December 2015 - Cathay Pacific

news
news
who, what, where
travel
Precision
time
Wellcamp
well done
What’s next
for Fry?
Touring
Turkey
A closer look at
the GTO project
Trial flight into new
airport down under
Rick Fry retires
from flying
Exploring country’s
rich culture
Page 2
Page 4
December 2015, Issue 236
Page 14
Page 16
A magazine for staff and friends of Cathay Pacific Airways
INSPIRATION
Cathay pilots dream to
circumnavigating the world
Pages 8-9
Photo by Karen Yung
Briefs
Change of medical provider
STOP PRESS
n Cathay to launch to
Gatwick
Just as CX World went to press it
was confirmed that Cathay will
launch a four-times-weekly service
to Gatwick Airport in London,
beginning 2 September next year.
The flights will be operated by
the new Airbus A350-900 aircraft
in a three-class configuration
featuring Cathay’s latest inflight
products.
The new service will complement the airline’s current fivetimes-daily service to Heathrow,
making a total of 39 flights a week.
More on the new destination in
the January issue of CX World.
“Staff can have X-rays taken at Raffles’ clinic
or be referred to designated panel facilities for
medical imaging services,” Valni says.
All medical records will be transferred to the
new provider and will remain in the Cathay
City clinic unless staff specifically request to
transfer them elsewhere.
Medical Officer Valni Haughton.
“The phone number, opening hours,
reception team and doctors will be the same as
before, and there will be no changes to the list
of panel doctors and specialists in Hong Kong.”
Valni stresses that QHMS will remain as
a panel doctor provider, so staff in other
locations such as Tung Chung and Discovery
Bay can continue to use the same doctors as
before.
Once change to note is that X-ray services
will no longer be offered at Cathay City.
It will be business as usual for staff using the
clinic at Cathay City when a switch of service
providers takes place at the end of the month.
Effective 1 January, Raffles Medical Group
will take over from Quality Healthcare Medical
Services (QHMS) to run the staff clinic,
providing all clinical, occupational health and
physiotherapy services.
The dental clinic at Cathay City will continue
to be run by QHMS.
“Overall there will be little in the way of
change for staff using the clinic,” says Company
Staff are all heart!
n Another plaudit for The Pier
Campaign gets teams around the world considering what SSFTH
means to them
In the latest issue of Monocle, an
influential publication from the
UK, the First Class Lounge at The
Pier has been listed as Best New
Lounge in the magazine’s annual
Travel Top 50.
Monocle calls the lounge “another masterclass in well-wrought
hospitality, packed with homely
touches… the facilities themselves
impress as much as the design”.
A campaign to reignite passion for
the airline’s service ethos, Service
Straight From the Heart (SSFTH), has
generated a positive response from
frontline teams.
The campaign began in earnest
on 9 November with senior
service delivery managers writing
messages on heart-shaped tags
that were then hung on a specially
created SSFTH tree.
Among those sharing their
personal messages at the launch
event were Director Service Delivery
James Ginns, General Manager
Cabin Crew Maggie Yeung, General
Manager Inflight Services Ed Higgs,
General Manager Airports Vivian Lo
and General Manager HKIA Liza Ng.
The trees were located in multiple
sites at Cathay City, HKIA, outport
crew bases and Airports (AHQ)
offices around the network.
“We had well over 1,000 messages
and we plan to put the best ones
into a book which can be shared
with staff as best practices and
will be particularly useful during
training,” says Elaine Champion,
Manager Training & Development
in ISD.
“Ports and bases around the
world have been enthusiastically
participating in the campaign, and it
has been great to see departments
such as Global Contact Centres,
n More awards for Cathay and
Dragonair
It was a good night for the Cathay
Pacific Group on Friday, 20 November when it took home three
awards at the Business Traveller
China Awards 2015.
Dragonair won Best Airline
Economy Class, while Cathay
collected the Best Asian Airline
Serving China honour and the
Best Frequent Flyer Programme “in
recognition of the excellence of its
Marco Polo Club programme”.
n Correction
Apologies to Chris Tse, who submitted the travel story on Croatia
in the November CX World. We
stated his job title as Senior Purser, but the Chris Tse in question is
in fact Assistant Manager Project
Accounting in Finance.
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Within 15 mins
Industry standard
100
90
70
on-the-dot CX standard
50
Jun/15
2
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74.6%
Sing Jet Kerosene
60
40
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On-time performance
Fuel price - Rolling 6 Months
80
n
Performance Index
USD per Barrel
ICE Brent
Nov/15
and to engage their teams locally”.
Shortly after the official launch,
AHQ celebrated SSFTH with its
own tree ceremony and began
preparations to roll out the
campaign to outport airports.
Each port will receive a SSFTH tree
and a box of delights with Service
Customer Relations and Digital
Retail also coming onboard,” Elaine
says.
AHQ was quick to embrace the
campaign, calling it “an excellent
opportunity for airports across the
network to realise SSFTH across
different generations and cultures,
34.9%
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Traffic/capacity (CX + KA)*
Passengers carried
2,843,442
6.9%
ASKs (000)
12,307,735
6.0%
Freight carried
163,733
4.6%
ATKs (000)
2,606,206
3.1%
Passenger load factor 84.1%
Cargo load factor
* Figures for Oct 15
66.5%
3.4pt
1.4pt
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Straight from the Heart Booklets,
Heart Cards and a personalised
message from a member of AHQ.
Elaine says that phase two of
the campaign, early next year, will
include a photo booth where staff
can take photos and have their
quote put on an SSFTH poster.
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Produced by Cathay Pacific’s Corporate
Communication Department
7/F North Tower, Cathay Pacific City,
Lantau, HK
Publisher: James Tong
Managing Editor: Mark Tindall
Editor: Kawai Wong
Enquiries: 2747-8227
GalaCXy ID: CCD#SCT
Email: ccd#sct@cathaypacific.com
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Facing up to the
‘new norm’ at HKIA
Large scale Lean project to improve aircraft turnaround efficiency
Photo by Karen Yung
Chief Executive
Message
“More than 50 staff and 10 business units and
suppliers compete for the same space on and
off an aircraft during the short turnaround
time,” says Liza Ng, General Manager HKIA.
To name but a few: above the wing, there
are cabin cleaning, catering and security
check teams. At the terminal, there are staff
dealing with gate planning, passenger
boarding and disembarkation. Below the
wing, there are people working on cargo and
baggage loading, refuelling and so on.
Since the launch of the Ground Time
Optimisation (GTO) project in March 2015,
the GTO team has been working to redefine
a new Precision Time Schedule (PTS), which
was introduced in 1997 but no longer reflects
the challenges that the airline faces today.
More than 100 workshops and trials were
completed where frontline staff got a chance
to refine their modus operandi using various
Lean tools.
Staff mapped out the end-to-end ground
processes and identified critical paths – jobs
that are linked and show the biggest promise
for improvement.
“One of these was the cleaning process,”
Liza says. “The old standard for cabin cleaning
was 32 minutes. We worked out that it
could be done with higher efficiency while
maintaining the same quality. For instance, it
is now 20 minutes for an Airbus 330.”
In the old days, cleaning started only when
the all the passengers had left the aircraft.
In the new cabin cleaning trial on Cathay
and Dragonair, First and Business Class
passengers make their exits from door one,
and Economy from door two. “This allows the
cleaners to begin their work potentially five
minutes earlier,” says Liza.
Another area of improvement comes from
standarising the cleaning workflow.
The cleaners are now given a task card and
a boarding sequence before they enter the
cabin. Every cleaner’s path and task sequence
are designed to minimise non-value-added
walking time. This way, there are less crosspaths inside the confined cabin space. The
redesigned workflow also evens out each
cleaner’s workload, so every cleaner will
finish at nearly the same time, thus achieving
maximum efficiency.
At the terminal, passengers are given
leaflets and check-in staff will also remind
them to reach the boarding gates 30 minutes
prior to departure, as the gates are now
stringently closed at -10 minutes. “This gives
sufficient time for the set of operational
procedures that follows, for example final
loadsheet and push-back clearance, so that
the plane can take off on time when air traffic
control is not a factor of influence,” says Liza.
Below the wing, baggage handlers now begin
to search for bags that belong to late passengers
at -15 minutes to facilitate a prompt -10 minutes
gate closure. Work has also been done to
ensure prompt release of the final loadsheet to
the captain, which enables the aircraft to seek
earlier clearance from ATC.
GTO has also provided a platform for all
parties involved to share their challenges and
tackle them as a team. “For example, the ISM,
Boarding Gate Service Leader and Turnaround
Coordinator now adopt a tripartite handshake
to foster better communication, synchronise
watches and align on estimated boarding time,”
Liza explains.
Consistent implementation of the new
PTS is now managed by a dedicated team of
Turnaround Coordinators for both Cathay and
Dragonair, who carry a checklist to manage PTS
compliance by all parties from January 2016
onwards.
