due to a technical glitch, Jay couldn’t broadcast the arrival on 4 November. “After the problem was rectified, I positioned myself so that I would be able to broadcast the aircraft ‘nose to tail’ and relatively close up. Unfortunately, the flight crew were given pushback clearance that differed from the usual – which meant that the aircraft was positioned quite far away from me. These are the unpredictable circumstances that you have to keep in mind when broadcasting live,” Jay says.
When Jay isn’t moonlighting as a videographer, he manages the engineering operations at LAX, MEX and GDL. His team of Cathay and third-party engineers ensure safety, serviceability, compliance and airworthiness of all Cathay flights at the stations.
Jay says: “I believe that engineers all over the world make great achievements every day in everything that they do. To put people in the air and dispatch an airworthy aircraft that complies with all regulatory legislation is a great achievement in itself!”
Periscope trailblazer Practice makes perfectIn late November, Jakarta Town Office staff joined Country Manager Vincent Yu and the ground handling agent to perform a health check on the team’s readiness in an E&A situation. The team paid a visit to three areas in the airport, which were the passenger acceptance, meet and greet, and press conference areas respectively. The visit was arranged to enhance the awareness of every team leader to ensure that they are ready for a real situation.
Toronto staff volunteered at a Habitat for Humanity house-building project near to the Toronto Pearson Airport.
Volunteers from the Airport, Inflight Services, Sales, Cargo and Corporate Communication teams were tasked with some labour intensive tasks, including scaffolding removal.
Staff demonstrated enthusiasm and determination to truly exemplify the Cathay team spirit.
A unique dim sum breakfast The Italy team invited a group of leisure, lifestyle and travel journalists to enjoy a dim sum breakfast in a newly opened restaurant in Milan.
“We were very glad to have the opportunity to engage with our media friends from several top Italian titles,” says Country Manager Italy Erica Peng. “As part of our home culture, dim sum is very close to my heart and I hope they all enjoyed too!”
Erica presented Cathay’s new livery and the philosophy of Life Well Travelled to a select group of top journalists.
On 15 December, the Japan team bade farewell to Airport Services Manager Higashida-san, who joined Cathay on October 1976 and remained part of the FUK airport team for 39 years.
Higashida-san led her team to achieve 100 points – full marks – in the January 2015 Reflex Survey – an admirable feat that impressed the entire Cathay and Dragonair network.
The Japan team organised a farewell party for Higashida-san, and AHQ created a special video to wish her a happy retirement.
Access the video by scanning the QR code.
Volunteer house builders
Farewell Higashida-san!
Scoring a bullseye!The Cathay Darts Team put in a great performance at the 28th South Pacific Airline Dart Association (SPADA) Competition held in Pattaya, Thailand.
The Cathay A Team – Suzette Liao (ISD), Andy Lau (FIN), Angus Ha (IMT), Kimba Yeung (CPSL) and Sun Wing-cheung (CPCS) – emerged as champions in the Plate event out of 22 teams from various airlines.
Suzette and Karen Lo (PNL) both achieved a personal milestone by scoring their first-ever maximum – 180 points in three darts. They were only the second and third female players in the history of SPADA to accomplish this!
The Cathay Darts Team also managed to secure third place in Division 3 in the 2015 Hong Kong Darts League and will be promoted to Division 2 next season.
DARTS
This sporting lifeA roundup of some of the many sporting events that took place in the latter part of 2015…
14
Another victory for tai chi starsThe Cathay Tai Chi Team brought the year to a successful end at the 3rd China-ASEAN Wushu Tournament, held in Liuzhou on 4-9 December 2015, taking home four gold, seven silver and four bronze medals.
A team of eight Cathay tai chi athletes were elected to represent Hong Kong to compete in the tournament, together with eight athletes from the SAR’s wushu community. They were up against more than 400 athletes from the Mainland and nine other countries.
“I joined the tai chi classes for the health benefits as the job nature of cabin crew can be physically demanding sometimes,” says Tara Tjhang (ISD), who won a bronze at the event.
“The opportunity to represent Hong Kong in this international tournament is truly a bonus and a great life experience!”
Runners get up to speedTwenty-eight members of the Cathay Running Club in Hong Kong joined runners from Cathay’s Tokyo office to take part in the 29th Narita Pop Run in Japan (above).
Despite the rainy conditions, many of our runners achieved personal bests or completed their first half marathon. Six Cathay runners were amount the top 10 in their categories.
Back in Hong Kong, on 29 November our runners received the first runners’ up trophy from CY Leung, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, at the UNICEF 2015 Charity Run held at Hong Kong Disneyland.
The corporate relay team of David Li (ENG), Ryan Li (IT), Ken Cheng (ENG), Jinko Takeshige (ISD), Alex Cheung (IT) and Andre Sin (PLN) lost out by only a few seconds to the Sun Hung Kei group.
