Up, up and away! - Cathay Pacific "I Can Fly"

news
features
who, what, where
travel
Change is in
the air
In with
the new
Ready for
action
Water
wonderland
Moving to a new
standard in staff travel
PSS set to revolutionise
key airline systems
Staff prepare for the
East Asian Games
Stunning natural
beauty in Croatia
Page 2
Page 8
Page 14
Page 16
A magazine for staff and friends of Cathay Pacific Airways
November 2009, Issue 164
PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER
First signs
of recovery?
Worst is over, says Tyler, but caution still urged
While there are signs that the world
economy may have now turned
the corner, only an optimist would
predict that the aviation industry is
about to spring back to life.
“It does seem the worst is over,”
Chief Executive Tony Tyler told staff
in a monthly management briefing.
Tony said he was encouraged by
some positive signs, particularly on
the cargo side where demand has
surged out of the key Hong and
Shanghai markets (see story on
page 3).
However, speaking at the Aviation Club in the UK on 21 October
he said he remained cautious about
the short-term prospects for aviation, despite the recent stabilising in
cargo and passenger numbers after
big drops earlier in the year.
“This is traditionally a good time
for us on both the premium passenger and freight fronts, and we are
seeing that this year,” Tony said,
“But whether it heralds a return
to greener pastures remains to be
seen. We will have a better idea by
the end of the year, but I remain cautious. What I think is happening is a
slow recovery effect exaggerated
and amplified by seasonal factors.”
Asked whether the uptick was
seasonal or structural, Tony said “I
don’t know, but I have a pretty good
guess.
“The longer the seasonal effect
lasts, the easier it is to kid ourselves
that we are seeing a sharp rebound.
I’m not so sure.”
• Continued on page 3
Second Saudi city joins the network
Up, up
and away!
OUT TO LAUNCH: CX staff, cockpit crew and airport officials celebrate the start of the airline’s new service to
Jeddah on 27 October. An official launch event was held in the city on 3 November – see page 5.
Captain Nigel Black showed another side to his piloting skills at the 30th Saga
International Balloon Fiesta in southern Japan, beating off international competition
to walk away with the Master’s Cup.
Supported by Andy Chau, another member of the Hong Kong Balloon and Airship
Club, Nigel amassed 2,906 points – 601 points ahead of his nearest competitor – in
an event that involved flying the balloon accurately to points marked on the ground
and dropping a weighted coloured streamer onto a target.
“I’d like to thank colleagues in so many different departments and ports around
the world who have helped get me and the balloon gear to competitions and charity
events over the years,” says Nigel, pictured above with Andy.
“Bringing this prize back to Hong Kong is certainly evidence of what all that
teamwork can deliver.”
CX has sponsored the Hong Kong Balloon and Airship Club since the early 1980s
and Marketing helps to carry the airline’s balloon – and the Hong Kong name – to
events around the world.
Message
from the
Chief Executive
There seems to be a much more
positive sentiment in the air
at the moment regarding the
state of the world’s economy.
This is obviously very encouraging in terms of the longer-term
outlook for our business, but
we still need to show caution
about what might happen in
the short-term.
Our business took a massive
hit over the past 12 months and
despite a recent pick-up – particularly on the cargo side – our
revenues are still well short of
where they were last year. Rather than enjoying a quick sprint
out of the recession I think the
airline industry is set to endure
a long, gruelling crawl.
But at least things are moving
in the right direction. The recent
surge in cargo demand out of
our two key markets – Hong
Kong and Shanghai – has been
keeping our freighters full, and
we’ve finally been seeing some
decent yield increases. We’re
also seeing yields edge up on
the passenger side, though the
increases here are hampered by
the fact that premium travellers
are still staying away in droves.
It might be some time before
corporate travel gets back to
the kind of levels we used to
enjoy.
From a team point of view it’s
important that we keep things
in perspective. While we should
all be heartened by the fact
that the worst does seem to be
over, we cannot afford to take
our eye of the ball. We’ve done
some great work in keeping
costs under control but it would
be a serious mistake to loosen
our grip. Costs are still an area
of big concern, particularly on
the fuel side, so teams are still
being urged to rein budgets in
and refrain from unnecessary
expenditure.
It’s been an extremely tough
year but we can be heartened
by some of the things that have
been happening, particularly
the important work going on in
the various projects that came
out of the recent strategy review. These initiatives will put
us in a much stronger position
when the bounce-back arrives
– let’s just hope we don’t have
to wait too long to reap the
benefits!
Tony Tyler, Chief Executive
2
Sadness at sudden passing of Peter Lee – ‘a true gentleman’
Members of the Board at Cathay
Pacific expressed their deep sadness
at the passing of Peter Lee, an
independent non-executive Director
of the airline.
Mr Lee, Chairman of Hysan
Development in Hong Kong, died at
home on Saturday, 17 October at the
age of 55.
In a notice to the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange the airline expressed its
regrets and paid tribute to Mr Lee for
his “outstanding contribution” to the
airline. Mr Lee served as Alternate
Director to HC Lee on the Cathay
Pacific Board from February 1993 to
May 2002, when he was appointed
as an independent non-executive
Director.
Chief Executive Tony Tyler says Mr
Lee cared deeply about the airline.
“At Board meetings he always
asked the right questions and
offered very thoughtful and sound
advice, and in his personal style
he was a true gentleman – always
polite, cheerful and straightforward,”
says Tony.
“A director’s job is to represent
all the shareholders, and to hold
management’s feet to the fire. Of
course Peter did that, but he was also
very supportive of the management
team and of all of us who work for the
Company.