Liza adds: “To improve OTP, our first step is
to improve PTS compliance, which puts us in a
better position to confront the new norm – ATC
and ramp congestion – issues that require effort
at a broader schedule planning level.”
As we get closer to the end of another
busy and eventful year for the Cathay
Pacific Group, I’d like to say a very big
thank you to everyone in the team for a
great effort. The operating environment
was as challenging as ever, but we
managed to achieve many positive
things in 2015.
We enhanced our network with new
destinations such as Zurich, Boston and
Düsseldorf, and it’s been pleasing to see
all of them get off to an encouraging
start. We also added Haneda and Hiroshima for Dragonair, and announced
that we will launch Madrid next June
and resume operations to London Gatwick from September, highlighting a
clear commitment to continue building
connectivity through our hub.
We unveiled a new aircraft livery,
which heralded a new era for our airline
in terms of bringing our refreshed
brand to life on our most important
assets. We added nine new aircraft to
our fleet – and took seven older aircraft
out of operation to boost the overall
efficiency of our operations. And we
opened some great new lounges – in
Hong Kong and overseas - that quickly
won widespread acclaim. Just this
month, the influential Monocle magazine in the UK listed The Pier as Best
New Lounge in its annual Travel Top 50.
To achieve such things in a generally
challenging business environment is a
testament to the outstanding work of
the team. That’s just one of the reasons
we were pleased to announce a 4%
increment to the majority of our Hong
Kong ground staff and cabin crew
earlier this month, together with a onemonth discretionary bonus.
We will move into 2016 in generally good shape, though we will tread
carefully in the face of a number of
uncertainties, particularly in relation to
the economic outlook and the frailty
of cargo demand. On the plus side, we
will begin taking delivery of our new
A350 aircraft with our latest products
onboard, and also celebrate a very
significant milestone – our 70th anniversary as the carrier of Hong Kong.
We have come a long way over the
past seven decades, and I look forward
to embarking on the next stage of our
journey with the best team in the world.
I wish you all a wonderful festive season
and a very happy New Year!
Ivan Chu
3
Sustainability in
focus at latest
Swire forum
Staff from across the Cathay Group took part
in the Fifth Swire Sustainable Development
forum held at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong
on 12 November.
Organised annually since 2010, the event
brought together sustainability teams as
well as other departments such as facilities,
purchasing, finance, human resources, and
IT, to learn and share the latest sustainability
practices across the group. It is a unique
one-day event supported by leadership
from the Swire group and all the operating
companies.
The agenda for the day included panel
discussions with senior management,
presentations from various Swire companies
and a poster competition showcasing over
40 sustainability projects across the group.
Highlights of the day:
• John Slosar and Martin Cubbon (Swire
Pacific Chairman and Finance Director)
kicked off the forum with a few words on
the relevance of sustainability for Swire.
They also talked about a plan to introduce
more accountability for sustainability risks
in the budget planning process.
• Director Corporate Affairs James Tong
was on this year’s leadership panel
(together with Swire Properties, Swire
Pacific Offshore, Beverages and Trading
and Industrial). He shared his views on
Cathay’s sustainability journey, the value
of sustainability for us, and some of the
projects currently underway for 2016, with
a particular focus on staff engagement
across the company.
Swire Pacific Leader’s Panel
• Bidyut Durma from the Cathay IT
Innovation Centre gave an engaging
session on the link between innovation
and sustainability, and some of the cool
things that the Centre has been doing
around fuel efficiency visualisation and
electronic baggage tags.
• Carpets from our Economy Class cabin
won the Most Innovative Award. Prian
Chan from Environmental Affairs
presented this product project, showcasing
the environmental credentials of the
carpets used in our cabin – derived from
waste finishing net and recycled plastics.
4
Wellcamp welcomes
first Cathay freighter
Trial flight tests commercial and operational potential of new airport
Thousands of locals in the Australian town
of Toowoomba gathered to watch a one-off
flight, CX123, land at the country’s newest
airport on 23 November. The Boeing 747-8
freighter was deployed to test operations and
commercial interest from the region.
Wellcamp Airport is located in one of
Queensland’s richest agricultural areas. For
Cathay, the privately owned infrastructure
presents a good opportunity for the cargo
business, and offers an option for a 24/7
alternative for Brisbane-bound flights.
With the recently signed Australia-China
Free Trade Agreement in mind, Manager
Cargo Sales & Marketing Mark Sutch wishes to
capitalise on the business opportunity. Mark
says: “The demand for safe provenance of
food into China is growing very fast. Currently,
Cathay’s freighter services to the existing ports
of Sydney and Melbourne are limited, so we
need to look for new opportunities.”
In addition to fresh produce, inter-state
trucking is another market that shows potential,
exemplified by the two helicopters that CX123
carried. “The origin for the helicopters was
Brisbane, which was a one-hour truck to
Wellcamp versus a day transit into Sydney –
our closest main deck port for freighters,” Mark
says. “There are also import opportunities, for
example the oil and gas sector.”
The trial flight carried more than 70 tonnes
of produce, chilled beef, mangoes and pecans
bound for Hong Kong and China.
Behind the scenes, a lot of coordination had
gone into planning this one-off operation.
General Manager Operations Captain Mark
Hoey explains: “The planning started about 10
months ago. Line Operations and Performance
Engineering did months of preparation and
analysis to have every possible contingency
covered, as the operation wasn’t how Cathay
traditionally worked. This was simply a great
can-do story.”
On CX123’s arrival into Wellcamp, a large
number of local producers, growers and other
exporters greeted the inbound freighter. The
local guests met with Cathay representatives
including Mark Hoey, Cargo Manager Australia
Nigel Chynoweth and General Manager
Southwest Pacific Nelson Chin, who said in
his speech: “We are always looking for new
opportunities around the world. And they are
not always passenger destinations. In fact, five
of the 12 newest ports on the Cathay Pacific
network to be announced or introduced over
the past two years were purely for freighters.”
Mark Sutch adds: “It has been exciting to
be part of a project that is a first for this new
airport. We managed to test the practical
aspects from the flight operations and cargo
services’ points of view, and have a commercial
success at the same time. This flight has been
very satisfying for all involved.”
Scan this QR code to
take a tour at the
Wellcamp passenger
terminal
Wellness boost for staff
For one week in November, staff at Cathay
City and Dragonair House were invited to
experience a host of events all aimed at
boosting wellbeing among the workforce.
EAP & Wellness Week was organised by
the Corporate Medical Department and had
the dual aim of promoting better mental
and physical health as well as highlighting
the services available to staff through the
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
Company Psychologist Florence Ma says
EAP is now being provided by an organisation
called Optum, which puts a focus on physical,
mental, social, environmental and spiritual
elements of wellbeing.
“We wanted to ride on Optum’s expertise
in this area to promote a wider concept of
wellness to our staff, with a particular focus
on stress management,” says Florence.
The week generated a good response,
with close to 2,000 staff participating in
the different activities on offer, including
physical health-screening sessions and
stress management activities such as
laughter yoga, meditation and massage, and
educational talks including one on mental
health in the workplace.
Staff can look forward to similar wellness
events in the coming year, combined with
regular health screening sessions and
educational talks.
The EAP is provided for all Cathay and
Dragonair staff and their dependants
worldwide. Find out more about the
programme on IntraCX via CX & You > Health
& Environment.
Looking into the past
Brand Design
column
Swire’s first purpose-built archive – located
on Shipyard Lane in Quarry Bay – provides a
permanent home for the archives of all Swire
companies based in Asia, with a sizeable space
given over to historic materials from Cathay.
its opening was marked by a ceremony on 11
November, hosted by Swire Pacific Chairman John
Slosar.
Speaking at the event, John said that “it’s a
powerful resource as we continue to define and
build our brands.”
The team at Swire’s HK Archive Service worked
closely with departments and staff across Cathay.
“The collection brings together all classes of
the records, including marketing collaterals and
oral history recordings that tell Cathay’s story
from the earliest days through to the present,” says
Matthew Edmonson, the designated archivist for
Swire’s Aviation Division.
Please email Matthew on matthewedmondson@
jsshk.com if you uncover any historical artefacts or
records and don’t know what to do with them.
“It is a common misconception
to view design as something
you do at the end of the
process to ‘tidy up’, as
opposed to understanding
New era for catering
Catering Planner set to take meal planning into the future
Catering Planner, Cathay Pacific and
Dragonair’s cloud-based integrated catering
application, started its progressive roll-out in
May. Now, the project has reached its first key
milestone with the software finally reaching
all 62 Cathay and 43 Dragonair ports. The Catering Services team initiated
the project 30 months ago to automate
and synergise the airlines’ catering operations,
with the eventual goal of improving services
in line with market expectations.
