A magazine for staff and friends of Cathay Pacific Airways Diamonds are forever CPLP boosts service during downturn news Looking at the ups and downs of 2009 Village scene Stunning beauty of the Italian Riviera travel What a year it was! features 2009 a time of personal goals for Clara Building new habits who, what, where Page 10 Page 8-9 Page 14 Page 16 PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER January 2010, Issue 166 HAPPY New aircraft to give network boost Schedules enhanced with four 777-300ER deliveries in two months A winning formula The 2009 Hong Kong International Races proved a winner for Cathay Pacific as the strategy of focusing on big-name events to boost brand awareness pays off. • See page 4 A raft of new aircraft arrivals is giving Cathay Pacific the opportunity to beef up the network for 2010 - and help wash away the memories of a miser- able 2009. Two Boeing 777-300ERs arrived in December – the 13th and 14th in the fleet - and two more will follow in January and February. In total the airline will take delivery of five passenger aircraft in 2010 – four 777-300ERs and one Airbus A330-300 – and General Manager Planning Ray Fung says the arrivals will help the air- line step up capacity, albeit in tenta- tive steps. The first delivery in December, B- KPM, has already been put to work on the Los Angeles route, meaning all flights to the city now use the 777- 300ER. “This helps with payload issues dur- ing the winter months and also means more cargo can be uplifted,” says Ray. In February, 777-300ERs will replace Boeing 747-400s on one of the twice- daily San Francisco flights for a couple of months before switching to oper- ate the new service to Milan. The aircraft arriving in January and February will also enable the airline to boost frequencies to Toronto, com- mencing 28 March, and add three more flights a week to Los Angeles from 1 May. “After having to make capacity cuts last year it’s good to be able to get things moving in the right direction – though we are still taking a cautious Airports placed under scrutiny Passengers to the United States undergo pat-downs and 100% cabin baggage checks as airports worldwide impose tighter secu- rity measures. • See page 2 approach,” says Ray. Other plans for the 777-300ER in- clude being reintroduced on three times a week on Johannesburg in June, and a “good chance” of introduc- ing the aircraft on the London route for the first time in May. Some more positive news is that the airline is deferring parking of the one of two Boeing 747-400s due to go in the desert to help upgrade some flights. The other B744 and four Airbus A340-300s will remain parked. YEAR NEW
Transcript
A magazine for staff and friends of Cathay Pacific Airways
Diamonds are foreverCPLP boosts service during downturn
news
Looking at the ups and downs of 2009
Village sceneStunning beauty of the Italian Riviera
travel
What a year it was!
features
2009 a time of personal goals for Clara
Building new habits
who, what, where
Page 10 Page 8-9 Page 14 Page 16
PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER
January 2010, Issue 166
HAPPY
New aircraft to give network boostSchedules enhanced with four 777-300ER deliveries in two months
A winning formula
The 2009 Hong Kong International Races proved a winner for Cathay Pacific as the strategy of focusing on big-name events to boost brand awareness pays off.
• See page 4A raft of new aircraft arrivals is giving Cathay Pacific the opportunity to beef up the network for 2010 - and help wash away the memories of a miser-able 2009.
Two Boeing 777-300ERs arrived in December – the 13th and 14th in the fleet - and two more will follow in January and February.
In total the airline will take delivery of five passenger aircraft in 2010 – four 777-300ERs and one Airbus A330-300 – and General Manager Planning Ray
Fung says the arrivals will help the air-line step up capacity, albeit in tenta-tive steps.
The first delivery in December, B-KPM, has already been put to work on the Los Angeles route, meaning all flights to the city now use the 777-300ER.
“This helps with payload issues dur-ing the winter months and also means more cargo can be uplifted,” says Ray.
In February, 777-300ERs will replace Boeing 747-400s on one of the twice-
daily San Francisco flights for a couple of months before switching to oper-ate the new service to Milan.
The aircraft arriving in January and February will also enable the airline to boost frequencies to Toronto, com-mencing 28 March, and add three more flights a week to Los Angeles from 1 May.
“After having to make capacity cuts last year it’s good to be able to get things moving in the right direction – though we are still taking a cautious
Airports placed under scrutiny
Passengers to the United States undergo pat-downs and 100% cabin baggage checks as airports worldwide impose tighter secu-rity measures.
• See page 2
approach,” says Ray.Other plans for the 777-300ER in-
clude being reintroduced on three times a week on Johannesburg in June, and a “good chance” of introduc-ing the aircraft on the London route for the first time in May.
Some more positive news is that the airline is deferring parking of the one of two Boeing 747-400s due to go in the desert to help upgrade some flights. The other B744 and four Airbus A340-300s will remain parked.
YEAR
NEW
2
PRD links strengthen with improved pier High-speed ferry services boosted with permanent SkyPier
I’d like to start by wishing everyone in Cathay Pacific a very happy New Year! I’m sure you’ll join me in hoping that 2010 turns out to be a less financially difficult year than the one we’ve just struggled through.
The big question now is: what are the prospects for the coming year? The simple answer at this stage is that it’s too early to be sure. While we enjoyed a very welcome upturn in business towards the end of last year, we still don’t know if this was simply a seasonal boost or the start of something more sustained.
And, of course, there is still a great deal of uncertainty in the world’s economies, with some analysts still forecasting a “double dip” recession and a number of countries still in a precarious financial po-sition. Aviation, as we know, is particularly vulnerable to economic vicissitudes.
Most people believe that 2010 will be a better year than 2009, and I agree. However, if IATA forecasts are correct it’s not going to be an easy ride. The indus-try body estimates total airline losses of US$11 billion for last year, and is project-ing a total loss of US$5.6 billion globally this year. Hardly a rosy picture for the in-dustry.
So while the worst is behind us we can still expect to face a number of chal-lenges. IATA’s view is that while demand for passenger and freight services will rise from last year’s doldrums, a number of factors will keep the industry in the red including rising fuel costs and stubbornly low yields. Regarding the latter, IATA be-lieves the yield drop experienced last year will never be fully recovered. Cathay Pacific has never recovered the yield drop we experienced in the Asian financial cri-sis in 1998, so IATA may well be correct.
So, overall I believe this year will be bet-ter than last, but this doesn’t mean we are going to have it easy. Our business last year fell far and fast, and recovery is likely to be slow and gentle at best. Still, at least we seem to be moving in the right direc-tion. Some good things are already hap-pening – new aircraft and destinations, increased frequencies – and we can ex-pect some other positive developments to be announced in due course.
Meanwhile we are continuing to imple-ment the improvements we’ve identified in our Vision and Missions. These all make us a better company and a better airline, doing a better job for our customers and other stakeholders.
I’m looking forward to another chal-lenging year working together with the whole Cathay Pacific team, and let’s hope it’s more rewarding than 2009.
Passengers carried 2,007,773 1.5%
Passenger load factor 82.0% 6.3pt
ASKs (000) 8,867,276 -5.9%
Freight carried 141,799 7.6%
Cargo load factor 76.8% 12.3pt
ATKs (000) 1,855,905 -9.8%* Figures for Nov 2009
PORT TO PORT: The expanded SkyPier facility provides quick and easy access to the main cities in the Pearl River Delta.
Security at airports worldwide has been tightened following an attempt to blow up a flight to Detroit on Christmas Day, with additional security checks and increased cabin baggage inspec-tions becoming the norm for US-bound flights.
General Manager Airports Peter Langslow says the main impact for CX has been in Hong Kong and Vancouver – the two ports with direct service to the US.
“The main additional security requirement is the need for all US-bound passengers to get a pat-down security check and 100% inspection of cabin baggage at the boarding gate,” he says.
Transport Canada has restrict-
ed all US-bound passengers from bringing carry-on items into the cabin area, with minor exceptions such as medication. And Cana-dian airports will be installing full body scanners over the next few months, with Vancouver top of the priority list.
Airport Services Manager Lori Miller says passengers on CX888 from Vancouver to New York have not been as badly affected by de-lays as they clear US immigration on arrival at JFK rather than un-dergoing pre-clearance in YVR.
“Other carriers using the pre-clearance facility have been ex-periencing delays and very long lines. Delays in other Canadian cities have been up to five hours
as a result of screening staffing levels,” she says.
Lori says the YVR office has been sending out daily SMS messages to passengers, to advise them to arrive at the airport earlier and reminding them of the carry-on restrictions.