“During recent difficult times,
he went out of his way to say he
understood how hard we were all
working to overcome our troubles,
and how much he appreciated that.
“His support meant a great deal to
us and we will miss him very much.”
Standby for a
major change
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“Over the next 24 to 36 months
we will see a fundamental change
in all the current processes for buying and paying for tickets, listing,
and checking in for CX and Dragonair flights.”
The changes actually begin on 10
November with the rollout of interline e-ticketing for sub-load travel.
Initially this will apply just for
Finnair, rolling out next to other
oneworld carriers and eventually
to all carriers with which CX has an
interline agreement.
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Performance Index
On-time performance
Within 15 mins
Industry standard
Traffic/capacity (CX + KA)*
92.1%
68.7%
on-the-dot CX standard
Passengers carried
1,840,082
-2.0%
Passenger load factor
80.2%
7.9pt
ASKs (000)
8,576,599
-9.7%
Freight carried
133,301
-5.8%
Cargo load factor
74.4%
7.9pt
ATKs (000)
1,777,086
-11.8%
* Figures for Sep 2009
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It’s enrolment time again, and
staff in Hong Kong have until
30 November to update their
RightChoice benefits package
and travel nominations for
2010.
The RightChoice plan
details can be found on the
RightChoice website while
enrolment and changes can
be made through PeopleCX.
There are a number of
changes to the RightChoice
Medical Plan this year, including:
• The number of outpatient
visits free of co-pay will be
six per person per year (as
highlighted during last year’s
RightChoice communications)
• The list of chronic diseases
eligible for co-pay exemption has been reviewed and
expanded with three new
diseases added to the list.
• The Maternity Catastrophic
Protection deductibles for
a semi-private room have
been adjusted. There are no
changes for a ward or private
room.
For staff who miss the
30 November deadline, or
choose not to enrol, the
RightChoice benefits package
and travel nominations will
remain the same for another
year.
On 17 November, online refunds
will be launched in Hong Kong, rolling out to outports at a later date.
“Staff will simply be able to access
a form to apply through refunds
through Travel Desk,” says Bob.
A week later, another new development will mean that staff no
longer have to open IBM Host and
go to Common Access to apply for
tickets.
“We’ve worked with IMT to develop a web-enabled ticket application, simplifying the whole process,” says Bob, adding that it will
work for all CX and KA tickets and
simple point-to-point oneworld
ticketing.
The changes are being introduced to simplify procedures and
give staff travellers more control
over the whole process, at the same
time laying the foundations for the
switch over to the new PSS system
in 2011.
With PSS just around the corner,
Bob says it would “take too much
effort and cost too much” to switch
to e-ticketing for CX and KA travel
at this stage.
NUMBER SYSTEM: Standby tickets
first step in staff travel changes.
n
RightChoice
enrolment
underway
Countdown to revolution in staff travel has begun
A new “standby number” system
was introduced for staff travellers
at HKIA last month – a seemingly
small development that heralds a
major change in the way staff travel
operates at Cathay Pacific.
The standby number has been
introduced ahead of the launch on
8 December of online check-in and
online flight registration for staff
travellers ex-Hong Kong.
Staff will be able to go online between 24 hours and 90 minutes of
departure to register for the flight.
The system will let them know
if the flight is open, in which case
they can proceed straight to checkin on the day.
If the flight is heavily booked the
system will issue a standby number which will correspond with the
display at the Standby Counter at
HKIA.
Staff will be able to print out their
standby details or send to their mobile phone or PDA.
“This is the start of what will become a new standard in staff travel,”
says Employee Services Manager
Bob Nipperess.
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Produced by CX’s Corporate
Communication Department
7/F North Tower, Cathay Pacific City,
Lantau, HK
Publisher: Kerry McGlynn
Managing Editor: Mark Tindall
Editor: Joyce Wong
Enquiries: 2747-5293
GalaCXy ID: CCD#SCT
Email: ccd#sct@cathaypacific.com
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Freighters are full
as markets heat up
Briefs
n New in CCD
Yeung Chee-kong will join
Cathay Pacific as General Manager Corporate Communication with effect from 4 January
2010.
CK joins the airline from the
Hong Kong University of Science & Technology where he is
Director of University Development and Public Affairs.
A seasoned communications
professional, CK has worked in
a number of major organisations including the Hong Kong
Government, the Legislative
Council, the Hong Kong Jockey
Club and the Kowloon Canton
Railway Corporation.
High demand out of Hong Kong and Shanghai pushes up rates
With newspaper reports of soaring freight rates over the past two
months and HACTL announcing
its first monthly volume gain since
2008, could it be the long-awaited
turnaround in the airfreight industry
has finally arrived?
“This year we are seeing a very
definite seasonal peak, compared
to last year when there was simply
no peak at all,” says James Woodrow,
General Manager Cargo, Mainland
China & Hong Kong.
“Since September business has
been moving closer to what we’d regard as normal levels and rates have
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Caution still needed
• from page 1
The International Air Transport Association (IATA)
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between Transpac and European
routes, though capacity is still well
down on the latter.
“Eighteen months ago we had
32 flights a week to Europe, but
we’re down to 22 a week now,” says
James.
The Cargo team anticipates demand to remain strong through to
mid-December and is cautiously optimistic of a much better 2010.
“We expect rates to be higher in
2010 on a year-round average with a
return again to the seasonal peak in
September to December next year,”
he says.