“There are initiatives out there now that
allow customers to preselect meals before
they fly,” says Aaron Claxton, Manager
Catering Services.
“We’ve had this on our roadmap for quite
some time but lacked the IT capability
because Cathay and Dragonair had very old
legacy systems which were unable to support
this proposition. Catering Planner is opening
a lot of doors for us. The next phase will be to
link it to a customer interface when it comes
online.”
“For the two airlines, Catering Planner
represents a significant increase in
automation,” says Waheed Zaman, IT
Integrated Catering Solutions Programme
Manager. So far, Catering Planner has
achieved automation in many manual
handlings.
Aaron explains: “Prior to the launch, only
30% of our workflow process such as meal
and galley load planning, were automated.
Now, this figure is nearer to 80%, involving
steps from the early stages in the catering
planning processes to the final phases of
invoicing and designing galley packing.”
To achieve automation across the entire
workflow, IBM has been appointed as system
integrator, responsible for Catering Planner’s
interfacing with more than 20 legacy systems
that the airlines are using.
“Modernising
the
airlines’
systems required
a team of IT
experts
to
understand the
functions
of
different systems,”
says Daniel Pinto,
IBM
Account
Partner.
“Our
team looked at
the existing ones
such as the flight
schedule system,
passenger service
system, financial
management
system and so
on, to make sure
Catering Planner
talks to each one
seamlessly.”
Daniel
adds
that the system is
capable of giving
the airlines visibility and control over the
variables that affect ordering, scheduling
and preparation of meal and services, so
that ordering and loading adjustments can
be made in real time in response to dynamic
flight operations.
Apart from automating the catering
operations, synergising is another key
objective for Catering Planner.
With a common workflow, the same
vendors can be used across all ports, allowing
the airlines to accommodate a growing
customer base and an expanding fleet. Aaron says: “By 2016, each time you board a
Cathay Pacific or Dragonair flight, everything
from the infight meals, to the wine, the pillows
and blankets will be accurately loaded using
Catering Planner.” Of course, passengers
will also be able to make their meal choices
online, tentatively starting from the fourth
quarter of 2016.
that it’s a ‘day one’ issue and
part of everything.”
Tom Peters, co-author of In
Search of Excellence.
Following the launch of the freed
brushwing in October 2014, we have
articulated a new design philosophy
to shape a more consistent
experience, for the benefit of our
customers, and underpin our belief in
a Life Well Travelled.
Working with different business
units and designers we have been
striving to make the customer
experience even more refined, more
consistent and more relevant to what
our passengers aspire to today.
To drive consistency in what we
do both internally and externally,
the Brand Design Ethos, Brand
Architecture (Logo) Guidelines and
associated supporting material are
available in the Brand Design section
of IntraCX.
Through this regular design
column, we hope to help you by
bringing simple, bite-sized design
hints and tips, relating to the
overarching design ethos, for your
understanding and application.
We will be sharing some thoughts
with regards to various aspects of
brand design. Some of the practical
topics will include: respecting the
space around our logo, correct
typeface application, iconography,
photography and videography style,
avoiding superfluous graphics, and
so on.
We hope you will find this
column useful in understanding the
importance of brand design, and
how you can be part of Cathay’s
consistent delivery of our brand
ethos.
The Brand Team
QUESTIONS?
If you have any special requests
which you’d like us to cover, please
email brand@cathaypacific.com
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Letters to the Editor
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Star Letter prize
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The Cabin Crew team of
CX697 which departed
Hong Kong for Delhi on
10 October was thanked
by a passenger, who was
grateful for the crew’s
integrity and care. The
crew will be invited to
a recognition event in
early 2016 at the HKACE
Touching
Moments
Awards ceremony.
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I would like to compliment CPCS for replacing the
wrap on the Manila flights with the new pastrystyled snack. The new snack is tastier, and its lattice
pastry is done well.
I hope that the rotation of these snacks on the
Hong Kong-Manila sector can be more imaginative
in the future. The Philippines, for example, has
various savoury snacks that can serve as the culinary
inspiration for our inflight meals on the Hong KongManila flights.
Adelaida Padua, ISD
Aaron Claxton, Manager Catering Services, replies:
Thank you for your positive feedback. The new
snack was developed in-house by the Cathay menu
planning team in conjunction with our catering
supplier. The snack is intended for use on selected
short-haul flights.
We do review our inflight menu offerings on
a regular basis, based on passenger and crew
feedback.
Our philosophy is to include regional influences
in our offering, at the same time being mindful of
different palates. We will continue to develop new
recipes for this product range and look forward to
receiving future feedback. Thanks again.
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Letter of
appreciation
Consistency
and uniformity
Dear Matthew Wharfe,
I understand that you are the
Airport Services Manager for
Cathay Pacific. I just wanted to
say what a superb team you have
working for you.
I was unfortunately taken ill
just before takeoff on a recent
flight from London Heathrow to
Hong Kong, which prevented me
and my family from flying.
The way your team, in
particular Alex and Emma, dealt
with the situation was nothing
short of brilliant, considering
the disruption I caused to the
airline, the Captain and all the
passengers that evening!
Your team took complete
control and made sure the
disruption to our holiday was
minimal. They rebooked all of us
on to the next available flight, thus
salvaging what potentially could
have been a disastrous holiday!
I have travelled the world
extensively over the years; I have
to say my experience with Cathay
Pacific has been one of the best.
Thank you again!
Mark Salmon
All Cathay uniforms worn by ground
staff, cabin crew and cockpit crew
now appear to be out of touch with
the new brand design ethos.
Perhaps it is time to refine and
consolidate the uniforms rather
than have the confusing multiple
colour options that define different
ranks and levels?
For example, do customers really
know or care about the difference
between red and white shirts? I’m
sure some refinements can be used
to better differentiate the hierarchy
among staff.
Would the company also consider
consulting the frontline staff who
wear the uniform on a daily basis?
Cockpit crew
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6
Delicious lattice pastry
n
About two hours after take-off, the
Delhi-bound CX697 was cruising
smoothly and passengers were
easing into sleep mode shortly after
dinner.
Everything seemed to be in
order and it was looking like an
uneventful flight. That was until
Flight Purser Jan Cheung rushed
out of the lavatory in the Business
Class cabin with a pale and
confused look.
He went to Senior Purser Soniya
Doshi in the galley. “I found this
in the toilet and there’s a stack of
cash inside”, he said while holding
a small brown envelope.
Concerned to find the envelope’s
rightful owner, the two looked for
identification but there was none.
The cash inside amounted to
CAD$5,000. The crew got worried
that the owner could now be
restless.
Jan and Soniya were reporting
the incident to Inflight Service
Manager Carroll Lynn Tham,
when a teary-eyed passenger in his
thirties came out of the lavatory
and approached the team. He was
anxious and could barely talk. They
calmed him down.
“I may have left an envelope
in the lavatory when I changed
into more comfortable clothes. It
has cash inside.” He described
with certainty that the envelope
contained 50 notes of CAD$100.
The passenger was from
Economy Class cabin but Carroll
Lynn remember seeing him crossing
over to the Business Class lavatory
about an hour ago.
His worried look turned into
a sigh of relief when he learned
they found the cash. He couldn’t
contain his happiness. He thanked
Jan profusely and offered part of
his money as a reward. Jan politely
declined.
“There
is
nothing
more
rewarding than knowing that our
passengers appreciate what we
do,” Jan said.
As
the
passenger
was
disembarking the aircraft shortly
after landing, he approached the
crew with a thankful look. “I will
never forget your care.”
The winner of the CX World
Star Letter scores a bottle of
Chateau Cantelaudette Cuvee
Prestige 2011.
This sumptuous
Bordeaux blend
originates from Graves
de Vayres, a small
district in the EntreDeux-Mers sub-region
of Bordeaux. Featuring
notes of dark cherry,
plum, cedar, and a
hint of mocha, the
wine has a dry
minerality and
a pleasant hint
of tannin on the
palate.
Chateau
Cantelaudette
2011 is served in
Business Class.
ISD will be
offering a bottle
from the Business
Class selection
every month for
the Star Letter
prize winner, so
watch this space!
Le Le Ng, Manager Inflight Services
Standards & Safety, replies: The
design of the current uniform for
cabin crew and ground staff was
launched in 2011. Prior to the
uniform launch, the New Uniform
Working Group had been working
with the designer and various
groups of frontline staff to come up
with a new design. The design process involved
customer focus groups, staff online
surveys and wearer trials to ensure
feedback and suggestions from
both passengers and the uniform
wearers were considered. Part of the study also covered the
signature elements representing
Cathay and feedback with regards to
rank differentiation. It was included in the design brief
that red was the brand heritage
colour for the Cathay uniform, and
that the brushwing logo must be
included as a signature element. The design prototypes were
presented to a specially formed
steering committee for selection. When we next perform a full review
of Cathay uniforms, we will of course
leverage the new brand design
ethos as we continue to roll out a
consistent look.