But there is some concern re-garding the effectiveness of the new measures with industry bod-ies weighing in on the debate.
While the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reit-erated the importance of security as a top priority for aviation, Di-rector General and CEO Giovanni Bisignani noted long-term so-lutions must include improved technology and effective risk-as-
sessment techniques. “The air transport system can-
not support 100% pat-down searches over the long term,” he said.
In a statement, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), of which CX is a member, empha-sised that flying is still recognised as the safest form of travel and warned against knee jerk reac-tions “such as the imposition of new security measures of unprov-en effectiveness”.
The AAPA said while new screening technologies are con-stantly under evaluation, “there is insufficient evidence regarding their effectiveness to justify their immediate deployment”.
Passengers taking the cross-boundary ferry service from Hong Kong International Airport now have a better facility to leave from with the opening of the per-manent SkyPier on 15 December.
The new facility, located adja-cent to the SkyCity Marriott Hotel, is eight times larger than the old SkyPier and is connected to Ter-minals 1 and 2 by the Automated People Mover.
It services up to 72 ferry trips a day from seven ports in the Pearl River Delta – Nansha, Shenzhen’s Shekou and Fuyong ports, Dong-guan’s Humen, Zhongshan, Zhu-hai’s Jiuzhou port and Macau.
Constructed with four berths with the capacity to expand to eight, the four-storey pier also provides passenger check-in and baggage handling facilities.
General Manager Sales, PRD & HK Chitty Cheung says the per-manent SkyPier further strength-ens HKIA’s position as the gate-way to the PRD.
“From January to October last year, total SkyPier traffic was 1,018,932 – an average of over 100,000 per month, of which CX/KA passengers made up almost one third,” she says.
“Hopefully we will see numbers increase by 10% next year due to the improved facility,” she adds.
According to the Airport Au-thority Hong Kong, 3.7 million passengers used the old SkyPier since it opened in September 2003, with 1.5 million passengers in 2008 alone.
The annual pas-senger volume is ex-pected to reach three million in five years.
“To help promote the new SkyPier and the improved connectivity, we col-laborated with the HKAA for an agency seminar in Shenzhen in December,” Chitty says.
An information booklet pro-duced by the HKAA is also avail-
able at CX ticketing counters. Chitty says another agency
seminar will be held in the first quarter of 2010 in Guangzhou and an English-language version of the leaflet will be produced for overseas distribution to help pro-
mote inbound traffic to the PRD via Hong Kong.
“We are also exploring op-portunities of working with the ferry company to develop special packages combining air and ferry tickets,” Chitty says.
Tony Tyler, Chief Executive
3
Aviation deal still needs work following Copenhagen Global attention turned to Danish cap-ital Copenhagen in early December and the much-hyped United Nations Climate Change Conference.
CX was part of an industry delega-tion led by the International Air Trans-port Association (IATA) and played an active role in negotiations, calling for aviation emissions to be addressed as part of a global sectoral scheme and garnering support for collective tar-gets to achieve carbon neutral growth from 2020 and a 50% reduction in ab-solute CO2 emissions by 2050.
Head of Environmental Affairs Mark Watson says: “Although those involved described the process as complex, frustrating and, at times, totally cha-otic, on a positive note, we were able to come away from Copenhagen with much stronger support from a range of governments and NGOs for our ef-forts to reduce our climate change impacts.”
While aviation emissions were not addressed specifically in the Copen-hagen Accord, IATA says they were still encouraged by the progress made in
Strong finish to poor yearCautious optimism for passenger and cargo business in first quarterThere was finally something to smile about as 2009 – one of the most difficult years on record – drew to a close.
After months of relentless bad news, December ended on a high as passengers took to the skies and shippers rushed to get cargo to the key markets in the US and Europe.
On the passenger side a number of records were set over a 15-day Christmas and New Year period including an overall load factor high of 84% for CX and KA combined.
“Both yield and efficiency were up too, though still some way behind 2007 levels,” says Liza Ng, Manager Alliance & Revenue Planning.
The most popular destinations for Christmas 2009 were regional short hauls, with Korea flights recording
Produced by CX’s Corporate Communication Department
highlighting the industry’s concerns. Director General and CEO Giovanni
Bisignani said afterwards: “We found consensus among the delegations that a global sectoral approach should be established for aviation emissions by ICAO, the UN’s specialised agency for aviation.”
Mark says: “One area where we have been successful is that now a range of governments from across the globe know about the global approach con-cept and support the role of ICAO go-ing forward - it is vital that we continue
to build on this support in 2010. “The reality is that there is still much,
much more that needs to be done in 2010 if we are to ultimately see avia-tion emissions tackled as part of a global sectoral approach,” he adds.
IATA will continue to work closely with ICAO to prepare a global frame-work for managing aviation’s emis-sions for the ICAO Assembly to con-sider in September 2010 and urge governments to ensure this frame-work is presented to COP16 in Decem-ber 2010.
Early Christmas joy for earthquake-affected schoolchildrenChildren from two schools affected by the Sichuan earthquake got an early taste of Christmas when 15 staff from various departments laden with gifts paid them a visit.
The volunteering trip from 16-19 December was co-organised by the Dragonair Chengdu office and the Red Cross Society of China.
At the Ximapeng Street School, which has been supported by the local KA office since 2008, staff staged a special sporting event where mentally disabled children enjoyed games of basketball and football. The volunteers also served lunches and gave lessons to the children.
The group also visited the Chengdu Jintang Qixian Village Elementary School located in a more rural area of Sichuan. Part of the school collapsed during the 2008
earthquake and is still being rebuilt. Staff conducted three-legged races
and paper flying competitions which produced plenty of laughter and cheers from the children.
Stationery and toys which were
collected at CX City during a week-long campaign were also distributed to the children. Fifteen tonnes of giveaways had been delivered to the local Red Cross on an earlier trip and the remainder were brought on the trip.
Senior Training Captain Brad Pieters was thankful for the experience. “While it is hard to say whether or not our time spent with the children will have any long term benefits, it was a good chance to spend some time making the children happy as well as meeting colleagues that I otherwise wouldn’t have known,” says Brad.
Cargo’s Alex Chow couldn’t agree more. “The children’s happiness made the volunteers happy as well,” he says.
n Enhanced All Asia Pass The CX team in North America has included 18 cities in China among the basic destination choices avail-able through its 2010 All Asia Pass.
Previously these cities required an add-on fee of US$300 each but can now be enjoyed as part of the basic All Asia Pass along with a wide range of Asian destinations.
The All Asia Pass is a perennial favourite among US travellers, providing roundtrip Economy Class tickets plus 21 days of con-secutive travel to up to four Asian cities with prices starting at just US$1,599.
n 2010 paydaysSalary payments will made to staff on the Hong Kong payroll on the following dates:
26 January (Tue) 26 February (Fri)26 March (Fri) 26 April (Mon)26 May (Wed) 25 June (Fri)26 July (Mon)26 August (Thu)24 September (Fri) 26 October (Tue)26 November (Fri) 22 December (Wed)
n Wine sale charity boostA sale of bin-end wines and wine samples at Cathay City, organised by the Catering team in ISD, raised more than HK$46,070. The money went directly to the People’s Food Bank in Hong Kong.
n MoneyBack MilesAsia Miles has launched a new partnership with MoneyBack - the programme that enables shoppers to earn points when spending at retail outlets such as Parkn’Shop, Taste, Gourmet, Watsons and Fortress.
Now, members can convert their MoneyBack points to Asia Miles, and vice versa.
And, until 28 January, members can participate in a lucky draw and have a chance to win 100,000 Asia Miles.
Briefs
Cathay Pacific served
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
32nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
kilograms of Christmas logcake inflight from 24-26 December
the highest load factor across the network.
CX mounted a total of 144 extra sectors over the holiday period compared to 75 last year and 96 in 2007. The bulk of these were to Japan and Korea.
The key Hong Kong market saw sustained high demand over the Christmas peak, with high load factors helping to push up yield.
“Bangkok, Sapporo and Osaka were the most popular destinations for Hong Kong travellers,” says General Manager Sales, PRD & HK, Chitty Cheung.
Chitty says that December as a whole was Hong Kong Office’s best performance in 16 months.