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Cathay Pacific serves
approximately
1,400
bowls of its Signature
Noodle Soups inflight
every day
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CX accepts ‘most admired’ accolade
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n Surcharge maintained
The Civil Aviation Department
(CAD) gave approval for CX to
maintain the previous level of
fuel surcharges – HK$71 for
short-haul flights and HK$328
for long-haul flights – for
November.
The CAD now assesses passenger fuel surcharges on a
monthly basis.
issued traffic figures for September which showed
passenger demand increasing by 0.3% compared
to the same month in 2008 and demand for international cargo 5.4% down year on year.
However, the association stressed the figures
were misleading because comparisons were with
an exceptionally weak September 2008 when the
global downturn first began to show its teeth.
IATA Director General and CEO Giovanni
Bisignani said it was “far too early” to say a recovery
was underway.
“The worst may be over in terms of the fall in
demand, but yields continue to be a disaster and
costs are rising,” Giovanni said.
“The airline industry remains firmly in the red
with a fragile business environment.”
However, despite the uncertainty in the current
operating environment, Tony remained upbeat
about the prospects for Asia.
“While Asia has been hit harder than elsewhere,
it is likely to bounce back more quickly when a
true recovery comes,” Tony said.
IATA figures showed that Asia-Pacific carriers
recorded the most significant improvement
in passenger demand in September – +2.1%
compared to -1.6% in August.
n
freighters and a rate surge.
CX currently has six of its 25
freighters out of operation, and the
fact that it’s an expensive, lengthy
process to bring parked aircraft back
into service means there’ll be no
sudden growth in capacity, James
says.
“Luckily, Planning and Flight
Ops have done a great job helping
us to maximise our aircraft utilisation and we’ve been able to mount
five or six extra sectors a week to
take advantage of the upsurge,” he
says.
The extra sectors have been split
certainly climbed significantly,” he
says.
“However, we have to remember
that rates fell to unprecedented lows
in the first half of the year.”
The Shanghai and Hong Kong
markets are particularly hot as shippers rush to get consumer goods
to North America and Europe in
advance of the seasonal shopping
spree.
The last-minute spurt to replenish depleted inventories has led
to forwarders favouring airfreight
over sea – and the shortage of capacity in the market has led to full
n Report citation
Cathay Pacific’s 2008 annual
report received a “Citation
for Design” in this year’s Best
Annual Report Awards run by
the Hong Kong Management
Association.
Chief Executive Tony Tyler was in Beijing on
29 October as Cathay Pacific collected the top
company honour in the annual Wall Street Journal
Asia’s reader survey of Hong Kong’s most-admired
companies.
Tony received the award from Managing Editor
of CWSJ.com, Li Yuan.
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The results, which were announced earlier this
year, showed the airline coming out top in 2008
for the fourth year in a row above the likes of Hang
Seng Bank and MTR Corp. Swire Pacific was placed
second.
The survey is part of the newspaper’s “Asia’s 200
Most-Admired Companies” annual poll.
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Heartwarming response for relief effort
A total of 510 boxes and 90 bags
containing donations of food,
clothes, blankets and other amenities from generous CX staff and
Hong Kong churches were sent to
the Philippines in October to help
victims of Typhoon Ondoy.
The donation box set up in the
crew lounge from 29 September to
16 October was inundated right up
until the final day for making donations.
In the Middle East, Cathay Pacific
offices in the United Arab Emirates
were crowded with donations of
clothes, medicine, food and bedding.
CX flew the items to Manila free
of charge where they were given to
the Caritas Filipinas Foundation to
aid those affected by the flooding.
Marketing & Sales Officer Clifford
Rasquinha says the response to the
appeal was better than they ever
expected. “In some offices there was
hardly any room for customers!” he
says.
One of the coordinators of the
Hong Kong relief effort, Inflight Service Manager Jigs Abiera, says right
up to 16 October she was still getting calls from staff wanting to make
donations.
“There was no stopping the overflow of support and help – it was
truly very moving,” she says.
“Even on the final donation day,
one of our London-based crew who
just arrived from a flight came by to
give us clothes.
“Now the rebuilding and restoration work has started, and will
continue for years, I think we can all
feel proud we did what we could to
help,” Jigs adds.
n CX backs wine contest
Cathay Pacific was the title
sponsor for the Hong Kong
International Wine & Spirit
Competition held in conjunction with the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair.
Chief Operating Officer John
Slosar represented the airline
at the event on 4 November at
the Hong Kong Convention &
Exhibition Centre, which saw
awards given out in various
categories including for Chinese food and wine pairing and
the “Asia’s Best” series.
3
Leaseback landmark
Latest 777-300ER the first in new agreement with BOCA
The latest Boeing 777-300ER to enter service with CX is different from
the rest.
First, B-KPL – the 12th of the type
to enter the fleet – flew out of Seattle
bearing the special oneworld livery
created to mark the alliance’s 10th
anniversary.
This was the final one of three
aircraft to get the oneworld colours
and the first and only 777-300ER to
highlight the alliance.
KPL also marked the beginning
of a new relationship for CX under a
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leaseback agreement with BOC Aviation (BOCA).
Speaking at the delivery dinner
for the aircraft, held in Seattle on 16
October, Tony said the agreement
with BOCA marked the beginning
of an important new relationship
under which the Singapore-based
company will buy and lease back six
777-300ERs being delivered up to
the second quarter of 2011.
“This arrangement makes a lot of
sense to Cathay Pacific as part of our
long-term fleet management strat-
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Tweeters invited to follow
CX dolls around the world
The US team has taken to tweeting in a big way, using Twitter to engage
with customers and spin out the latest offers and promotions.