For your reference, Flight
Operations did not participate in
the last uniform launch.
Ed Higgs, General Manager
Inflight Services, replies:
Our uniforms are reviewed and
updated from time to time to
follow our brand guidelines.
As you can appreciate this is a
major undertaking, and we go to
considerable lengths to test any
new versions with our teams who
wear them.
High flyers
I’d like to know if there are any
recruitment initiatives to draw
candidates from different departments across Cathay?
I, for one, am sure that many
flight attendants like myself
would love to join the flight
deck as cadets and better our
career prospect.
Employees already know the
company very well and love
working for the company. Not
only will an internal recruitment
attract interest from all departments and boost the number of
cadet pilots, I am sure the company would love to see us do
well in our career and life too!
Jezil Bhesadia,
Flight Attendant
Kelly Crawford, Flight Crew
Recruitment Manager, replies:
Cathay staff with a passion for
flying have an opportunity to
forge a career as a commercial
pilot.
The Cadet Pilot Scholarship
offers a limited number of
scholarships each year to staff
who have demonstrated a clear
commitment to flying, but have
not been able to take their
interest to a professional level.
This scholarship is open to
all permanent employees of
Cathay Pacific Airways with at
least one year of experience in
their current positions.
For more information, refer to
IntraCX > Home > Crew Support
> Personnel > Recruitment >
Cadet Pilot Scholarship Scheme.
A flight to remember
It was a very special moment for
53 beneficiaries of the Hong Kong
government’s Child Development
Fund (CDF) when they gathered at
HKIA on 15 November to take their
first ever flight.
The youngsters arrived at the
airport with their CDF mentors and
family members, and a total of 170
people took off into the skies aboard
an Airbus A330-300, enjoying a
90-minute trip over Hong Kong.
Joining them for the flight –
dubbed the Dragonair Journey of
Dreams – were Guest of Honour
Chief Secretary for Administration
Carrie Lam , Dragonair CEO Algernon
Yau and Director James Tong.
“We hope this programme
provides participants and their
families not only with a unique
experience, but also gives them
the inspiration and motivation to
plan for their future development,”
Algernon said.
There was certainly an enthusiastic
response from the youngsters, aged
10-16, who are working to build a
positive future for themselves under
the guidance of the CDF.
Lau Ka-ho said the flight gave
him a clearer understanding of
how he can achieve his dreams.
“After experiencing my first
flight today, I am certainly
attracted by the exciting
world of aviation!” he
smiled.
The Journey of
Dreams programme
also included Aviation
360, an educational
workshop held in
October where the
youngsters got a taste of
what aviation is all about.
Dragonair staff, including pilots,
cabin crew and engineers, played
HAPPY FLIGHT: Children who had never flown before
joined management and officials on their first flight.
a key role in
helping
to
educate
and
inform participants during the
Aviation 360 event and the flight
itself.
“Witnessing
the
joy
and
excitement on the kids’ faces when
the aircraft took off the ground – an
experience I am so used to in my
daily life – was deeply touching,” says
Purser Karen Lam.
Ease of
transport
The transport link between
Tung Chung and Sha Tin isn’t
exactly the best. The single bus
route that serves the area isn’t
all that reliable or convenient.
Since the transportation cost
to Tung Chung is so high, can
Cathay follow other companies,
such as Ikea and Phoenix TV to
provide a free shuttle service
or transport allowance for staff
who live far away?
FIN staff
Sara Lau, People Officer,
replies: Thank you for your
feedback. The company has no
plans to provide free shuttle
services or transport allowance.
Please don’t hesitate to
contact the Benefit Services
Team if you have further
enquiries.
Aviators of the future
The 10th anniversary of the Dragonair Aviation
Certificate Programme (DACP) was celebrated
in style on 27 November with the graduation of
the 31 young people who took part in the 2015
edition.
Over the past decade, some 180 young people
have graduated from the DACP – with more than
half of them subsequently taking up careers in
the local aviation industry, working as everything
from air traffic controllers to pilots.
CEO Algernon Yau said that a large pool of
talent will be needed to support the future
growth of aviation in Hong Kong.
“Our commitment made at the launch of
the DACP in 2005 is bearing fruit, with many
programme graduates having already embarked
on aviation careers,” he said.
A major initiative under the Dragonair
Aviation Youth Academy, the DACP gives
participants the chance to deepen their aviation
knowledge and also helps to identify their
particular interests and talents.
Every year, Dragonair pilots volunteer their
services to mentor participants throughout the
six-month programme, providing motivation
and inspiration in addition to lots of practical
advice.
Enrolment for the 2016 DACP has already
begun and is open until 13 December 2015 –
visit www.dragonair.com/aviationacademy.
7
Sky’s the limit
Captain Hank Cheng moves a step closer to his dream of circumnavigating the world
A new chapter in Hong Kong’s
aviation history was cemented on
15 November 2015. Captain Hank
Cheng’s kit-built and locally certified
aircraft, with the registration B-KOO,
became the first of its kind to take off
from Hong Kong International Airport.
At 7am, around 150 guests lined
the periphery of the north runway
where the plane, nicknamed
Inspiration, lifted off the tarmac to
loud cheers from the crowd.
It was an emotional moment.
Engineers
huddled
together,
students from St Paul’s Convent
School – who helped to build the
aircraft – cheered Inspiration on as it
sped off into the air. Elation, joy, awe
and pride filled the air. And as happy
tears were shed, Hank landed safely
15 minutes later.
The
excitement
on
the
ground mirrored the focus and
determination of Hank, a Boeing 777
pilot by trade. He said that he wasn’t
as emotional as people thought
he should be: “A lot of my energy
went into the actual operation. The
weather forecast for the flight day
was marginal, so we were focused
on finding an appropriate timing
for the flight. I didn’t think much
about it until I landed, when I felt
relieved of the pressure from the
night before.”
The momentous 15-minute flight
had been more than seven years in
the making.
Engineering Director Christopher
Gibbs, who has been really happy
to provide support to the project,
professed his excitement at seeing
Inspiration take off: “We’ve all seen
plenty of aircraft taking flight. But
Inspiration was one of those very
special moments. It was a real
Hong Kong success story – a great
achievement due to the amazing
spirit of Hank and the team. It was
truly great to see so many of our
Graduate Engineers and former GEs
as core members of the team.”
Every step leading up to the
historical moment on 15 November
had involved the hard work of
countless people. Hank says:
“Building and flying the plane were
the easy parts. I get all the glory for
building and flying the airplane. But
Gary and his team worked really
hard, burning the midnight oil to
facilitate the certification process.”
Gary Tat, former Graduate
Engineer and currently Quality
Manager, was the first to join Hank
on Inspiration’s journey.
Gary says: “In Hong Kong, the
difficulty is to certify the aircraft.
Not many people had tried this
before us. It was 18 years ago when
a plane was certified under a similar
situation, and we were certainly the
first home-built to have done so.”
The team’s hard work resulted
in gaining a Permit to Fly (not the
Certificate of Airworthiness that are
given to the Cathay fleet), which
allowed Inspiration to be airborne
in the airspace over Chek Lap Kok.
“On the 13th, at 4:30pm, we finally
got the permit from CAD. We’ve
been told this piece of paper was
the fourth in Hong Kong aviation
history,” Gary grins happily.
Unbeatable
determination
Mightiness in the
making
Gary and his team of engineers sacrificed
many hours of their personal time to
produce 1,800 pages of documents to
certify B-KOO. The team includes: Crystal
Tse, Geoffrey Hung, Sally Wong, Wingwing
Cheung, Ken Cheng, Donald Ip, Alex Lo,
Kelvin Chan, Michelle Lee, and Cyril Li.
Hank and family
“My daughter is now seven years old, the same
age as B-KOO. For the past seven years I haven’t
been as much of a father as I expected,” Hank
says. “Much of the time when I was supposed to
be present – I wasn’t there. But I do hope that
the time [spent working on the plane] was not
wasted, and when my son and daughter look back
on their father and see this plane – and when the
project comes to fruition – they will do something
similar in the future and go chase their dreams.”
8
The next step for the team is
to complete a 25-hour test flight
programme, before Hank can fulfil
his ambition of circumnavigating
the world. The team wishes to
clock these hours in Hong Kong,
even though it is easier to achieve
this overseas. Gary explains: “First,
if we go overseas, the registration
B-KOO will probably cease to exist,
because we need to deregister the
plane before we take it abroad. And
if B-KOO is taken away, the question
is: is it still a Hong Kong plane?”
Visit CX World’s Yammer group or
browse the digital version for a video
about Hank and Gary’s next step.
The Inspiration team is fundraising
for their circumnavigation trip. Visit
www.facebook.com/inspiration.
bkoo for more information.