In terms of upcoming prospects, Liza says the momentum is
continuing and she expects a gradual recovery in 2010. “The first quarter is forecast to perform much better than last year – though of course it’s from a very low base,” she says.
Chitty says that Hong Kong Office sees promising bookings for January and February, despite issues such as adverse weather conditions in some parts of the world and tightened security measures in North America.
Both are optimistic for another strong peak for Chinese New Year in February, along with some gradual recovery in premium cabins – “though it’s still too early to say we will get back to previous levels,” says Liza.
The rush on cargo that started prior to Thanksgiving continued through into the third week of December as
shippers worked to clear backlogs in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
“The market was also stronger than expected over the Christmas and New Year period,” says General Manager Cargo Mainland China & HK James Woodrow. “We cancelled flights both to Europe and Transpacific - as did our competitors – which helped to buoy rates and loads.”
James says the expectation is that the second half of January and first half of February will be strong in the build-up to Chinese New Year, though “cautious optimism” is still the theme.
“The first quarter of 2010 will be significantly better than last year - however that is a very low benchmark which we hope never to repeat!”
Taking a cricketing trip down memory laneThe banter flowed at the Hong Kong Cricket Club on 29 December when the current Kai Tak cricket team played the Kai Tak Legends – a grouping of former players including some very familiar names from CX’s recent past.
The Kai Tak Cricket Club has always been predominantly made up of current staff from the airline, strengthened by employees from Swire, together with a few friends and acquaintances.
For this one-off encounter, various legends came from near and far came to attend the event, including such well-known former
CX employees such as Rod Eddington, Willy Boulter and Jeff Turner.
For the record, youth triumphed over experience with the “new” legends defeating the “old” legends.
Chasing a total of 173 for 8 in 30 overs the youngsters reached their target with one over to spare.
The afternoon cricket match was followed by a convivial dinner where over 50 past and present players, joined by their partners, talked about the history and achievements of the Kai Tak club.
Cathay Pacific’s sponsorship of the Hong Kong International Races was vindicated once again with cover-age around the world acknowledg-ing the event as one of the great race days.
The more positive economic sen-timent was reflected in a bigger at-tendance this year – 56,000 people made the trip to Sha Tin on 13 De-cember, up 10,000 on 2008 – and a big rise in betting turnover.
The day was dubbed the “greatest show on turf” and certainly lived up to its billing.
The four CX-backed Group One races were the main focus with the
highlight being Hong Kong runner Good Ba Ba taking the crown in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile for an unprecedented third consecu-tive time.
CX was also a clear winner in the 2009 races, says General Manager Marketing & Product James Ginns.
“The world-class status of the HKIR definitely helps promote the CX name in other parts of the world,” he says.
As always, the airline flew in world-renowned horses and top-notch jockeys for the event, sold hundreds of packages overseas, and a bigger buzz was created by a new
ad campaign. “This year, for the first time, CX
and the HKJC jointly developed the advertising creative which was used by both companies and created very good brand exposure for us,” says James.
The economic turmoil made 2009 a difficult year from a marketing perspective.
The CX approach was to try to make the most out of the situation by focusing on a
few big events – the HKIR, the Hong Kong Sevens, and the Chinese New Year Night Parade – that were im-portant to the long-term develop-ment of the airline’s brand.
“We wanted to show our commit-ment that, no matter good times or bad, we support Hong Kong and will continue to develop it into Asia’s events capital,” says James, adding that such events attract overseas
Races and other events keep the Cathay Pacific brand flying high
Greatest show on turf
visitors and gain the airline incre-mental sales in its overseas markets.
New for CX in 2009 was the spon-sorship of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition, “which instantly be-came the largest competition in the pan-Asia region and helped get the airline’s name out there,” says James.
In 2010 the airline will continue to focus on the three main sponsor-
ships with which the CX brand is as-sociated, with some new elements such as the video competition for the Sevens.
“We also have an exciting route launch for Milan coming up in March, and an international ‘People and Service’ campaign launching the same month and communicat-ing the essence of what makes the CX brand different,” says James.
IN GOOD FORM: (clockwise from top) Hong Kong Mile winner Good Ba Ba; dignitaries gather on stage for the Hong Kong Mile trophy presentation; new combined CX and HKJC advertising campaign created a buzz worldwide.
5
CX Volunteers celebrate a fruitful yearLast year may have been hit by glob-al financial turmoil but that didn’t stop the CX Volunteers from sparing a thought for the less fortunate in the community.
In 2008, staff spent more than 20,000 hours in volunteer activi-ties which earned the company the “Merit of Highest Hour Award” from the Social Welfare Department.
Team takes corporate sales to the next levelThe importance of corporate sales to Cathay Pacific was recognised in last year’s strategy review, with two of the 35 action items dedicated to further boosting results in this area.
A project team was formed, spon-sored by General Manager Sales & Distribution Ronald Lam, which set about combining the two action items into one to formulate a way to turn CX into a truly world-class cor-porate seller.
“We’ve done quite well over the past 10 years, increasing corporate sales from less than 5% to more than 15% of our passenger revenue,” says Ronald.
“However, we seem to have reached a plateau so we need to find ways to take this important revenue stream to a new level,” he adds.
Over the past six months the proj-ect team, led by Corporate Sales Manager Derrick Wu, has been busy looking at all aspects of corpo-rate sales, conducting competitive benchmarking and internal and ex-ternal engagement to examine how things can be improved.
“A number of key recommenda-tions came out of the study, which we are now prioritising,” says Ronald.
While there are some “low-hang-ing fruit” issues that can be dealt with straight away, Ronald stresses it is not really about quick change.
“Corporate sales are a key factor in the company’s profitability so we will introduce changes gradually to ensure we get it right,” he says.
Among the key areas examined in the initial study were:
Value proposition – to look at what value to promote to corporate clients and examine what needs to be done in terms of providing “soft benefits” such as mileage and other rewards.
Selling processes – the project team looked at the entire corporate
n Fast-track in BKKA fast-track option is now offer-ing premium class passengers a special immigration channel to bypass immigration queues at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.
Passengers in First and Busi-ness Class on all flights into BKK are handed a Fast Track invitation card to speed up their transit time.
n Grand Hyatt check-inThe Grand Hyatt Hong Kong has become the first hotel in the city to provide a self-serv-ice check-in terminal within its premises.
Guests travelling on six air-lines out of HKIA – including CX and KA – can use the terminal to complete the check-in proc-ess and print their boarding pass in only one minute.
n The tweet gets louder
Cathay Pacific is expanding customer communications via Twitter with six feeds now up and running.
Teams in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and India as well as Head Office in Hong Kong are all running Twitter feeds providing updated sales and marketing information to fol-lowers.
Find out more at www.twit-ter.com/cathay_pacific
n Xmas food boostCX staff came up trumps once again for the annual food drive run by St James Settlement in Hong Kong.
A total of 1,622 food items were donated in 2009 along with cash coupons totalling HK$1,900.
The top three items were instant noodles, biscuits and canned/bottled food.
n CX tennis champ crownedMichael Foo (FOP) won the final of the men’s tennis in the inaugural S&R Champion-ships, beating fellow pilot Niel Hutchinson 3-6/6-0/6-1 in an exciting match on 27 Decem-ber.
Briefs
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
seconds
60Asia Miles issues an award ticket or upgrade every
clocked over 1,800 hours of social service.
Activities included helping stu-dents from Tung Chung, Tin Shui Wai and Sham Shui Po practice their English-speaking skills through Eng-lish on Air activities (below).
Staff also didn’t have any qualms about getting their hands dirty as they helped to clean up two homes for Mother’s Choice and picked up
Key findings of internal review will boost key revenue streamsales cycle and found room for im-provement in lead generation and moving from being reactive to more proactive.
Tools for customers – the team found that the functionality provid-ed by CX is not mature enough and that a one-stop shop for corporate customers is needed with a full suite of online solutions.
Tools for staff – the infrastructure for the corporate sales team at CX
is lacking, with a need to eliminate much of the tedious manual work. The aim now is to provide a compre-hensive resource centre on IntraCX for the workforce worldwide.
“I believe we already have a world-class team,” says Ronald.
“However, there are some gaps to be filled and we will look at every as-pect of our organisation – resources, recruitment and training – to help us come up with a more effective way of selling.”
trash at two coastal clean-up events in Lantau (right).