At the end of October the team took the concept of following on Twitter
to the next level by launching the “Follow the Crew Dolls” contest,
From 28 October to 5 November, Twitter users following @CathayPacificUS received a tweet hinting that one of CX’s historical dolls could be
anywhere in the world.
Followers who tweeted the correct answer stood a chance of winning a
doll and going into a grand-prize draw to win a pair of round-trip tickets
to Hong Kong and the entire collection of dolls in a special display case.
The idea for the competition came about when Nancy Tao, Marketing
Coordinator in CXSFO (right), was tasked to come up with a way to promote an FOC shipment of historical uniform
dolls from Hong Kong.
“Since Twitter’s popularity is growing and
we want to raise our visibility within the social
media scene, this competition was a good
experiment for us,” says Nancy.
The competition has stirred up
some interest in the
“Twitter-sphere” with a
steady stream of entries,
a rise in Twitter followers and coverage
in a number of
newspapers and
magazines.
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original owner of the aircraft sells
the aircraft to a third party (in this
case BOCA) which then leases it back
to the original owner for an agreed
period of time.
The ownership and the residual
value risk of the aircraft are transferred to BOCA while CX retains full
use and operational control of the
aircraft until the expiry of the lease.
“The sale and leaseback arrangement helps us better manage the exposure on residual value risk of our
fleet.” says Janet Cheung, Manager
Purchasing – Aircraft Trading.
“And it’s also a practical solution
on the financing side, especially as
we are facing the uncertainly and
adverse impact of the global credit
crunch.
“With a commitment from BOCA
to purchase five more of our 777300ERs in the coming two years, we
can better focus our resources on financing the remaining eight deliveries for next year.”
egy, where our aim is to maintain an
appropriate balance between owned
and leased aircraft,” Tony said.
“This is a sensible thing to do at
any time – and it makes even more
sense during this unprecedented,
and unrelenting, global slump.”
This is not the first sale and leaseback arrangement for CX – it was
done for another delivery in May
– but it is the first leaseback deal on
such a scale signed by the airline.
A sale and leaseback arrangement
is where the
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Strong response as first crew
forum makes a real connection
There were queues outside Dakota’s
Sports Bar at lunchtime on 21 October as cabin crew lined up to attend
the first CONNECT Crew Forum.
General Manager Inflight Services
Charlie Stewart-Cox opened with an
update on the state of the company
before a lively Q&A session which
ran the gauntlet of concerns ranging
from crew hotels, rostering concerns
and India flights to the food being
served inflight.
Charlie says he was pleased with
the response. “The turnout was a
little more than we expected, which
is brilliant, and every category, nationality and even the bases were
represented so it was a really good
mix,” he says.
“Crew are pretty dynamic, passionate and inquisitive about all aspects
of the job and take it seriously, so
you can always expect ‘hot’ issues to
be raised.”
Charlie says the forum was important for such a large department, the
majority of whom are not really “in
the office”.
“They have far less opportunity
than most staff at CX to meet their
managers face to face – not just me
but other section heads too – and be
able to ask them questions,” Charlie
says.
“It’s important to provide an opportunity for them to meet managers
– it fosters understanding, openness
and a greater sense of teamwork.
“We know we can’t solve all their
concerns but they should be able to
raise their issues directly with us, to
see they are being heard and to listen
to our considered responses,” Charlie
adds.
Sam takes
up the China
mantle
Becoming General Manager
China for both Cathay Pacific
and Dragonair at a time when
Mainland China is growing in importance is a daunting prospect,
but Sam Swire is looking forward
to the challenge.
Sam was previously at Cathay Pacific in 2003 in the Planning Department, before going
to New York to work at Seacor
Holdings and then returning to
Hong Kong in 2006 to work for
Swire Properties in both Hong
Kong and Shanghai.
He also spent two years as a
regional manager at Swire Pacific Offshore in Singapore.
In August he took up his present position. Sam still says the
China market presents many
challenges, one of which is getting the brand name out.
“Getting travellers to see
the attraction of flying with us
through Hong Kong and onto
the world is a priority. I think we
have a relatively fresh market in
China which is there for the taking, if we don’t take it someone
else will,” he says.
Four ports were taken offline
this year because of the economic situation but Sam says
they are being constantly reevaluated with a view to restarting in the future.
“I think we want to develop
our network, which is already
extensive. Obviously Beijing and
Shanghai are the biggest ports
we have in terms of revenue, but
it’s important we also invest in
the secondary cities that we fly
to like Kunming, Wuhan, Changsha, and Sanya,” he says.
As the only non-Chinese in a
team of 650, Sam says a personal
task is to improve his Putonghua.
Developing and meeting the
widespread team at 19 offices
throughout the country is also a
priority.
“We have a young, energetic
team with possibly less experience than in other regions but
definitely keen and with a good
attitude.
“This is a great opportunity
to develop a fantastically strong
team,” Sam says.
Briefs
Anti-drug programme celebrates 15 years
The Life Education Activity Programme
(LEAP) opened the “Celebrating 15 Years
of Life Education in Hong Kong” exhibition
at Pacific Place on 23 October with HKSAR
Acting Chief Executive Henry Tang as guest
of honour.
Cathay Pacific and Swire are both major
sponsors of LEAP and joining Mr Tang at
the exhibition opening ceremony were
John Swire & Sons (China) Chairman Philip
Chen, Chief Operating Officer John Slosar
and Director Corporate Affairs and LEAP
Chairman Quince Chong.