Hank and Bill
Bill Chu, a HAECO engineer
and manager, is seen here with
Hank in the early construction
phase. Bill commended Hank’s
perseverance, remarking that
“even I would have given up all
after all these years”. HAECO
offered its mezzanine storage
area to the Inspiration team,
where they worked on B-KOO for
two years.
This photo shows the fuselage of
Inspiration nearly complete. Next, the
team had to connect avionics and fit
the engine to the aircraft.
Hank’s most memorable moment
happened here, he says: “As the plane
was lifted from the mezzanine to the
ground, it was dangling mid-air, and I
thought, ‘that’s six and a half years of
work swishing about up there!’”
Hopes and
dreams
School pupils who helped
to build the aircraft doodled
their wishes on the interior of
Inspiration’s fuselage.
Journey of Inspiration
2,631
The project spanned
days, more than 600
days of which were spent on constructing the plane
500
Over
people were involved in the project,
including more than 200 students from a local school
Number of rivets on Inspiration: more than
13,500
1,800 pages of documents were produced to
Alvin Yuen, 40 years
Francis Lee, 40 years
support the certification process
25L of titanium paint was used
B-KOO stands 5ft 7in tall, has a wing span of
a gross weight of 1,800lbs
24ft, and
Jenny Sum, 45 years
Majemdra Rai, 40 years
Loyal Cathay staff share their experience in the company
Wisdom of the veterans
Brothers in arms
Bonding over a shared dream of wanting to build their own aircraft, Hank and Gary’s
resulting “bromance”, or kinship as they prefer, balanced banter and work talk which
helped to see them through the countless challenges along the Inspiration journey.
The Spirit of Hong
Kong
It was a team decision to paint the Lion
Rock as the plane’s livery, for its symbolic
reference to the Hong Kongers’ unyielding
spirit. Seventy design templates were
produced by Senior Technical Services
Engineer Tim Leung, who imagined
Inspiration’s livery. Tim also oversaw the
paint job in the HAECO hangar, where 25
litres of titanium paint was used.
More than 1,000 Cathay veterans from around the
network were honoured in this year’s Long Service
Awards ceremonies held in November, hosted by
Chief Executive Ivan Chu, Chief Operating Officer
Rupert Hogg, Director Service Delivery James Ginns,
Director Flight Operations Anna Thompson, and
emceed by Director People Tom Owen.
A substantial number of gold pins were handed to
staff who have been with the company for more than
20 years.
The event’s only 45-year pin was presented to
Jenny Sum, Sales Coordinator. Amongst many of
Jenny’s happy memories, she was most impressed
with the company’s generosity during the SARS crisis.
The Singapore staff says: “Before SARS, the company
had never been in the red. But SARS really took its toll
on the business. When the staff were asked to take
no pay leave, most of us fully supported it. And what
took us by surprise was, when the business bounced
back, we were paid back the salary we gave up on our
voluntary days off. We weren’t asked to compensate
for the leave either.”
Jenny’s view of the company is shared by Alvin
Yuen, who has risen through the ranks from a cabin
crew to his current role as Dragonair’s Manager
Operations & Cabin Crew Relations over the past 40
years. Alvin thinks that the company’s success lies in
its ability to listen. He says: “We are a human-centric,
human-driven business. We listen to our staff rather
than rule in an authoritarian style. We manage by
example, we walk the talk. When we make a decision,
we observe the flexibility in balancing the interests
of the customer, the staff, and the company.”
One of the oldest Cathay employees is 72-year-
72-year-old
Engineering
Manager, Toru
Hazama, 40 years
old Engineering Manager Toru Hazama from Japan.
When he reached his retirement age of 60, he was asked
to stay on. He has since been posted to Ho Chi Minh
City, Bangkok, Delhi and Chennai, and is now based
in Incheon. His most remarkable achievement was to
set a record of no technical delays between 1990 and
1993. Hazama-san says: “I would like to keep working
for Cathay, as long as the company still needs me.”
“We are very thankful to these long-serving
colleagues,” says Ivan, who presented gold coins
and other mementos to acknowledge staff who
have served the company a combined 3,355 years.
“The company owes its success to the contribution
of these colleagues who have helped to shape our
great airlines over the years. ”
Office in the air
The cockpit of B-KOO mirrors
Hank’s working environment in
a Boeing 777. The figurine on
the dashboard has, according to
Hank, “no meaning. It was just a
figurine I came across in Japan
and I wanted to add some colour
to the cockpit”.
Photos by Karen Yung & Eric Leung
9
Crossword Puzzle:
IT Security
How much do you know about IT security? To test or improve
your knowledge, complete the third crossword puzzle in this
series for a chance to win a HK$100 Sogo Department Store
cash voucher! Tear off this page and drop it in the collection
box at the Tech Lounge or submit answers directly to IMT#RNS.
17
7
9
1
3
20
11
16
21
2
6
19
15
4
5
/13
8
10
14
18
12
DOWN
1, 2. (1 down / 2 down) Lock your device with a
_____ or _____(3, 8)
3. Keep your mobile operating systems _____ (7) 4. By _____ your device, you can potentially
open security holes that undermine the built-in
security measures (7)
5. Always _____ of banking and shopping sites
instead of closing the browsers (6)
6, 7, 8. (6 down, 7 down, 8 down) Turn off _____ ,
_____ services, and _____ when they are
not in use (4, 8, 9)
9. Only install applications from _____ sources (7)
10. Install a mobile _____ app (8)
11. Ensure the backups are _____ no matter
stored in desktop PC or in removable media (9)
ACROSS
10
12. Configure your device to _____ lock after a certain period of time (13)
13. _____ your data frequently (6)
14. Never leave your device _____ in the public (10)
15. Do not allow _____ connections from unknown or untrusted sources on your device (8)
16. Do not bank or shop online from _____ Wi-Fi connections (6)
17. Never respond with _____ information even if you receive a text that appears to come from your bank or other legitimate businesses (8)
18, 19. (18 across / 19 across) Do not click on _____ or _____ in unsolicited emails or text messages (both SMS and MMS) (4, 11)
20. Do not download _____ data to unmanaged phones and devices (without MDM) (9)
21. What is the minimum length of a PIN for corporate mobile devices? _____ (3)
A fitting end
Environmentally responsible end-oflife solution for A340s
It’s one thing to recycle bottles, cans
and newspapers that are taken off an
aircraft; it’s another thing entirely to
recycle the whole aircraft once its useful
life is over.
But that’s exactly what Cathay Pacific
is doing with the A340-300s that are
now being retired from its fleet.
Four of the 11 A340s have already left
the fleet this year, but instead of being
sent for scrapping in the usual way, they
are being sent to a facility in France that
provides a much more environmentally
responsible end-of-life solution.
The four aircraft in question have all
been flown to a Tarmac Aerosave facility
in Tarbes, southwest France, ending
their life quite close to where they were
originally assembled in Toulouse.
The aircraft go into a workshop at
Tarbes where work begins on breaking
them down in a methodical and carefully
controlled way.
“The recycling process consists
of three key steps, starting with the
decommissioning of the aircraft and
the emptying of fuel and water tanks,”
says Head of Environmental Affairs
Evelyn Chan.
In the second step, equipment and
parts, such as engines and landing gear,
are dismantled, inspected, cleaned, and
tagged before reuse.
“These parts may be reused either by
Cathay and other airlines – nothing is
needlessly thrown away,” says Evelyn.
Step three involves removing waste
that cannot be recycled and other
elements such as wiring. The entire
fuselage is eventually cut up with
most parts being sent to recyclers.
The amount of waste that cannot be
recycled is around 10%.
“About 70% of an A340’s weight
is aluminium, which is all removed
from the aircraft and melted down,”
says Evelyn. “It will be reused in many
different ways – for window frames
and doors in the construction trade,
for example, or in the car-making or
petrochemical sectors.”
It is estimated that up to 90% of the
aircraft’s total weight can be recycled,
“and the industry is working towards
doing even better in the future,” says
Evelyn.
“The A340s have given great service to
Cathay for almost two decades. It’s great
to see they can end their lives in such a
dignified and socially responsible way!”
RESPONSIBLE DECOMMISSIONING: A340s are taken apart in Tarbes, where parts are
repackaged and tagged for reuse by Cathay Pacific or other airlines.
PEDALLING TO VICTORY: More than 300 Cathay Group pedallers and helpers turned out for this year’s 24-hour Pedal
Kart Race held in Victoria Park on 14-15 November, with staff from Asia Miles, Dragonair, CPCS and CPSL taking
part. Cathay Angels (Ladies) completed 828 laps and came first in the female group. Around HK$400,000 was
raised for charities supported by the Hong Kong Round Table.