Technologically inclined staff also put their special skills to good use at two PC collection days organised by Caritas Hong Kong. Staff helped to distribute recycled PCs to students in need in Sham Shui Po and also conducted courses to help the kids get started with their new comput-ers.
The response to the year’s final events, two Christmas parties, was so overwhelming that a draw had to take place to decide who would help out on the actual day.
Director Corporate Affairs Quince Chong believes the cultural diver-sity of the CX team gives the airline an advantage when contributing to the community.
“CX is Hong Kong’s airline. We grow as Hong Kong grows and it’s important that we give back to the community wherever possible,” she says.
The CX Volunteers have a busy calendar of events for 2010 and are looking for staff to help out. More information can be found on the CX Volunteers website on IntraCX.
6n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Send us your feedbackWe welcome feedback from anyone in the CX network on any issue affecting the airline or the industry. Please email your letters to CCD#SCT. Not all letters will be published but those that are will be edited for length and to comply with the CX World style.
The sender of the star letter each month will win 3,000 Asia Miles. The Feedback page is sponsored by Asia’s leading travel reward programme.
Flying the flag highI have noticed that many air-lines have their national flag paint-ed somewhere on the aircraft.
As CX is known as Hong Kong’s airline, is there a reason why the Hong Kong flag is not painted on our aircraft?
Raymond Li, ISD
Daniel Heung, Marketing Ser-vices Manager, replies: While we don’t showcase the official flag of the Hong Kong Special Adminis-trative Region on the aircraft, Ca-thay Pacific does carry the “Asia’s world city” signature on both sides of the livery.
This is the “Brand Hong Kong” brandline and logo developed by the Hong Kong SAR Government.
Upgrade concerns As a crew, I have obviously seen many instances when passengers have been upgraded.
When I travel as a passenger I understand it is also possible to be upgraded, but I would like to ask how staff upgrades are deter-mined?
I have seen passengers get up-graded regardless of their Marco Polo Club tier status while staff who hold a high-tier status are not upgraded.
Could you please clarify what criteria is used to determine up-grades?
Name withheld
Bob Nipperess, Employee Ser-vices Manager, replies: Our up-grading policy is “company confi-dential” and is made available to Airport staff and other areas who are responsible for its implemen-tation. It is not available for gen-eral circulation.
However, the principle we adopt in respect of upgrades is that the passenger should be seated in their ticketed class and that upgrades are only actioned where there is a “commercial” need to do so.
That said, there are a number of factors such as oversales, re-demptions of Asia Miles or other FFPs, service recovery initiatives and staff on duty travel which may lead to a passenger being upgraded from their original class.
Once all this activity is complet-ed, any seats still vacant in our premium cabins are then made available for eligible sub-load ID travellers.
That is why we recommend ID travellers to dress appropriately when using sub-load tickets as the chances of getting an up-grade are greater than with the previous arrangements.
On the busI would like to ask how the routes taken by the Kwoon Chung bus
Seats in reserveOnce again loyal passengers, Marco Polo Club Silver members and above, are being disadvan-taged due to the introduction of payment for “extra legroom” seats.
On average we can sell two seats per flight under this scheme, but on average we would have more than two Mar-co Polo Club members on every flight.
What happens if an MPO member requests the seat and a passenger has already paid for the privilege of sitting there? Who would get priority?
Deborah Christini, AKL
Michelle Chu, Product Man-ager, Inflight Economy Cabins, replies: Since the introduction of payment for “extra legroom” seats, we have not received any complaints from Marco Polo Club members.
Data from the Customer Infor-mation Systems also suggests that before the launch less than 20% of these seats were occu-pied by MPO members.
Under the new arrangement, eligible MPO members can con-tinue to reserve the seats for free.
However, the seats are allocat-ed on a first-come-first-served basis regardless of whether the passenger is an MPO member or has paid to reserve the seat.
Rossana Lau, General Manager Cargo Planning, replies: The economic downturn has had a dramatic effect on our cargo busi-ness and, over the past 18 months, we’ve had to make some impor-tant decisions to mitigate the im-pact of the reduced demand for air cargo.
This includes the retirement of the Classic freighters, parking five freighters and the rationalisation
of some parts of the
freighter network.But even during these tough
times we were able to add Hous-ton, Miami, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City to the freighter net-work.
While there has been a sea-sonal uptick in cargo demand we are not out of the woods yet. The
focus remains on strengthening cur-
rent services before we look to add more freighter destina-tions.
More routes for cargo?I would like to ask what other freighter routes have been con-sidered lately?
It seems odd that freight services to Moscow and South America as well as Eastern Eu-rope have not been es-tablished.Name withheld
Star letter
service are decided and how of-ten are they reviewed.
I have several concerns regard-ing their service. For instance, there are many staff living in Mei Foo but the bus service does not stop there. Would it be possible to extend one of the services to that district?
There is also a bus from Hap-py Valley to Cathay City in the morning but no return service in the afternoon. Is there a reason for this?
And finally, why do the buses going to Admiralty and Cause-way Bay swap locations at 5.45pm and 6.15pm outside Ca-thay City? This is very confusing for passengers.
Jenny Chan,ISD
Jerry Tam, Building & Facili-ties Manager, replies: There is a committee made up of repre-sentatives from Airports, Inflight Services, Property Services and Personnel who monitor and re-view the services provided by Kwoon Chung (KC). It meets reg-ularly with KC to review routes, efficiency, customer feedback and pricing.
With regard to your specific concerns, it was believed there are adequate transport alterna-tives in Mei Foo.
The Happy Valley route has sensitive road traffic conditions which increase the overall travel-ling time. While traffic is relative-ly smooth in the morning, traffic jams in the afternoon and road diversions on racing days would complicate a return service.
Finally, manoeuvring buses in the already congested com-pound outside Cathay City is a health and safety concern, espe-cially during rush hours.
It is more efficient to route the buses in and out according to the sequence by which they ar-rive.
I’ve been smoking for the last 30 to 40 years, so my resolution is to quit smoking.
Johnson Chan, PSD
Improve my health and slim down a bit.
David Vincent, FOP
Go to Spain – I’ve wanted to visit there for a long time and it’s one country in Europe I have not been to yet.
Alexander Lee, FOP
Stop having children after my third one is born this year.
Steve Tunstall, CRM
Exercise, and spend more time with my family.
Sandy Wan, FIN
Extend my career path. I’ve been at CX 18 months and would like to learn more about the aviation industry.
Louisa Lau, ENG
Have more time to spend with my family.
Josephine Rafudi, ISD
I’m a new joiner so I have not travelled much yet. I would love to go to Japan.
Helen Li, ISD
The online poll
What is your New Year’s resolution?
Last month we asked “2009 was a terrible year for the aviation industry, so what do you think about the prospects for 2010?” You answered:
Check out the CX World website and Daily News on
IntraCX for next month’s poll question.
0 10 20 30 40 50
Optimistic – this year will see a quick rebound
Cautious – the financial situation will only improve slowly
Pessimistic – the world economy is still unstable and there’s a while to go before things improve
%
Letters to the Editor
7
KA PeoPle
Last October, Dragonair changed its services to Dhaka and Kathmandu and integrated the two destinations into one route.
The arrangement increased fre-quencies to Kathmandu to five times a week and the utilisation of an A330 aircraft on the route also increased capacity.
Manager Bangladesh, Nepal,
n Heating up inflight Passengers on flights to Shanghai and Beijing from Hong Kong are now able to choose from a specially designed menu of steamed rice in hot pot casserole.
The popular winter dish includes chicken and goose liver with mixed mushroom rice, prawn crab roe cake with scallop and pork cake with water chestnut and dried squid. The dishes are available until the end of February.
n Luxury holiday contest for online bookingsPassengers have a chance to win a Business Class Deluxe Package for two to relaxing Phuket, culture-rich Beijing, exotic Hanoi, and other Dragonair destinations simply by purchasing a ticket at www.dragonair.com.hk.
Passengers are eligible to enter if their flight departs Hong Kong on or before 28 February.
KA BRIeFS
Integrated South Asia route going strong
Satellite concourse expands HKIA hubThe opening of the Northern Satellite Concourse (NSC) at Hong Kong International Airport means passengers flying on smaller aircraft now have a dedicated facility.
The NSC, which soft opened on 17 December, is designed to serve more than five million passengers a year and has 10 stands for smaller narrow-bodied aircraft such as 737s and A320s.