The officiating guests dropped cards
into a model of a LEAP mobile classroom
wiith an appeal for everyone to work
towards developing a drug-free society.
In her opening speech, Quince said
Cathay Pacific and Swire were proud of
their long association with LEAP.
“We are honoured to have helped drive
this worthwhile project from the very beginning,” she said. “Through our long-term
partnership with LEAP, we are proud to
have played a part in helping teach Hong
Kong’s younger generation about the
dangers of substance abuse.”
To further promote its message, LEAP, in
collaboration with CX and Swire Resources,
is organising a competition to invite designs for its new mobile classroom. More
details at www.leap.org.hk
n New travel alert system
The new Outbound Travel Alert
system for Hong Kong travellers,
launched on 20 October, uses
amber, red and black warnings
to describe three levels of risk in
more than 60 countries and territories popular with Hong Kong
residents.
The HKSAR Government
decides which warning to issue by
assessing the level of threat to personal safety, the duration of the
threat and whether it is targeted
at tourists.
SHOWING SUPPORT: (from left) Philip Chen, Henry Tang, Quince
Chong and John Slosar join schoolchildren to launch the exhibit.
n More discounts for seniors
CX is once again offering senior
citizens in Hong Kong and Macau
a special discount of 20% on tickets to a number of popular destinations in celebration of Senior
Citizens’ Day on 15 November.
This is the 10th consecutive year
for the airline to offer the discount
which is open to all Hong Kong
and Macau residents aged 65 or
over for travel until 31 March 2010.
Jeddah on board
Port city holds great potential for both passenger and cargo business
It is an ideal time for Cathay Pacific
to launch services to the major Saudi Arabian trade city of Jeddah, according to General Manager Middle
East, India, Africa & Pakistan Tom
Wright.
“As has been shown during the
recent economic downturn, the region has proved its resilience and
we have responded to that by adding capacity, “ Tom says.
The new service, operated with an
A330-300 aircraft in a two-class configuration, started on 26 October.
CX started the now-daily services
to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh
in 2001, and the Jeddah service
takes the number of weekly flights
to the country to 11.
The airline’s relationship with the
Middle East market dates back to
1976 starting with flights to Bahrain
followed by Dubai.
“The growing importance of this
region to various Asian companies,
especially from China, is a positive
for us,” Tom says.
Country Manager Bahrain & Saudi
Arabia Daniel Cheung says the Middle East routes have grown steadily
with increased frequencies, the introduction of newer aircraft types
and new destinations, and he has
equally high hopes for Jeddah.
“With a growing population and
high per capita income, the Saudi
travel market has shown consistent
annual growth,” he says.
Being a large trading port, Daniel
says Jeddah has strong potential for
both passenger and cargo.
“The inbound traffic is strong with
growing Muslim pilgrimage traffic and the regular December peak
dominated mostly by the Filipino
market,” he says.
An official launch ceremony was
held in the city on 3 November with
Chief Executive Tony Tyler present to
welcome guests including Government officials, local and Hong Kong
media, Marco Polo Club members
and trade partners.
SAUDI STARTUP: (from left) Daniel Cheung, King Abdulaziz International Airport’s Abdul Elah Falemban, Tony Tyler,
Arabian Service Company’s Ziad Sudairi and Tom Wright participate in the official cake-cutting while entertainers
helped to bring a touch of Asia to the ceremony.
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n Buy groceries, earn miles!
Up to 19 November, Asia Miles
members who are also MoneyBack
members can earn 1,000 Asia
Miles when spending HK$500 or
more in one single transaction at
any of 18 participating supermarkets – including PARKnSHOP, International, Taste, Great, Gourmet,
and Fusion.
Find out more at www.
asiamiles.com.
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departments to ensure the people
who have to be in the room all get
there,” he says.
“The CMC acts as a central point
for all communication whether it’s
from the airport ramp, the outports
or other departments, and information is constantly updated and recorded on the whiteboards around
the room.”
Crisis Response Development
Manager Carrie Shiu says the vital
role the CCAs perform is keeping
communication lines open.
“Information is the most important component of any crisis re-
sponse,” she says. “Victims, responders, families, governments and other
stakeholders all demand timely information during and after a crisis.
“The CCAs are responsible for ensuring all information is recorded
and flows between all response parties,” Carrie adds.
Even though the CMC is normally
eerily quiet, on November 20 it will
be a hive of activity when the Hong
Kong Airport Authority’s annual
Crash and Rescue Exercise is held.
The exercise will involve many
key departments including the HKIA
team, Corporate Contingency Plan-
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164
n
ning, Corporate Communication,
Inflight Services and Flight Operations.
The last time Cathay Pacific was
heavily involved in the HKAA’s exercise was 2005 and several key areas
have changed since then that CCP
would like to trial.
“The reconciliation process on
Einstein has been enhanced so we
want to test that out,” Carrie says.
“The drill will also include a series
of press releases and a press conference so it is also a good opportunity
for us to test our media response,”
she adds.
n
The combined length of the
Long Tables in the CX/KA
lounges is approximately
Annual crash exercise will put command centre to the test
On the fifth floor of North Tower
at Cathay City is the airline’s Crisis
Management Centre – a fortunately
seldom-used war room which, nonetheless, is kept ready to be activated
at a moment’s notice.
The unsung heroes of the CMC
are the 26 Command Centre Administrator (CCA) team members who
ensure the centre is ready to operate
the minute a crisis occurs anywhere
around the world.