Building homes,
building hope
HKIA volunteers give new start to poor farmers in Yunnan
Back in early November, General
Manager HKIA Liza Ng and a team of
HKIA staff set off on a volunteering trip
to a remote Chinese mountain village
in Yunnan to build decent housing for
the impoverished local community.
More than 50 staff signed up – more
than double the quota available. Those
who could not go on the trip donated
generously, raising a total of HK$78,000
for the NGO Habitat for Humanity. The
NGO has built more than one million
houses for five million people since
its inception in 1976; and on
this trip, HKIA added one more
house to the tally.
Jayson Hui, Assistant Manager
Communication
Services
HKIA, went on the trip with 20
colleagues. He says: “We visited
Donggua Jing, a small hamlet
where impoverished farmers
lived. The village was an hour
drive away from Kunming.”
The team arrived in Kumming
at night and got up early the next
morning to hike up the mountain on
foot, carrying all the equipment and
building materials with them.
Once the team arrived on site,
they started building straight away –
transferring bricks, mixing cement and
laying bricks. It was five days worth of
hard work.
Customer Service Officer Danny Hui
recounts his experience: “We had to
happenings
Close to 9,800 Cathay and Dragonair
staff are actively Yammering...
Kudos ANC!
Captain Anthony
Fesche posted
this photo showing
the harsh weather
conditions that
Anchorage staff
have to face – in
temperatures of
minus 21oC! “So this
picture is for them...”
Anthony says, “as
a Thank-You from
the pilots!” General
Manager Airports Vivian Lo, also showed her appreciation to
the ANC team!
WELCOME BACK!
Country Manager Thailand
Agatha Lee shared a snap of
the Floating Basket Festival
“Loy Krathong Festival” as
her second ever post on
Yammer! Welcome back
Agatha!
SWEAT AND TOIL: A team of 50 built homes from the ground up.
climb mountains
and wade through
water to get the
materials to the
construction site.
It was not easy.
But it was all worth it in the end, seeing
that our effort had brought big smiles
to the villagers’ faces.”
Danny reflected on the similarity
between what they did in Yunnan and
Cathay’s service ethos, and it was all
about “the little things that we do to
make others truly happy”.
Not only did the trip give the team
a great sense of achievement, it also
fostered a tighter bond between the
team. HKIA Rostering Supervisor
Vangel Wong says: “The trip was an ice
breaker for us. People from different
departments worked together as
a closely knitted team to achieve
a common goal. That was a clear
manifestation of our team spirit.”
Liza commended her team for their
energy and spirit, saying: “We have
demonstrated the synergy for which
we are renowned. We settled into
our house-building roles in our own
accord, and helped each other when we
needed a hand. It was all very moving
and encouraging.”
The beneficiary of the HKIA team was
the house’s owner, Mr Luo. He thanked
the team with the only English words
he knew: “Cathay Pacific, thank you!”
MEMORABILIA
Staff have been taking to the
CX History group to share
their memorabilia collected
over the years. Here,
Assistant Manager Quality
Assurance Operations
Ron Ho shares a snap of a
SuperTriStar coaster!
MO SUCCESS
Moeing team captain Carl
Boddy announced in the All
Company group that Cathay’s
Movember initiative has raised
about HK$85,000 for cancer and
men’s health charities. Donation
is still open via moteam.co/themoeing-team.
CPCS wins energy efficiency and conservation award
CPCS was crowned the Gold Award winner
at the CLP’s Green Plus Award 2015.
The flight kitchen beat more than 5,000
applications to win the top gong in the
International Food and Beverage category,
in an award programme that encouraged
organisations to share measures on energy
efficiency and conservation.
CPCS’s Chief Executive Officer Jenny Lam
accepted the award at the InterContinental
Hong Kong Hotel. Jenny is delighted that
CPCS’s effort to reduce energy usage was
recognised by the industry. Jenny says: “Our
team has dedicated a lot of effort and resources
to the research and development of a waste
heat recovery unit (WHRU).”
Part of this initiative saw CPCS replacing
the old air-cooled air-conditioning system
with a water-cooled one, with energy savings
of up to 40%.
The WHRU is an energy recovery heat
exchanger that collects residual heat from
steam heating equipment and ware-wash
machines. The unit reuses this collected heat
for heating up water. In addition, energyefficient heat pumps were installed in the air
conditioning system for hot water supply.
These efforts resulted in a 12% year-on-year
reduction in electricity consumption for CPCS
in the first three quarters of 2015 alone.
To increase energy saving and
environmental awareness among staff, CPCS
formed a green committee, called Green
Mind, in April this year. This committee held
an activity to spread green ideas through
the promotion of highly efficient electrical
appliances.
CPCS has spared no effort in developing
energy-efficient applications, and Jenny
says: “Our commitment will continue in the
future to reduce energy consumption so as to
sustain the environment.”
CAN YOU HELP?
In the Share Your
Moments – Photography
and Videography group,
Narita’s Customer
Services Agent Jane
Jane Divinagracia asked
if anyone has any tips for
her next trip to Krabi. “Anyone knows a nice place to stay
near Ao Nang beach?” she enquired. Can you help?
Win a 1:200 new livery model
A 1:200 new livery aircraft model will be
awarded to the 10,000th Yammer sign up!
Sign up on www.yammer.com using your
GalaCXy ID now!
11
NEWS FOCUS
Photo by Guo Junjun
JOHANNESBURG
Promoting the Big Apple
To build on the
Johannesburg Sales
team’s positive
relationship with
travel agents, the
team organised
regular visits and
pop quizzes to
grow their business
partners’ interest
and knowledge in
Cathay’s extended
network to North
America.
Food for thought
The North America team does a lot of work in support
of the local communities. On 11 November, 47 LAbased cabin crew and staff from the Los
Angeles Airport, Sales, and Flight
Operations teams helped Los
Angeles Food Bank to sort out
fresh produce, canned items
and assemble them in food
packages. In 3.5 hours, the
team sorted 13,512 lbs of
bread and shelf-stable items
– the equivalent of 11,214
meals for the community!
12
AMSTERDAM
China Business Awards
The 2015 Cathay Pacific Business Awards
presentation ceremony was recently held at
the Duin & Kruidberg estate on the outskirts of
Amsterdam.
The highest accolade, the Cathay Pacific China
Business Award, was presented to Gispen, a
furniture design and supply company.
The Hong Kong Shooting Star Award went to
the Hong Kong-based Algorithmic Trading Group
(ATG), a Dutch company that specialises in high and
medium trading in financial markets around the
world.
Multi-culturalism
The Italy team sponsored an art book called Contemporary Art in… Cambodia,
and it was recently presented at the Milan Town Office. The sponsorship
aimed at bringing the two countries
closer together through a cultural
dialogue. Proceeds from the book are
being donated to Il Nodo, an NGO that
offers young Cambodians opportunities
in education.
The Italy team also partnered with the
Confucius Institute of Milan to organise
a series of Chinese language and culture
lessons at the Town Office, with the goal
of making staff and passengers feel more
confident on their upcoming trips to China.
MILAN
Loads on Cathay’s flights to and from Europe have been
high throughout 2015, but what people might not know
is how much of that traffic originates from countries not
in the airline’s network.
The airline has seven online destinations on the
European mainland – Rome, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam,
Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Zurich – but an increasing
percentage of revenue comes from the 28 countries that
make up Offline Europe.
The Offline Europe team consists of just two staff –
Offline Sales Manager Tony Seifarth and Sales Officer
Offline Europe Dirk Lucas – operating out of Frankfurt.
They work closely with 21 general sales agents (GSAs)
who sell for Cathay and Dragonair in 21 European
markets.
Tony says that Offline Europe represents around
1% of system-wide passenger revenue, “but to put it
into perspective, Offline Europe is our second largest
revenue territory in Europe after the UK,” he says.
2015 has been an exceptional year for the team, with
revenue growing by more than 30% thanks to new routes
and capacity growth in the European network.
The top revenue territories this year have been Spain,
Greece and the Scandinavian countries – Denmark,
Sweden and Norway.
“In addition to the capacity increase, sales have
been helped by the continued economic recovery in
the eurozone and in particular the troubled Spain and
Portugal markets emerging from the financial crisis,”
Tony says.
The key to successfully and effectively promoting
Cathay in offline markets is the bilateral agreements in
place with partner carriers that help to feed passengers
through the airline’s gateways. “The optimal form of such bilateral agreements are
code shares. However, often we have to rely on so-called
SPAs (special prorate agreements) to link up countries or
cities to our network effectively,” Tony explains.
“For example, we have code shares with British Airways
between London and cities such as Copenhagen,
Stockholm, Vienna or Prague, and we also have
agreements with Scandinavian Airlines to connect
from Copenhagen and Stockholm to a number of our
European gateways. This helps to optimise choice and
connectivity for passengers.” Looking ahead into 2016, Tony says the main focus for
the Offline Europe team will be to maximise passenger
numbers and revenue on the new routes, “especially
Madrid, which will improve our proposition in Portugal
and free up space on other European routes.