Previously up to 50 of these aircraft would park at remote bays with no shelter for aircraft or passengers, but the opening of the NSC reduces this to fewer than 10.
Customer Services Manager – KA HKIA Simon Tang says in the initial stages Dragonair will park three to four aircraft overnight, mainly for early departure flights the next day.
“The main advantage of using the NSC is that passengers are sheltered in bad weather,” Simon says, adding that up to eight KA flights a day will use the NSC.
To reach the NSC, passengers take a shuttle bus from Terminal 1 which leaves every four minutes.
“The boarding passes for flights using the NSC displays a re-vised diagram and map, and staff also remind passengers upon check-in about the extra time required to reach the NSC,” Simon says.
Bhutan & East India Louis Li says the integration “combined the strong business and cargo traffic from DAC and the heavy tourist market in KTM.” Louis points out that the load factor on the route is high at more than 80%.
Louis himself only arrived in Dha-ka in August and is charged with looking after both teams.
STRETCHING OUT: Dragonair is parking aircraft overnight at the new Northern Satellite Concourse at HKIA.
“Both ports use GSAs so we only have managerial and supervisory staff – eight in DAC and four in KTM,” he says.
KA has been flying to DAC for more than 20 years and KTM for the past two years.
“The Dhaka market has expanded significantly since 1989, and we have been seeing increasing busi-
ness traffic as garment factories boom and foreign direct investment grows,” Louis says.
“Kathmandu is more leisure fo-cused with a strong inbound tourist market, outbound students and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) mar-ket to North America and Australia,” he adds.
Cargo is heavily garment focused with two freighters a week carrying luxury clothes to markets in North America and Europe.
“Many international brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Ralph Lauren do their manufacturing in Dhaka and there is also no quota on garment imports to both North America and Europe,” Louis says.
Traffic to Japan from Kathmandu is growing while China is develop-ing as an inbound market.
“For Dhaka, traffic to second-ary destinations in North America and Australia is growing and we also promote holiday packages to Southeast Asia, particularly to the expatriate market,” Louis says. COMBINED STRENGTH: The team at a press briefing last September in Kathmandu to introduce the integrated route.
challenge2010 got off to an interesting start for the Corporate Com-munication Department with new head Grace Lee joining the team on 4 January.
Previously Marketing Direc-tor for the Hong Kong Design Centre, Grace has also worked at the Hong Kong Baptist Uni-versity, the Hong Kong Sports Development Board and the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
“I specialised in the market-ing and communication areas, including public affairs, me-dia and stakeholder relations, publications, sponsorship and business matching,” Grace says.
In her new position, Grace says she is looking forward to “upholding and further en-hancing the KA brand”.
She says her biggest chal-lenge will be tackling the “ever-changing competition and the environment of the aviation industry”.
2009 – goodbye and good riddance!Chief Executive Tony Tyler summed up the year quite nicely in his De-cember CX World message: “I’m sure I speak on behalf of all of us when I say I’ll be glad to see the back of 2009,” he wrote.
In January Tony warned of “an un-certain and probably very difficult time”, and that’s definitely the way the year panned out.
On 7 January CX issued its third profit warning in the space of six months and business – particularly for premium passengers and cargo – continued its sustained nosedive over the next few months.
It was a dire situation and the air-line responded boldly, paring back capacity and putting more aircraft into the desert.
Major capital expenditure was put on hold, the hiring freeze con-tinued, and staff costs were slashed when close to 100% of staff gave their consent to the Special Leave Scheme.
As if the financial tsunami wasn’t enough, business in the region was further rocked by the swine flu out-break in early summer, and airlines saw margins eroded further as fuel prices shot up in the second half.
But while it was a gloomy year overall, there were also positive de-velopments.
The airline launched into a raft of strategy action items to improve the way many things are done; ap-proval ratings for cabin crew rose and airport performance soared;
A turbulent year has passed, but Cathay Pacific managed to weather the storm
the fleet became more efficient; the passenger experience was boosted through new online and mobile channels; a shareholding realignment gave Cathay Pacific two strong, committed stakehold-ers; and the Modelling Project gave some clear ideas on how the airline should move forward.
The airline emerged bruised and battered from the first nine months and there was considerable relief as business rebounded in the last quarter – but still not to pre-crisis levels.
There was still plenty of uncertain-ty in the air as the airline moved into 2010 but everyone was unanimous on one thing: it can’t possibly be as bad as the year just passed.
JANUARYNew vision and missions launched for airline in parallel with strategy review (right)CX issues its third profit warning in the space of six months as revenues plungeMobile Check-In launch further boosts convenience for passengersAirline takes four honours at Customer Service Excellence AwardsCX-sponsored CNY parade welcomes the Year of the Ox
•
•
•
•
•
MARCHLoss of HK$8.6 billion announced for
2008. Even without fuel-hedging losses, CX and KA make loss of HK$1.34 billionJames Hughes-Hallett takes up new role as Finance Director
New freighter service to Houston and Miami helps prop up ailing cargo business
(below)First of three aircraft with oneworld livery takes to the skyHong Kong Sevens another hit for city and CX
•
•
•
•
•
FEBRUARYBoth oneworld and Asia Miles celebrate their 10th anniversaries (below)Launch date for new Passenger Services Systems confirmed as 12 November 2011 Gala event celebrates 50 years of flights to JapanCX joins Aviation Global Deal group, calling for global approach to tackling aviation emissionsMore than HK$10 million contributed to Change for Good in 2008 as staff take part in UNICEF field trip to Thailand
•
•
••
•
APRILNew measures to preserve cash during downturn include overall capacity cuts for CX and KA, introduction of Special Leave Scheme and more aircraft parkedWorldwide brand push launched to highlight what makes CX specialCX named Airline of the Year by Skytrax for third time in 10 yearsAirline introduces raft of precautionary measures as swine flu fear spreadsNew CX Mobile application and Manage My Booking function launched (left)
•
•
•
•
•
MAYTony Tyler thanks staff for “fantastic” response in signing up for SLS People & Service brand campaign website allows customers to “meet the team” (below) oneworld announces Russian carrier S7 will join alliance in 2010Passenger numbers show 7.5% drop as flu outbreak hits bookings across the regionNew Cabin Development Centre opens at Cathay City for testing of new products
•
•
•
•
•
JUNETony Tyler takes up IATA Chairman role, CX gives full support to IATA commitment to carbon-neutral growthInformation Management an-nounces change programme to make department better equipped to meet airline’s business needsSwine flu outbreak continues to dampen demand in regionDefect-free drive ramped up, with staff asked to report cabin problemsHKIA staff launch book written about the airport experience (above)
•
•
•
•
•
JULYSecond Organisation Alignment Survey launched to gather opinions of ground staffLatest CSR Report wins A+ rating from Global Reporting InitiativeRelief for industry as flu fears recede – but summer yields still well downFourteen staff honoured for exceptional deeds at annual Betsy AwardsThe last Classic freighter, B-HVZ, is retired from the fleet – and with it go the final Flight Engineers
Fuel prices – Sing Jet$46.05 per barrel – 12 March $87.65 per barrel – 18 Nov
Taking a trip down
memory lane
9
Laughter and memories filled the air at the Dragon Dynasty Restaurant when the Cathay Vintages Club held its annual dinner on 6 November. And mem-bers had an extra reason to celebrate – the club was turning 10 years old.
The club was established in 1999 as a social club for retirees and ex-staff who served the company for more than 10 years. More than 200 people – some coming from as far away as Canada and Australia – celebrated the an-niversary alongside current CX staff.
The evening was filled with lively entertainment including a lucky draw. Chairperson Evelyn Lim conducted the official cake-cutting ceremony along-side the newly elected committee members.
“Many members worked with each other for a long time so it’s great that they are able to stay in touch via the Club,” Evelyn says. “We have get-togeth-ers on a regular basis, social gatherings and, most importantly, exchange the latest information about CX!”
Evelyn says a vital development for the club is underway to keep up with the times. “We’re working on an official website to serve as a one-stop plat-form for all members,” she says
“It will also help overseas members to stay in touch with us. There are similar groups in several outports such as Vancouver and we are aiming to be a central contact point for these retiree groups in the future. A range of joint activities are already in the pipeline,” Evelyn adds.