Operations Training Specialist Ken
Barrett says: “When we receive a call
we have to activate the room and
coordinate phone calls to all the key
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n Helium3 rule
The new music video from Helium3 – a band made up largely
of CX pilots – is now available for
viewing on YouTube.
The video for their first single,
Rule the World, was shot in
Hong Kong and, as well as band
members Nick Flavell, Mike Smith,
Brendan Delfino and Dave Belcastro, features cabin crew in some of
the concert shots.
The group’s album, Skindeep, is
also now available on StudioCX .
5
n
Letters to the Editor
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also set high customer expectations which we may not be able
to fulfil.
We allow individual countries
to assess their local situation to
determine whether they wish to
release their email addresses to
the public based on whether they
have the resources to service the
requests they receive. 
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Star letter
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First-hand
knowledge
needed
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n
Is it possible to have a product
experience programme for staff,
especially those promoting the
front-end product?
I work in the Marketing department and write product articles
and information targeting First
and Business Class passengers,
but I have never actually travelled
in First Class so my knowledge of
the “experience” is from written
information.
I would like to suggest staff
involved in writing product information on a regular basis should
also have the chance to experience the product firsthand, for
example, by providing a “product
experience” flight within a set period of time.
This would help the staff who
are tasked with selling the product to help them really know what
it is they are promoting. 
Karen Desch
FRA
Alex McGowan, Manager Product, replies: While it certainly helps
to have firsthand experience of
the product or service one is try-
ing to promote unfortunately, just
as Crystal Cruises cannot send all
their marketing staff on a roundthe-world fam trip, nor can we fly
all of ours First Class.
For Hong Kong-based staff there
is a training mock-up on the third
floor which can be viewed when
not in use, as well as a range of
training material.
We will also look at whether an
edited version of this material can
be created to help distil the key aspects of our premium cabins.
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Send us your feedback
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We 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.
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What’s in
a name?
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IFE landing
form help
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I would like to suggest that we dedicate a channel on the inflight entertainment system to providing information in different languages about
how to fill in the landing forms.
As the landing forms are usually
in English, the channel could provide useful information to non-English speakers.
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Name withheld
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When we opened the premium
lounge in Kuala Lumpur it was described as the First and Business
Class Lounge.
As we do not operate First Class
flights to/from Kuala Lumpur, why
build a First Class lounge?
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6
Alex McGowan, Manager Product, replies: This is simply a naming convention.  We call it “First
and Business Class” for the clarity of Diamond Marco Polo Club
members and passengers with
onward connections in First Class
– all of whom are eligible for First
Class lounge access where it is
available.
Christine Zhu, Product Manager, Inflight Communication &
Entertainment, replies: Providing a dedicated channel to provide information on filling out the
landing forms is a good idea, but
with our existing limited capacity
we would prefer to concentrate
on content which is more relevant
to the majority of passengers. 
We would also need to source
the material as we do not have
suitable footage at hand.
Email
reservations
Could the Reservations email addresses for all the outports be
made available on the contact
page on the Cathaypacific.com
website?
As the AKL Reservations email
address is on the website we
often receive messages from
passengers from other outports
which have no local email contact.
Phillip Alves
AKL
Mary Chan, Worldwide Reservation & Ticketing Manager,
replies: The team sizes of the
various CX/KA outports vary and
some are as small as one or two
people. 
To publish the email address of
every single Reservations & Ticketing office might not prove to be
operationally viable and would
Numbered
confusion
I met a visitor to Cathay City who
was unable to find the conference room he was supposed to
be in despite having the number
written on his visitor ID.
The visitor ID said N603, which
translates to meeting room N6.3,
but he wasn’t able to understand
the numbering system. I have noticed some colleagues also have
the same problem.
Would it help if the roombooking system shows the actual
room numbers?
Jacky Yeung
PNL
Jerry Tam, Building & Facilities
Manager, replies: Although the
current system has been in use
for a long time, we appreciate
this feedback.
We are coordinating with IMT
for the booking system to display
the actual meeting room numbers. The front desk staff will also
be asked to issue visitor IDs with
the proper room numbers.
The online poll
Last month we asked “Should Cathay Pacific increase the appeal of
CSR volunteer activities by offering a form of compensation?” You
answered:
Yes, CSR activities are company branded and compensation
should be offered
Yes, but only after a certain level
of commitment has been shown 
No, it’s a personal choice to take
part in volunteer activities
0
10
20
30
Check out the CX World website and Daily News on IntraCX for next
month’s poll question.
40 %
Guangzhou boosts hub role
The Grand Hyatt Guangzhou was the scene for
a celebration on 21 October when Dragonair’s
Guangzhou service was officially launched.
KA CEO James Tong welcomed the guests who
included the Director General & General Secretary of Communist Party Central & Southern
KA BRIEFS
n New CCD head
Grace Lee will join Dragonair as
Head of Corporate Communication on 4 January 2010, arriving
from the Hong Kong Design Centre
where she is Marketing Director.
Grace is a well-rounded marketing and communications professional with solid experience in the
public and private sectors.
n Check-in counters
on the move
Dragonair
moved its
counter operations at Hong
Kong International Airport
to Aisle H in the
Departure Hall
of Terminal 1
on October 25.
All check-in counters, bag-drop
counter, CUSS machines and the
Marco Polo Club/Asia Miles Service
Desk were relocated.
n Disney kids’ kits
Regional Administration of CAAC Liu Yajun, other
government officials, agents and MPOs.
A number of senior KA and CX management
also attended including Director Sales & Marketing James Barrington and General Manager China
Sam Swire.