“We’ll also be looking to increase yield, and continue
to lobby for new code-share partners to further grow
revenue from Offline Europe,” Tony adds.
Children’s outreach programme
MANILA
Offline team
hits new high
LOS ANGELES
Denmark is high up on the offline revenue ranking.
Manila’s office and Engineering staff, and
members of the Philippine Cabin Crew
Charities Inc (PCCCI) – which consists of
current and retired crew – organised a
children’s outreach programme in Manila in
late October.
It was a day filled with entertainment,
games and arts and crafts activities. The kids
also wrote their wishes on tags to be displayed
on a Christmas tree at the annual PCCCI
Charity Ball. The Ball will be held at the Green
Sun Hotel in December. If you would like to
support PCCCI and its charitable projects,
please email CCAARF.
PORT PEOPLE
Sunseed project
Passion for aviation
VANCOUVER
More than 30 Vancouver staff volunteers
braved the rain and lent their support to a very
good cause.
Wielding gloves, shovels and weeding tools,
the staff joined Vice President Canada Nick
Hays to help prepare the farming fields for next
year’s crop.
“Despite the weather we all made the best
of it,” Nick says. “I can categorically say that
I’ve never had such fun digging up manure!”
Nick thanked everyone for their energy and
enthusiasm, which “reminded me of the
importance of a positive team spirit”.
Masquerade ball
CANADA
For the third consecutive year, Canada-based cabin
crew have shown their team spirit in their fundraising
efforts for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma society.
In October, charity masquerade balls were held
in both Vancouver
and Toronto, followed
by walks with the
community.
Together, both
Canada bases raised
over CAD$19,000
(HKD$110,000). This
remarkable donation
will help fund
life-saving research
and support people
battling cancer.
Jane Divinagracia is one of the
lucky few who gets to work
in a place that she loves and
do the thing that she loves. “I
don’t know why, but I just love
Narita Airport! My dream has
always been to work at Narita,”
says the Customer Services
Agent.
Jane was born in Manila,
but moved to Japan nine years
ago. Since the age of 11, she
travelled frequently between
Japan and the Philippines. As
she grew older, her heart grew fonder for planes and the Tokyo
airport. Her fascination eventually led her to take a college
course on the airline industry.
“The most memorable event in my life was when I received
an email from the People Department saying that I was in for
Cathay!” Jane says excitedly. “When I was reading the email, I
was at the Haneda observation deck looking at CX542 – the
Queen – making its approach on the runway! It was such an
amazing moment – it felt like destiny!”
Apart from checking in and boarding passengers, Jane also
works as a ramp coordinator: “For me, SSFTH is about making
a simple but genuine connection with the people around us,
observing what they really need and acting on it before they
even ask.”
Jane also volunteers for Cathay’s CSR programmes in Japan
because she wants to contribute to the team and socialise with
colleagues from other Japan ports. To connect with colleagues
from around the world, Jane uses Yammer.
“For me, it’s a really good learning tool! I can get information
about what’s happening on other ports and teams. I can also
get information for work and be proactive in my role!”
Six runners from the Japan team
took part in the 29th Tokyo YMCA
International Charity Run. Cathay
sponsored a pair of Economy
Class tickets for the raffle; Japan’s
new Sales & Marketing Manager
Nick Brooks presented the prize
on stage.
JAPAN
YMCA
Charity Run
INDIA
#OneDayOffline
The India team planned a range
of #onedayoffline activities both
online and on the ground.
The team distributed
#onedayoffline placards to various
customer touchpoints.
Passengers – including a
Bollywood singer – enjoyed writing
their pledges and posing for
pictures with the boards.
There were also social media
contests to encourage staff
to spread the #onedayoffline
message on Facebook and
Twitter. Staff from Engineering,
Airports, Cargo, Finance, Sales and
Reservations actively took part.
13
Jinko Takeshige,
Flight Purser
1. You studied accounting in university,
so how did you end up as a
cabin crew?
Perhaps I was influenced by my
father, who was a JAL cockpit crew.
2. We hear you’re an avid
runner.
I take part in about 15-20 races per
year! I represent Cathay in four to
five of these races every year.
3. How do you train for the
races?
Cross training mainly: bootcamping, badminton, dancing, yoga and
swimming.
4. How long have you been
running?
I didn’t start until I moved to Pui
O on Lantau three years ago. The
environment is great for jogging.
5. What do you like about
running?
I like the sense of accomplishment
after each run. I’ve also made many
friends and it is nice to exchange
interesting race info with runners.
6. What does running mean
to you?
Running can improve fitness and
is a great way to tackle jet lag. You
can also run anytime, anywhere,
even in the outports. I want to
inspire more colleagues to put on
their running shoes.
7. What are your current
training goals?
I would like to complete all six
major city marathons and trail runs
out of Hong Kong. And I would like
to try the wine-drinking marathon
in France, since the Marathon du
Medoc I joined this year and last
year were great fun!
8. Are you into wines?
I’m a qualified sommelier. It helps
with my job as a cabin crew!
9. In addition to Japanese, we
hear you also did the PA in
French on our Paris flights?
I had been studying French before I
joined Cathay. I am trying to brush
up my French by joining the races
in France.
10. Do you have
any other interests?
I also took part
in this year’s
pedal kart
race as a
member
of the
competitive team
Cathay Angels. We won
the champion’s
trophy!
Taking the next step in
a distinguished career
After 36 years of flying for Cathay, Captain Rick Fry revisits some of the
most memorable moments in an eventful career
Captain Rick Fry has spent more than
36 years in Cathay. He started as a
Qantas cadet, followed by flying for
a small airline in the Solomon Islands
and Nauru. On 25 November, Captain Fry retired as a Brisbane-based
Check & Training Captain, and has
since taken on his new role as Flight
Simulator Instructor at Cathay City.
Aviation runs deep in the Frys’
family tree, beginning with Rick’s
father. “My father flew from 1933 to
1972 and instructed during the Second World War,” Rick says. “He was an
inspiration for me, as he let me ride in
the back of an Avro Anson as a small
boy.” And now, Rick’s own children
Lachie and Michelle are following
their father’s footsteps as part of the
Cathay cockpit crew.
In his Solomon and Nauru days,
Rick had flown all over the South
Pacific and Southeast Asia into Hong
Kong and Japan, on aircraft including
the de Havilland Dove, Beechcraft
Barons, Fokker F28s, Boeing 737s and
727s. His experience prepped him for
the beginning of his career at Cathay
in 1979, when he joined as First Officer on the Boeing 707.
Rick recalls those early days: “Hong
Kong was a very different city, and
Cathay was small with only 220 pilots. Aircraft systems and support
were very basic. However, the camaraderie was strong, as one knew what
was happening across the airline and
its crews. It was fun as the flying was
challenging and with greater freedom on basic handling skills.”
PASSING THE TORCH: Rick’s daughter Michelle (pictured with her older sister on the right), is also a pilot at Cathay.
Rick has fond memories of flying
the 747 Classic during the 1980s. He
says: “Flying our first ultra-long haul
routes on the Jumbo was certainly
exciting, as we ventured into new
and interesting destinations in Europe and North America.” At the time,
Cathay was a pioneer in the ultralong-haul routes across the Pacific.
Rick counts managing the introduction of the Airbus to the Cathay
fleet among his biggest achievements. In 15 years of working in
Flight Operations, Rick has served
various roles, rising from Fleet Manager TriStar, through General Man-
ager Flying to Deputy Director.
“At the time, the crew was sceptical of this new type of computerised
technology,” Rick says, referring to
the introduction of fly-by-wire. “Many
briefings were organised for cabin
crew and pilots with support from
Airbus Flight Test. I was confident that
with the enthusiasm of our first group
of volunteer Check & Training pilots,
we would overcome preconceived
views on the technology.”
Another big change in Rick’s career involved the introduction of
equal task sharing in the cockpit. “A
First Officer began to take on a much
greater role in managing the flight.
It was a big change at the time, but
a better preparation for the goal of
command,” Rick says.
On his new role as a Flight Simulator Instructor, Rick says: “There’s
a real joy in passing on knowledge
to the next generation of pilots. We
need to keep the culture of Cathay
alive as we step into the latest technology with the introduction of the
advanced A350. With our diverse
backgrounds today, our glue is professional attitude and knowledge on
the job, teamwork and the ability to
communicate well with each other.”
Ready, steady, bake!
With a name sounding a lot like the frozen butter cake franchise, Sara Li is Cathay’s own
star baker. At the recent reopening ceremony of the IT Solutions Centre, the IT Project
Manager was asked to make a few cakes to celebrate the occasion.