Among the 40 runners from Cathay were directors James Tong and Dane Cheng, who took part in the 3km executive run and also helped to present prizes.
A flaming good run!It was a nice end to the year for the Cathay runners, who once again dominated the airport staff category winner list in the Feet of Fire Run at HKIA on 20 December.
More than 20 runners from the Cathay Road Runners Club took part in the 10km/5km race, many taking advantage of the nice weather and flat course to achieve their personal best.
Ryan Li (IT) and Noriko Yamamoto (ISD) took home the 10km and 5km champion’s trophies, respectively, while Jinko Takeshige (ISD) Ng Ho-yin (CPCS), Wing Chan (HKIA), Mallette De La Riva (ISD), Alex Cheung (IT), Tamiji Muto (ISD) and Andrea Wilkerson (ISD) were also on the prizewinner’s podium.
VOLLEYBALL
SNOOKER
TAI CHI
RUNNING
Fairway to heavenI was a beautiful autumn day on 24 October when the Inter-Hong Golf Tournament 2015 was held at Palm Island Golf Course in Guangdong.
Around 100 golfers from nine major Hong Kong companies joined the event, with Cathay fielding a team of 10.
Team captain Richard Anderson (ENG) led the Cathay golfers to a decent performance, with ISD’s Philip Lee earning second place in the Individual Net Score category and Richard himself nabbing a Nearest the Pin prize.
Top honours for PhilipMore than 20 snooker players from Cathay gathered at the Ivan Snooker Club in Sham Shui Po last month to battle it out in the 2015 Cathay Snooker Tournament.
Flight Attendant Philip Cheung become the latest champion after beating Ted Wong (IMT) by 2:0 in the final.
The Highest Break Award also went to Philip for his 59-point break in the semi-final against Second Officer Gary Ko.
“I am very excited to have won the tournament for the second time,” Philip says. “More people were taking part and more big breaks were made this year so the atmosphere was great.”
Colleagues are welcome to join coaching sessions from a top Hong Kong player at the Dakota Club from 6pm every Friday.
GOLF
Rising to the topFifteen Cathay players joined the 2015 Cologne Interline Volleyball Tournament in December, taking part in one of the toughest but most exciting competitions they have ever faced.
A total of 18 teams from 10 different airlines took part, with Emirates and Lufthansa presenting the biggest challenge.
However, thanks to the excellent team spirit, hard work and dedication of the Cathay squad, the team was named champion of the tournament!
“Thanks to the company for its great support,” says volleyball organiser Sarah Chu. “We enjoyed the experience and were glad to extend our SSFTH spirit beyond the workplace!”
Anyone interested in joining the Cathay volleyball players can contact Sarah as CCASNCH.
MEMBERS’ DRINK: Chairman John Slosar hosted the
annual Marco Polo Club Christmas Drinks to cele-
brate with over 250 members and their plus-ones.
CHRISTMAS CHEER: Staff from the Van-
couver GCC team split into teams for a
snowman-building competition – which is
your favourite?
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS: Young people visited the In-novation Centre to have a design thinking session with the Innovation team to brainstorm solutions relating to different parts of the passenger journey.
CHRISTMAS SURPRISES: Johannesburg staff handed out
candy canes to all passengers on CX748 on Christmas
Day, giving passengers the chance to enjoy Yuletide
cheer while travelling with their loved ones.
PRO TIPS: Squash stars Leo Au (Hong Kong) and
Heba El Torky (Egypt) came to Cathay City to advise
staff on how to improve their games.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS: The Manila Airport team, organised the Vintage CXmas ball where staff put on their 40s to 60s costumes!
INTERNATIONAL FOOD: Cabin crew signed up as chefs and helpers at the Christmas Charity Food Fair held at Cathay City on 11 December. International dishes were sold and over HK$95,000 was raised for Sunnyside Club!
UP TO THE CHALLENGE! The Cathay team performed
well in the Outbound Corporate Challenge 2015 last
month. Stanley Tam received the Most Dynamic Team
Captain trophy!
PRD NEIGHBOURS: A group from SF Airlines visited Cathay City in November, getting a tour of the facilities and a corporate update.
ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE: Craig Murdoch, Head of Line Maintenance, visited Beijing to hand out the Line Maintenance awards.
When London-based Flight Purser Katie Stevens is not flying, she can often be found working hard on a sewing machine turning out her own very individual skirts and dresses.
Katie has long had an interest in clothes and textiles, and in particular the patterns, colours and feel of materials.
“I feel that the clothes we wear reflect our mood and thoughts and can enhance our sense of who we are. I find that really fascinating,” she explains.
Katie developed a particular taste for so-called retro clothing that she says can have a “homely, simplistic quality”.