Membership is available for a nominal fee – and is graded by age. “Mem-bership fees go down with age,” Evelyn smiles.
The Cathay Vintages Club can be contacted via email at [email protected] or at (852) 2302-1599.
2009 – goodbye and good riddance!A turbulent year has passed, but Cathay Pacific managed to weather the storm
10 GREAT YEARS!: Fun and games at the Cathay Vintages Club dinner. (Above) Evelyn Lim (centre) and the club committee raise a glass to celebrate the club’s 10th anniversary.
AUGUSTA paper profit, but a 27% turnover
drop and an operating loss as interim results announced
(above)Airline says it will park six passenger aircraft in addition to five freighters
already in the desertA shareholding realignment
sees Air China and Swire Pacific both take up bigger
stakes in CX. Swire reaffirms its commitment to the airlineCaptain Jack Smith, a driving force behind the Sunnyside Club, passes awayTaiwan team launches appeal after Typhoon Morakot brings devastation to the country
•
•
•
•
•
SEPTEMBERCX once again named Hong Kong’s most-admired company in WSJ Asia pollAirline supports second Asian Aerospace event in Hong Kong (right)In a CX World interview, Tony Tyler highlights the importance of a third runway for Hong KongTyphoon Ketsana wreaks havoc in the Philippines, cabin crew set up relief effort (right)New Corporate Risk Management Department set up to improve overall corporate governance
•
•
•
•
•
OCTOBERShorter flight paths introduced on two routes over the PRD into Hong Kong, saving time, fuel and moneyCX takes prominent role at Greener Skies Conference in Hong KongNon-executive Director Peter Lee passes awayLatest Boeing 777-300ER the first of six under a new lease-back arrangement with BOC AviationAnother destination joins the network as flights begin to Jeddah (below)
•
•••
•
NOVEMBERCargo ends year on a high with a surge in major marketsThree-year retrofit for three-class cabins comes to an end in XiamenMexicana comes onboard as 11th full member of oneworld (above)CX promotes traditional tastes of soup noodles served for premium passengers (below)Crisis handling put to the test at full-scale crash exercise at HKIA
•
•
•
•
•
DECEMBERChairman Chris Pratt thanks team for a great effort in 2009 at annual management conferenceBuzz created by announcement of flights to Milan in March 2010 Passengers given the option to pay to secure extra legroom seatsFiji added as a destination as CX code-shares on new Air Pacific flightThe eyes of the racing world focus on Hong Kong for the CX-backed International Races
•
•
•
••
10
Top-tier Marco Polo Club members get the ‘Diamond’ treatment The financial downturn has had at least one good result – it provided the team at Cathay Pacific Loyalty Programme a chance to increase training and develop new tools to help frontline staff.
“Revenue from loyalty members makes up about 46% of overall company passenger revenue and now, when the industry is suffering, it is more important than ever to nurture these long-term relation-ships,” says Manager Member Ser-vices Steve Rackstraw.
In November, Steve developed two handbooks – the Correspon-dence Style Guide and the Call Cen-tre Handbook – which set out email and letter formats when writing to members as well as hints and tips on how to handle calls effectively and and professionally.
Steve has always believed that fo-cus on customer loyalty is important, and even more so when passengers are cutting back on flying. In these times “how members perceive you as a service provider can make a real bottom-line difference,” he says.
For example, the exclusive Dia-mond Plus members who make up the top 1% of Diamond members are being serviced by an elite team at the Hong Kong Call Centre.
The team review travel plans of Diamond Plus members 48 hours before departure and keep track of journeys during and after flights to anticipate and handle in advance any potential problems.
Steve says while this level of care
What is the main part of your job? I take care of the F&B supplies which are directly purchased by CX such as chocolate, cookies, ice-cream, coffee and tea. Though wine is the most interesting item.
As far as wine is concerned, I am responsible for planning the wine programmes along with sourcing, selecting and logistics.
What is your training/back-ground?I graduated from hotel and cater-ing college in Switzerland and gained a WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits.
In December, a media event you hosted attracted a lot of press. Why do you think the media and the general public are so interested in CX’s wine offerings? Drinking wine is becoming more popular in Hong Kong and CX’s selection has always been recog-nised as one of the best by both passengers and the public.
What do you like best about your job? It’s dynamic – there are new and interesting tasks all the time which allow me to work with experts in different areas.
I have the opportunity to visit wineries, meet with renowned winemakers and chateau owners and sip quality wine in wine tast-ings.
What is your best job-related experience?Being one of the judges in the CX-sponsored Hong Kong Interna-tional Wine and Spirit Competition last November. I ate abalone for the whole day to look for the best wine to accompany it.
What is the most challeng-ing part of your job?Keeping my teeth white and healthy during a tasting session of hundreds of red wines.
To handle it, I brush my teeth on-ly on the next morning of the tast-ing, and try to avoid showing my black teeth to others by keeping my mouth closed afterwards!
WHAT I DO Loyalty boost during economic downturn
cannot be extended to all loyalty members, “the concept behind this kind of service drives the culture of customer management and mem-ber retention”.
On the hardware side, a second call centre opened in Beijing on 24
November to handle all Putonghua-language calls.
“Given the fast growth in the number of Putonghua-speaking members there is an obvious need to have a closer physical and emo-tional relationship,” Steve says.
CALLING IN: The Hong Kong Call Centre is a hive of activity with staff taking calls, em-bossing new cards and luggage tags and mailing letters to thousands of members.
Clara Yip, Assistant Manager Beverage & Catering Supplies
Catalina’s was crowded on 15 December when staff gathered to recognise long-service award recipients.
Fifty-eight staff received 20-year awards, 13 received 25 years, 11 were recognised for 30 years and two for 35 years.
Chief Executive Tony Tyler presented three staff – Assistant Manager Operations Data Control Ricky Lai, Sydney Airport Services Supervisor Agnes Pang (retired) and Passenger Sales Representative Ryohei Kameko (retired) – with their 40-year service awards.
Long service recognised
On 11 November Air Hong Kong had its first all-female command when Lisa Enebro-Grant and Mei Chan were at the helm of the LD208/9 flights to Narita.
Lisa received her four bars from Director Flight Operations Captain Andrew Maddox on 2 November, becoming AHK’s first female command and the 26th in-house command upgrade.
Lisa joined the company as a Direct Entry First Officer in 2006 as the first female pilot at AHK.
Despite the economic downturn, AHK was able to add extra services to six of its 10 routes with weekly frequencies to Incheon, Taipei, Singapore and Nagoya all increasing from five to six per week in October 2008. Extra services were added to Shanghai and Bangkok in 2009.
Women taking charge
un
ited
sta
tes
Can
ad
a
typhoon endeavours recognised General Manager Airports Peter Langslow and General Manager Taiwan & Korea Adrian Harley met with the Kaohsiung airport team on 8 December to thank them for their efforts when Typhoon Morakot hit the city in August.
Peter presented a certificate of appreciation to the team and praised their hard work in helping the
thousands of stranded passengers. The flooding caused by the typhoon closed the
airport for two days and, when it reopened, the team was faced with a massive recovery operation requiring eight departures and nine arrivals in one day.
stalwart retires on ‘terry Kanat day’ Before saying farewell to 2009, the SFO town office team bid a very warm adieu to CX veteran Terry Kanat, Sales Manager, Northwest USA, who retired on 29 December.
Terry had worked for CX for 22 years and was instrumental in bringing about CX’s return to SFO and subsequently building it into a double-daily flight.
Staff gathered together and presented Terry with gifts to commemorate his time at the airline. The send-off was made extra special when the San Francisco Mayor’s Office declared 29 December to be “Terry Kanat Day”.
Senior Vice President USA Scott Mowrer (pictured far left, next to Terry) joined everyone in the North America team to wish Terry a long and happy retirement.
sRi L
an
Ka, i
nd
iata
iWa
n
Cathay Pacific teams in Colombo and Delhi sponsored cricket tournaments last year which culminated in exciting and colourful finals.
In Colombo, 24 teams battled it out to be named champion. Cargo Manager Kapila Santhapriya says: “It was an enjoyable way of rewarding our agents and business partners. There was great team spirit, a thrilling and charged atmosphere and it was a wonderful day out for everyone.”
The team from Freight Links International overcame the Sri Lankan Airlines cargo team to take the trophy.
Over in India, the final of the 2009 CX Cricket Sixes with both male and female teams was held on 29 November.