The twice-daily service, operated by A320 and A321 aircraft, was
launched on 14 September and
James Tong says load factors so far
have been “satisfactory and up to
expectations.”
“As expected, more than 90% have
been sixth-freedom passengers with
the majority of traffic being to/from
North America, the Middle East and
South West Pacific,” he says.
“The route has helped strengthen
Hong Kong’s aviation hub status by
offering improved connectivity between the Pearl River Delta region
and the rest of the world.”
First Mainland China port
still seeing room to grow
In 1985 Xiamen became the first
Dragonair port in Mainland China, with the launch of chartered
flights from Hong Kong.
A permanent office was setup
in 1990.
The route has since grown to
18 passenger flights a week and
two weekly freighter charters
operated by Cathay Pacific.
Ken Chiu was appointed Xiamen Port Manager in August
2009 having spent the previous
two years at CX in Cargo Planning.
The 30-person Xiamen team
not only takes care of Xiamen
sales and operations but also
provides support to other Southern China ports.
“The Xiamen travel market
has seen a lot of changes since
1985 with the growing economy
of Fujian Province and the relax-
ation of travel policies which has
seen the outbound market developing rapidly,” Ken says.
Ken says the inbound market
is attracted to the city’s pleasant
climate and many scenic spots,
while several major annual
events have also been heavily
promoted to boost tourist traffic.
“The Xiamen International
Marathon attracts more than
20,000 participants with the
course running through the
more scenic sections of the city,”
Ken says.
“Xiamen also hosts more than
100 international and national
exhibitions annually including
the China Investment and Trade
Fair and the Xiamen-Taiwan
Trade Fair,” he adds.
Ken says the corporate market
is still growing as more interna-
tional and Chinese enterprises
open offices in Xiamen and surrounding areas.
“There are also more than
10,000 students from Southeast
Asia, especially Indonesia, studying in Fujian.
“More and more countries
are relaxing their student visa
requirements so the student
market to Xiamen is expected to
grow,” he says.
“The seaman business also
showed a healthy growth in
2009 and we are working with
labour companies to look at
ways we can further boost that
market,” Ken says.
Online sales is another area
which is paying off with the
team seeing an increase in both
market demand and revenue
growth from online customers,
he adds.
Two new Disney-themed children’s
kits have been launched inflight
for the enjoyment of younger passengers.
The fun packs, now available on
the majority of Dragonair flights,
are distributed to children aged
three to eight and feature two
popular Disney themes – Mickey’s
Toon Town and Stitch.
n Crab delights for November
Dragonair has introduced a special
crab roe seasonal menu to mark
the annual hairy crab season.
The dishes will be served to First
Class passengers on outbound
flights from Hong Kong to Shanghai and Beijing until the end of
November.
XIAMEN RISING: Healthy business prospects for Ken Chiu (middle back row) and the XMN team.
KA People
Taking service to
the next level
Moving back to Hong
Kong after four
years at an outport
is challenging
enough without
also joining a
different airline
in a completely
different role,
but Assistant
General
Manager
Inflight
Services
Suzanne Wong has taken it in her stride.
Suzanne started her career with Cathay
Pacific in 1999 and has joined Dragonair as her
eighth posting.
“I’ve worked in various departments in sales
and marketing as well as in outport offices in
Bangkok, Cebu and Vietnam,” she says. “My
previous posting was in Ho Chi Minh City as
Country Manager Vietnam.”
Suzanne joined Dragonair in August and
calls the change “refreshing.” She says the
biggest challenge is how she can help take
Dragonair’s already excellent inflight service
to even greater heights.
“How do we take something that’s great
and make it even better – without losing what
made it great in the first place? The second
question is what does ‘even better’ look like?”
Suzanne says.
Outside the office, Suzanne loves to travel
and experience as many different cultures as
possible.
Another passion is pottery, and Suzanne
keeps an example of her work on her desk – a
water jug with a specially designed cup that
fits neatly into the spout.
“What I like about pottery is the creativity,
flexibility and attention to detail required. With
a bit of thought, simple objects can become
works of art,” Suzanne says.
7
Teams looking forward to better, faster functionality when new system comes online
Getting ready for PSS
Tom Owen
General Manager Revenue Management
Work on the
huge Passenger Services
Systems (PSS) project is now
well underway, with teams from CX
and system provider Amadeus busy
developing a replacement for the airline’s
ageing CUPID and CUPAC reservations and
check-in systems.
CX World spoke to a number of those
who will be affected by PSS to find out
what their expectations are
and what they foresee
the challenges will
be.
The CUPID system has served us well for 30-plus years, so we
are looking forward to a system with enhanced functionality to
streamline and accommodate the ever-growing demand and
complexities in revenue management operations.
A core team was set up in REV and initial training on the
new system is complete. We are now looking at how our
current procedures, carried out within CUPID,
will need to change to get the best out of the
new system.
Another key focus is the linking of our
PROS revenue management system, which
optimises the allocation of space across the
network, to the new PSS system. This is a
considerable challenge requiring
detailed analysis, architectural
changes and design. 
Finally we are working
with the PSS project team
to build a system
to ensure our
revenue integrity
checking continues
to be robust, as
CUPID has been
used to do this in
the past.  
Peter Langslow
General Manager Airports
The change to PSS will be a huge
undertaking for the company as a
whole, and our departure control
system (DCS) function will be one
of the key, operationally critical
pieces.