“I love designing 1950s and 60s-style skirts and dresses in traditional feminine, glamorous and flattering shapes – they are timeless and have an understated style,” she smiles.
Katie scours the shops and markets of London looking for fabrics with patterns that are typically spots, stripes or checks, cats and dogs, or single strong colours.
“I especially like to make pleated ‘A line’ skirts with buttons down the front and side pockets – think vintage 50s’ American rock ’n’ roll or English weekend smart casual of the early 60s. I’m not so much a designer as I tweak existing pattern templates, though I will always add my own touch,” Katie explains.
Creating retro clothing is just a hobby for Katie – “but I get such a great sense of achievement to complete each dress, and it helps me to relax,” she says.
Some of her family and friends have bought her designs, but she doesn’t have plans to take her interest further – for now her focus is very much on her job.
“I love meeting people and passengers, helping to make their journey a great experience, and also the teamwork onboard,” says Katie, who joined Cathay in 2007 after working as a flight attendant in her native South Korea.
“I would very much like to continue with all aspects of inflight service training and in particular develop my coaching and appraisal skills.”
Among the other things that keep her happy, Katie mentions a love for shoes – and her husband Greg!
A taste of the past
Photo logDipping into some of the most beautiful images submitted by staff to Yammer.
Airline Safety Manager Nina McGrath says a hearty ‘Prost!’ at the annual Oktoberfest in Munich
Yading in southwest Sichuan offers mesmerising scenery of snow-capped mountains, vibrant greenery and crystal clear streams. Yading Airport – the world’s highest civilian airport at 4,200m – is served by Air China from Chengdu.Camera: iPhone6
Xue Yu Chen, Global Contact Centre, CAN
Kotto-ichi is a flea market, usually set up on temple grounds where sellers bring old ap-pliances, antiques, yukata, and kimonos to sell in makeshift booths. You can also enjoy a nice meal in the many eateries in the temple grounds.Camera: iPhone6
Fabrizio Raponi, Reservations & Ticketing Manager, JPN
Vienna is a city full of music – I had a wonderful time at the Wiener Staat-soper (the Vienna State Opera) for two nights in a row in early December! I also paid a visit to a Christmas market, which made me feel warm and happy.Camera: iPhone6
Mayumi Kanari, Customer Services
Supervisor, NRT
A BavarianadventureMunich’s main attraction is the annual Oktoberfest folk festival, which takes place at Theresienwiese in the city centre. There is something for everyone at Oktoberfest with parades, fairground rides, side-shows and, of course, the beer tents. Oktoberfest 2015 saw 5.9 million visitors drinking their way through 7.7 million litres of beer!
On the morning of the opening day, a parade of decorated horse drawn carts carrying great barrels of beer, beer waitresses and brass bands runs from Munich city centre to Theresienwiese. At noon, the mayor of Munich taps the first keg and calls out “O’zapft is!” confirming that the tapping was successful and that all tents may begin to serve beer.
Visitors can choose from 14 large tents, which vary in size from 2,000-10,000 seats. Each tent serves one of six beers from Munich breweries in one-litre steins.
Local Bavarian food such as pretzels, pickles, roast chicken, pork knuckle and traditional sau-sages with sauerkraut is served and there’s also non-stop entertainment, ranging from traditional brass bands playing beerhall classics to yodelling and rock ’n’ roll bands. Singing and dancing are en-couraged!
Many visitors are inspired by the parade of traditional costumes on the first Sunday of Oktoberfest and don traditional dress. For ladies this is the dirndl, a blouse and pinafore, and for men a checked shirt and lederhosen (leather shorts). If nothing else, get yourself a felt hat with a feather in the brim.
While in Munich, take a walk in the Englischer Garten (English Garden), a sprawling public park in the middle of the city. The park is full of surprises
Flea market in a temple
and contains a Japanese teahouse, a Chinese tower surrounded by a 7,000-seat beer garden, the Schönfeldwiese (Schönfeld meadow) where nude sunbathing is allowed, and the “Eisbach” (ice brook) that runs through the park and features a standing wave which is ridden by inner city surfers.
Munich is home to the spectacular Nymphen-burg Palace, which is well worth spending a day ex-ploring. If you prefer castles to palaces, it is an easy trip from Munich to the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, home to the Ho-henschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles. Both can easily be seen in a day.
Start with the older Hohenschwangau castle, built as a summer palace for King Maximilian II of Bavaria, before exploring Neuschwanstein castle, the passion project of his eldest son, (Mad) King Ludwig, which inspired Disney’s logo, the Sleeping Beauty castle, and featured in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Once you are all castled out, head down the hill and relax with a stein of German beer – I recommend Augustiner. Prost!
The next Oktoberfest will run from 17 Septem-ber to 3 October 2016.
Paradise in China
A city of music
MUNICH MOMENTS: Nina visits the Englischer Garten.