Cheerleaders and drummers added to the carnival-like atmosphere with chants, dances and boundless energy. Witty commentary provided by CX staff Ambarish Mukherjee, Naveed Khan, Steve Dsouza, Shobana Venkatesh, Ranajoy Banerjee, Karthik Radhakanthan and General Manager Tom Wright kept spectators updated throughout the day.
The finals of the female tournament saw the Mumbai Mulgis snatch victory from the Delhi Divas for a second year in a row. On the male side, the Delhi Strikers defeated defending champions Mumbai Armageddon.
Fun and games at cricket fiestas
Gloves are on for naMRes teamThe North American Reservation Sales (NAMRES) team were all given a pair of bright official Canadian Olympic Red Mitts to mark the team’s outstanding direct sales results in October 2009.
NAMRES recorded US$2,513,569.90 in flown sales during the month – the best ever results in one month since the team started direct selling many years ago.
A result was even more impressive given the economic climate.
12
France team takes optimistic look at 2010
2009 will be remembered as a frustrating year for CX France.
The end of March saw the launch of a full double-daily passenger service out of Paris with a lot media attention – the culmination of much hard work by the team, says Country Manager France Mark Sutch.
“However, within weeks the tough decision had been made to reduce not just to 10 flights but to a daily B744 service,” says Mark. “It was a disappointment for the team, but something we all understood.”
It was a double blow for the Cargo team who, in addition to reduced belly capacity, also lost freighter frequencies.
After a promising start to the year – the recession kicked in later in France than other European countries – 2009 turned out to be a bumpy ride for the team.
“There was a general downturn in business travel and a downgrade in travel classes,” says Mark. “Years of hard work building yields seemed to collapse around us.
“Fortunately, the French do not give up on their summer holidays so we continued to experience high loads and seasonal yields in July and August.
“We were also happy to see business start to climb back in the last couple of months of 2009. There is still much more to do but the trend is now going in the right direction.”
The team has seen improved business in the front end, though Mark says it is hard to tell whether this is a seasonal surge or a real recovery.
“There are mixed messages coming from business travel managers, and corporates seem to have a wide range of views on how they will manage their 2010 budgets,” he says.
“I’m an optimist so I’ll say that overall 2010 will see a recovery – but mainly later in the year. We may still have a winter of discontent.”
In terms of frequencies, the current plan is to go back to 10 flights for the important summer holiday season.
“Outside of that we are still running the numbers and will make a final decision in the next few weeks,” says Mark.
Business travel continued to be focused on Hong Kong last year with Bali, Vietnam and Cambodia the key destinations for the leisure market.
Mark says the team will keep the same destination mix, “but work harder to push growth markets such as the Philippines and Australia this year”.
neWs FoCus
HOWZAT!: (clockwise from top) The CX Colombo team get ready to cheer on the finalists; noisy supporters create a fun atmosphere in India; Country Manager John Holden (centre) presents the trophy in Sri Lanka.
the spirit ofChristmasIn the spirit of the holiday season, the Van-couver team donated clothing and food to local people in need.
Boxes of donated goods were collected from teams in ISD, Cargo, Airport, Engi-neering, Finance, Personnel, Reservations, Marketing, Sales and Pricing as well as from the Executive Office.
All the items were presented to various charities including the Seventh Day Adven-tist Church to help recently arrived refugee families from Africa.
teambuilding event has staff ‘wrapped’Penang staff held a treasure hunt with teams racing to be the first to solve hidden clues, wrap each other up in toilet paper and decorate Manager Penang Brian Yuen’s car.
The teams of four ran around 16 stations at the Equatorial Hotel to find the clues and perform the task required, which ranged from a mummy wrap of a team member to eating pomelo, skipping rope and using the team’s personal belongings to form the words Cathay Pacific.
JaPa
nCa
na
da
sRi L
an
KaM
aLa
Ysia
Partners enjoy a sparkling eveningSmart and shiny were the key words for an appreciation party for travel partners in late November at the Blue Elephant in the Hilton Colombo.
The CX Sparks theme event saw participants wearing their finest black, silver and shiny outfits to enjoy a range of exciting games.
Sales & Marketing Manager Ruhan Abbas says: “The agents had a wonderful time and all of them commented on the novel and memorable experience provided.”
nagoya’s MVPs honouredThe Nagoya Airport team acknowl-edged its MVPs – Most Valued Perform-ers – on 16 December with the winners being chosen by a team vote.
The top three performers – Ami Kito, Hisae Kato and Kikumi Deguchi – were all from ground handling agent Swis-sport Japan, which also joined the CX team in congratulating the trio.
13
Han Xue Hui, Airport Services Man-ager for both Cathay Pacific and KA in Beijing, started working for CX in November 2003 – just two weeks before the airline resumed services to the capital.
She came to the airline with plenty of relevant experi-ence.
She worked in a number of roles for Swiss Air from 1990 onwards and also had a two-year stint with Japan Airlines.
Among her more in-teresting tasks was a couple of years spent in Brisbane, helping to run a 24-hour call centre for the Swiss na-tional carrier. An added bonus was that her son got the chance to learn English!
Since moving to CX, she has been instrumental in inte-grating CX and KA operations in Beijing, along with the move of both airlines into the new Terminal 3 in 2008.
She has seen her team grow to 36 people handling vari-ous aspects of both carriers, and she says that things have greatly improved for passengers.
Xue Hui, a Beijing native, studied English Literature at university, which she says was a real privilege. When not working, she enjoys travelling with her husband of 20 years and 16-year-old son.
“I feel fortunate with the opportunities I have had in life and I really enjoy working with Cathay Pacific,” she says.
“The culture here is great – it makes me want to finish my career with the company.”
Making Beijing betterPoRt PeoPLe
Adelaide Ticket Sales Coordinator Leola Harris’s claim to fame is to have never taken a day’s sick leave in her 20 years with CX.
A difficult feat, but if you have a healthy disposition like Leola that makes it easier to achieve. She has always exercised and played sports including squash and tennis as well as swimming. In the past few years, she has also taken up bike riding and walking.
Like most women, Leola also loves retail therapy along with reading, doing a spot or two of gardening and catching up with friends.
“I also relax by trying to nut out a Sudoku,” Leola laughs. Since joining the airline in 1989, she has enjoyed a
very varied role in the ADL office. When staff numbers were more robust, Leola was a Supervisor of the Ticketing Office with two staff.
As time moved along, and with centralisation in Sydney, Leola was on her own, taking on other duties which now include administrative support and looking after CX Retirees for both Perth and Adelaide.
“What kept me here is a sense of belonging, the style of the company and particularly the people I work with now and have worked with over the years,” she says.
Health is wealthnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
TEAM PLAYER: Xue Hui heads up an expanded airport team.
CONSTANT PRESENCE: Leola has tackled various roles in her 20 years at the ADL office.
14
Around 80 staff from nine depart-ments – ISD, FOP, FIN, ENG, COM, IMT, APT, KA and CPCS – took part in the CX Departmental Badminton Tournament in December, with ISD walking away with the trophy once again.
The hard-fought competition, played over two consecutive Tues-days, saw ISD come up against KA in
To enter, visit the online quiz entry form on the CX World site. The deadline is noon on Friday, 5 February.
The QuizThe winner of our first prize this month will receive a makeover gift voucher valued at HK$1,100 from Savvy Style, Colour Me Beautiful HK.
Using lifestyle, body shape and colouring, the consultancy company offers fashion, image and colour advice to individuals or corporations. Services include colour analysis, make-up lessons
and bridal consultations. Owner Eve Roth Lindsay (pictured) has
worked in Hong Kong as a fashion designer and consultant for over 25 years and shares
style tips with South China Morning Post readers as the Glamour Guru. Find out more at www.savvystyle.com.
The second prize winner will receive a two-piece Vinum – Bordeaux glass set from Riedel Crystal.
The Vinum – Bordeaux glasses are ideal for concentrated, intense red wines, high in tannin and
medium acidity.Riedel Crystal started in 1756 in Bohemia and has been a
family-owned business for 11 generations. In 1958, Professor Claus Josef Riedel discovered that the shape and size of a wine glass can alter an individual’s perception of alcoholic beverages and became the first person to design the shape of the glass specifically according to the character of the wine.
Go to www.riedel.com for more information.