“It’s a Cantonese tradition to do a pig-cutting at an opening ceremony,” says Sara, who
baked a cartoon piglet McDull for the housewarming. “That was why I baked a meat-free
piglet cake for the event.”
Sara is a well-known baker in the IT department. “Sometimes I bring my bakes to
share with the team. There are a few keen bakers in the department, and we regularly
exchange tips too!”
Sara started baking about seven years ago, she says: “I was inspired by the US TV
programme Cake Boss. I was amazed at how plain sponge cakes were turned into a batch
of fantastic pieces of edible art.”
Four years ago, Sara went to Taiwan to attend an intensive Wilton cake decoration
course. That was the time when Sara started to take cake decorating seriously. “After that,
I took a PME Cake Decorating course. I also took a Korean flower piping course to hone
my skills.”
Sara’s creations are anything but ordinary. She bakes cartoon and anime-themed
cakes in 3D, featuring the Japanese Kumamon, and Elsa from the Disney animation,
Frozen. “They are sponge cakes with fresh fruit filling decorated with whipped cream and
chocolate,” says Sara. “But for health reasons, I tend to make them less sweet too!”
For more on Sara’s creations, visit her Facebook page via sara_ks_li@hotmail.com
Caught on camera
for the
d raised HK$50,000
baked up a feast an
w
cre
bin
Ca
S:
ES
SWEETN
r is on 11 Dec!
next Charity Food Fai
Sunnyside Club. The
Samuel Lo, who has been at the helm of the Cathay Camera Club (CCC)
for more than a decade, started taking photography seriously when he
was 19. “When I started to work, I saved up and bought my first camera,
a Canon EOS650,” says the Flight Data Analyst. “I joined the Canon Photo
Club later on, and my photo of a Cathay 747 flying through the buildings
in Kowloon City won an award at the Canon photo contest.”
In fact, many legendary Cathay aircraft shots – taken both in Kai Tak
and Chek Lap Kok – are Samuel’s work, including those large prints
hanging on the walls of the 3/F offices at Cathay City.
Samuel feels that photography is not just about the camera.
“Photography is about capturing a moment. The world’s most expensive
camera won’t automatically give you a good shot,” he says.
In 2016, the CCC will start organising photo exhibitions on The Street at
Cathay City to showcase staff’s thematic pictures. Giving club members’
photographs visibility has been central to the CCC’s ethos for the past few
years. For example, the club’s annual photo competition has been running
for the past eight years.
“The contest started because we were looking for staff photos to enter
the Inter-Hong photo contest,” says Samuel.
This year’s competition theme is nature photography. All Cathay and
Dragonair staff can enter with photos of flowers, birds, insects, or fish.
The competition ends on 10 December. Email your entries with the
subject line “Photo competition 2015” to CSDLSC for a chance to win
action cameras and mobile phone lenses.
BONDING: Close to 50 staff and family members joined CE Ivan
Chu and Director People Tom Owen for a hike on 14 November.
MERRY MONKEY
S: Kuala Lumpur
office put up a tre
e decorated by
airport staff Susa
n Woo... with the
2016 monkey so
ft toy!
SUNNY WALK: Director Service Delivery James Ginns
and General Manager Cabin Crew Maggie Yeung joined
more than 80 volunteers to raise HK$16,000 for the
Sunnyside Club!
GOODBYE, HELLO: The Male team bade farewell to
Airport Services Manager Waleed Khali, and welcomed
successor Monica Badhwar!
Tai Chi Club triumphs
After triumphing at the 10th International Wushu Competition in August,
the Cathay Tai Chi Club shone again in November, this time at the 2015
Hong Kong Open Tai Chi Championship.
The team took home Ladies’ Team Champion, Men’s Team First
Runner-Up and various individual medals. Christine Chan, the ladies’
team captain, says: “Winning a championship is never easy, but we have
made it with the mantra of ‘one team, one goal’. I’d like to say a big thank
you to Sifu – our master – for his guidance and support, and to all my
teammates for their dedication and contribution.”
“The ladies’ team demonstrated a great team spirit by striking gold
in the Posture-24 team event,” says Harty Baleros, the club’s chairperson.
“This serves as a great honour and acknowledgement of the team’s
intensive training throughout the year.” The men’s team secured the first
runner-up in the Posture-24 team event.
The team also won medals in the individual Posture-24 events.
Josephine Wong (ISD) was the champion, with Makiko Fujita (ISD) and
Tricia Seng (ISD) winning second runner-up and fifth place respectively.
The biggest haul of medals came from the three-minute Traditional
Tai Chi Performance competition, where 25 athletes from the club took
part and claimed seven golds, nine silvers and nine bronze medals. The
club also won the Grand Trophy for outstanding promotion and high
participation rate in this competition category.
If you wish to know more about the Tai Chi Club, its training courses
and activities, contact Harty at harty_baleros@cathaypacific.com.
& Marketing
: The Bombay Sales
CONQUERING FEAR
aster ride
co
ler
rol
their fears on a
team conquered
al team getaway!
during their annu
PING PONG: Winners of the
All India Table Tennis Tou
rnament which was held at the
Mumbai Town Office.
(a symbol of this
li. Passengers were given diyas
brated the festive season of Diwa
.
Kong
g
HAPPY DIWALI: India recently cele
Hon
to
mber from India
when they travelled on 11 Nove
celebration) and Indian sweets
Photo log
Dipping into some of the most beautiful images submitted by
staff to Yammer.
“The beauty of my
home town! My tips
for Holland: Soest,
home to the Soester
woods and dunes,
a reserve of 500
hectares sand flats,
Turkish delight
Assistant Cargo Services Manager Dhaka, Benazir
Rahman, paid a visit to Turkey and quenched her
fascination with the country’s storied history
It has always been my dream to explore Turkey – a
transcontinental gem with a culture that bridges Europe and Asia, and a history that straddles the Medieval Latin Turchia through to the Ottoman Empire.
My husband and I recently paid a visit to southwest
Turkey’s UNESCO World Heritage Site – PamukkaleHierapolis. Pamukkale is a geological wonder, with its
white travertine terraces cocooning natural pools of
cobalt-coloured hot spring water. On the travertine
terraces, we followed some designated paths to get
a closer look, and we were stunned by its tranquillity
and sheer beauty!
Adjacent to Paukkale is Hierapolis, an ancient city
built on hot springs in the second century BC. During the Roman Empire, Hierapolis became a healing
centre where the giant hot basins and pools were
used by doctors to treat their patients. Users reaped
the benefits of thermal hydrotherapy, often combined with religious practices. People have bathed
in this location for thousands of years now, and
we took the opportunity to dip into some of these
pools!
Our next stop was Ephesus, an ancient Greek city
which was home to the Temple of Artemis. While
walking through the ancient ruins, I tried to relate
to every change and story of the city. I was most
impressed with the terrace houses opposite the
Temple of Hardian, which offered a glimpse into the
homes of the rich during the Roman Empire.
Then, we dropped by spectacular Cappadocia in
central Turkey. Cappadocia, with its National Geographic picture-perfect beauty, is a must-see on
anyone’s bucket list.
It was amazing to walk and climb through the
naturally-formed valleys and rock formations – the
natural beauty was breathtaking!
A balloon ride is the quintessential activity at
Cappadocia. Unfortunately, due to strong winds,
we couldn’t do that on the day we visited. But a traditional Turkish night took away all my sadness. In
the evening, I enjoyed Turkish music and the cultural
dance called the Dance for Divine Love.
We spent our final days of the trip in Istanbul. We
went to a local market and celebrated my husband’s
birthday with a kebab cooked in a clay pot. I also
reminisced about every remarkable spectacle I had
seen along our journey. Every stop that we made
and every city we visited told a marvellous story,
which added up to the sum total of the modern day
Turkey, making the country truly unique.
good for a day trip.
Spakenburg, a traditional fishing village
with quaint restaurants and shops.
Some women still
Off the beaten track in Holland
wear the traditional costume there! And Giethoorn, the ‘Venice of
Holland’. Gliding along the small canals past pretty thatched-roof
farmhouses is super peaceful!”
Camera: iPhone6
Irma van Buuren, Airport Services Manager, AMS
Tip of an iceberg
“My wife and I drove 190km to take a picture of this sunset – we
heard it was spectacular. This is a place called Jökulsárlón in southern Iceland, where the icebergs break off the glacier into a deep
lagoon. It’s especially stunning at sunset.”
Camera: iPhone5s
Mark Tindall, Corporate Communication Manager, HKG
“Ballooning over Bagan,
skimming over the tops of
ancient temples and magnificent scenery was an
incredible experience. I had
an unobstructed, 360-degree view of Bagan for a
good hour as the basket
slowly turned. Definitely an
unmissable experience if
you are ever in Myanmar.”
Camera:
iPhone6
Kevin Masin, Airport
Services Manager, RGN
Bagan, Myanmar