Russ Fortson, Manager Customer Services & Product
Development – Airports
1. What it’s like to be CX’s airport connoisseur? Fantastic! When I was young, I would go to the airport with my mother who worked for the now-defunct Eastern Airlines. My passion for airports has not diminished over the years.
2. Any airport that you’re dying to visit? Although I used to live in Boston, I have yet to see the re-designed Logan International Airport.
3. What makes a good airport? Convenience, efficiency and simplicity.
4. Favourite holiday activity and why? Cruising – it’s relaxing and tranquil being at sea. And being able to visit multiple destina-tions without having to pack and repack is a plus.
5. Your hobby is collecting airline memorabilia. How many pieces do you have? I am embarrassed to say – suffice to say it is a lot.
6. Do you have a favourite? Yes, equipment from defunct air-lines such as Eastern Airlines, Pan Am and TWA. I have some really neat china and glassware pieces from these legendary airlines.
7. Do you filch things in-flight? Absolutely not. Between eBay and Airline Memorabilia shows, I am able to find really neat stuff.
8. Let’s talk pets – do your five cats rule the roost? Let’s put it this way, I am a guest in my own home.
9. Any of them good enough to star in Cats? Yes, one of them (Felix) is as clever if not more so than Mr Mistoffelees.
10. Would you train them for the stage?I am biased but I think they are all beautiful and talented enough to be on stage.
Oneminute with... Clara builds a new life
Those of us already struggling to put our New Year’s resolutions into action should look to Engineering’s Clara Ng for inspiration.
Assistant Purchasing Manager Clara decided the only way was up in 2009, so she put her mind to trying new things and achieving a number of personal goals.
She learned cordon bleu cookery, took surfing lessons in Vietnam, re-sumed wakeboarding, hiked across Hong Kong and ran her first full mar-athon in December.
She also learnt the importance of helping others by signing up to build homes for the underprivileged as part of a Habitat for Human-ity project.
“I learnt about Habitat’s work through an exhibition at Cathay City and decided to volunteer for the rebuild-ing project in Sich-uan,” says Clara.
“However, that project was over-subscribed so I was asked to represent Hong Kong to help build homes in Chiang Mai which was normally only for long-serving volunteers.”
Last November Clara found herself in northern Thailand, along with more than 2,000 volunteers, building 82 new homes for families living in cramped, squalid conditions.
The house-building was
being conducted as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, and the former US President was there in person to get the ball rolling.
For six days Clara was up at dawn on the construction site following the instructions of the house leader for mixing cement, laying bricks and building steps.
“It was very hot because we were in the sun for around seven hours,” says Clara. “It was better than any workout!”
When the house was completed the volunteers formed a circle with the new tenants to wish them a hap-py life in their new home.
“Moving into the village is a big change for them – they no longer need to have five or six family members living in a 10 square
metre wooden house,” she says. Clara found it “fulfilling
and very humbling” to be able to help others.
“The people I worked with were amazing and the ex-perience made me physically and men-tally stronger. I hope I can volunteer again – perhaps building homes in India next time.”
Find out more about Habitat for
Humanity’s work at www.habitat.org/
ap/
the final – a repeat of the previous year’s showdown.
The outcome was also the same as in 2008, with ISD outclassing their opponents to take first place.
IMT came in third while ENG took fourth spot.
Manager Marketing Communica-tions Celine Ho was on hand to pres-ent the trophies.
CONSTRUCTIVE WORK: Clara helps build houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Presents all round for communication staff in Hong Kong.
FESTIVITIES AROUND CX
The crew of CX532 pay a visit to Santa.
Fun and games in San Francisco.
Josephine Rafudi and her frosty Santa.
memory board
Alex Shum presents a prize to Merlie Bangayan at the Vancouver gathering.
Staff and families gather in Xiamen.
Christmas gathering in Toronto.
ISD, IMT and PNL staff in Hong Kong get in the Christmas spirit.
Sunil Dasi adds a festive touch to the Mumbai office.
Lawrence Fong plays Santa for the ECX party.
HKIA staff party at Red Lantern restaurant.
Hong Kong Office staff show their “secret angel” presents.
16
Xiamen Customer Services Officer Angela Li explores the Cinque Terre region of Italy
Bella Vista
SHOW US YOUR TIPS!CX World welcomes staff travel tips from across the network – email us at CCD#SCT
Travel bites
n Stylish stayBoutique property W Hong Kong is offering CX staff a
special rate of US$150 per night with a complimentary room
upgrade and complimentary Internet access until the end of March.
W Hong Kong is located in West Kowloon above the luxuri-ous Elements mall.
The hotel has five F&B outlets including steak and seafood restaurant Fire, cocktail bar Living Room and buffet restaurant Kitchen.
Guests can also visit the Bliss Spa for a movie-while-you-manicure, facials or relax-ing massages. On the way out, visitors can drop by the W store for chic fashion pieces and jet-setting travel accessories.
More information on Travel Desk.
n Dance all night The Culture ONE International Dance Music Festival is being held at the Bangkok Inter-national Trade and Exhibition Centre on 30 January.
The outdoor event starts at 3pm with four music arenas – Culture ONE Main Stage, Amnesia Ibiza (Electro Progressive & Trance), Titan (Minimal Techno & Electro) and Dudesweet (Electronica). Performers include the UK’s Sister Bliss and the UK’s Matt Darey.
Visit www.club-culture-bkk.com/one.
n Shopping with bite The Cathay Pacific City Guides features Air Crew Tips submitted by staff. Senior Training Captain Andrew Tait recommends spending a few hours in the Apple Store when visiting New York City.
“This mega-flagship store on Fifth Avenue is open 24/7, 365 days a year,” Andrew says.
“It’s stunningly modern and there are Mac experts to help you with everything. It’s a great chance to play around with the latest Macs and iPods,” he adds.
To submit your own tips please go to www.cathaypacific.com/tips.
HK$500 for a travel tale!Every month, CX World invites all CX staff to tell unusual, interesting or just downright quirky tales of travel moments around the world.
Sponsored by Inflight Sales, the lucky sender of the main story receives HK$500 worth of inflight sales products of their choice from the ever-changing collection of over 260 items on offer (excluding liquor and cigarettes).
Go shopping at www.cathaypacific.com/dutyfree
Snap happy
COASTAL BEAUTY: (clockwise from left) A walking trail hugs the coastline; lovers express themselves on the Via dell’Amore; orange trees and vineyards flourish in the Cinque Terre.
This month’s photo shows the morning mist over Byers Lake in Alaska and was taken by Anchorage Cargo Sales & Service Agent May So.
“It was raining all night when I stayed at the nearby campground and the temperature dropped down to about 40 degrees Farenheit at night. It was not funny at all!” May says.
“However, the next morning the sky started to clear up around noon and I took this photo as I got ready to launch my new kayak on the lake,” she adds.
The Cinque Terre (five lands) is the name given to the five small villages which stretch along the eastern Ligurian coast of the Italian Riviera.
The villages, decorated with yellow and orange cottages, are connected by railways. We took the three-hour journey from Florence to La Spezia and bought Terre one-day cards giving us unlimited train rides as well as access to the walking trails.
A train ride from La Spezia to Monter-osso, the farthest of the five villages, takes only 20 minutes. The railway was built along an overhang which gives a feeling of being suspending in the air.
As we only had a day to spare we chose the easiest trail to walk from Monterosso to Vernazza.
The cloudy wet day made the trail mud-dy, and it was not as easy as it looked as the path was quite narrow and steep in some areas.
But the crisp air, green plants and wild flowers, as well as the stunning panoramic view of the coast, made the trek worth-while.
At a leisurely pace we took 2½ hours to reach Vernazza where we visited a tiny restaurant to savour homemade wine and grilled fish.
Owing to the rain we continued our
journey by train to visit the villages of Man-arola and Riomaggiore.
The famous Via dell‘Amore – “Lovers’ Walk” – lies between the two villages. This is a short, ordinary trail decorated with graffi-ti drawn by lovers and padlocks left behind to symbolise a locking of hearts. People who wish to be blessed in love should not miss this trail.
At dusk we returned to La Spezia and took a train back to Florence.
While there were no sculptures, no paint-ings or historic sites in the Cinque Terre; there was also no crowds or packed build-ings. This was a wonderful tranquil area that highlights another side of Italy.