The airports-related parts
of the PSS project have been
proceeding well, thanks to the
substantial expert resources
already committed to the PSS
team. The amount of effort and
resources required from AHQ
will increase as we approach the
cutover.
We will all have to learn a new
system and adjust to new DCS
functionalities and, in some cases,
have to change our business
processes.
But PSS will enable passenger
handling according to individual
customer value and offer the
opportunity for improved service
standards, especially in respect of
service recovery and disruption
management.
Mary Chan
Worldwide Reservations & Ticketing Manager
This project will affect the way we perform our R&T activities and how
our staff interact with customers on both the selling and servicing sides. 
The impact of this migration on on R&T staff colleagues will be
immense. Staff will need to be retrained on all functionalities, so
we will also be able to make use of the opportunity to design our
workflow and review our work processes. 
Our work on PSS has gone well so far and we’ve been able
to deliver all major milestones according to schedule. After
an initial period of exploration and adaptation – with a
few disagreements along the way! – we now
have dedicated resources being assigned to
take up project coordination, system design,
development and testing work. We will face more
challenges and will need strong commitment to
make the implementation a success.
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Simon Ng
Manager Distribution
PSS is probably the largest change project in the last
decade!
Currently, CUPID processes 50,000-90,000 segments
every day, so any major problem during the transition
process would mean a revenue loss.
Many colleagues from various departments will
be working day and night to facilitate a smooth
implementation and we’ll need to be prepared for
problems and be proactive in getting them fixed.
We are looking for further commitment from all
frontline and back-office colleagues. We need to
embrace the business process changes that may be
required in the new era and determine how to utilise
the new systems to gain a winning edge for CX.
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Clean sweep for Lantau beaches
It’s amazing the amount of rubbish that can be found on beaches
these days, as more than 60 CX Volunteers discovered one sunny
Saturday morning in October
when they participated in a
worldwide coastal cleanup
event.
Staff descended on
Tong Fuk rocky beach and
the Shui Hau flats on Lantau Island and spent four
hours collecting around
900kg of rubbish including
plastic bags, clothing/shoes,
food wrappers/containers, straws,
8
glass bottles and rope.
Purchasing’s Michael Pratt says
the event gave CX staff a great opportunity to do something really
worthwhile and make a contribution to improving the environment
in one small part of Hong Kong. 
“We were able to see firsthand
how much rubbish is washed up
on the coastline, and by helping to
clear up the garbage we were able
to give something back to the community,” he says.
“It’s fantastic that the volunteers
care enough about Hong Kong to
want to make a difference, and CX
should certainly participate in more
of these events in the future.”
Emergency Response Development Executive Danny Chow says
he took part because he wanted to
make a difference in the community. “Events like this are an example
of the improvements which can be
achieved if we all pitch in and help
to improve our natural environment,” he says.
The International Coastal Cleanup
is ongoing in more than 100 countries around the world to help raise
awareness about the impact of trash
in the ocean.
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Branding rights
Staff campaign to raise awareness on proper use of the corporate logo
It’s the most ubiquitous sight at Cathay
Pacific – the “brushwing” symbol resembling a stroke of a calligrapher’s brush
that carries the airline’s name all over the
world.
The symbol was first seen by the public
on the tail of Cathay Pacific’s first A330 in
1994.
A special edition of
Discovery magazine coincided with the launch and
explained the design concept behind the logo.
The new corporate
symbol was meant to
carry CX into the 21st century and appeal
to the growing number of international
passengers. It took three years of market
research, company soul searching and
painstaking consideration before the final East-meets-West “brushwing” design
was decided upon.
The feedback from focus groups at the
time described the design as “visibly refreshing, very distinctive and (having a)
pleasing appeal”.
The calligraphy was also thought to
be a “unique” way of depicting a bird in
flight, as well as looking “handmade” and
therefore having a more personal touch.
Since then the corporate symbol has
been depicted on everything from aircraft and check-in counters to tickets and
marketing collaterals such as rugby balls
and umbrellas.
But Marketing Services Manager Daniel Heung says he has seen an increasing
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trend for the logo to be used incorrectly,
so a corporate identity campaign is now
underway to help staff realise the importance of using the logo in the right way.
“It’s a simple matter of brand integrity
and a consistency of brand image that has
to be maintained,” he says.
“The most common errors are using the wrong
colours such as a lighter
green, altering the proportion between the ‘brushwing’ and the text, or using
an incorrect font,” Daniel
adds.
Differences tend to occur because staff
copy the logo and then adapt it to their
purposes, but Daniel stresses that usage
guidelines and correct logos are all available on the Sales & Marketing section on
IntraCX for staff to follow.
As part of the campaign, each outport
has nominated a Corporate Identity Representative who will be responsible for
keeping an eye out for logo misuse and
following up, but Daniel would like all
staff to take a more proactive role.
“There is a form on the Marketing website which staff can submit along with a
photo of the item or they can even send a
sample direct to us,” he says.
As part of the campaign, a fun “logo
hunt” will be held throughout Cathay Pacific in December to help increase staff
awareness.
More information will be announced
via Daily News.
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LOGO NO-NOS
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9
Blockbuster movies,
blankets and breakfast
Survey helps give a clearer picture of what CX customers truly value
Every month the Reflex survey reveals what passengers think about
their travel experience with Cathay
Pacific – but what do customers really value when they travel with the
airline?
This was a question posed during the strategy review, and it’s now
being addressed through a project
run by the Product Department.
Over a two-week period in August, Reflex
was replaced by a different survey asking
passengers how they
felt about the various
services offered by the
airline.
“The purpose of the survey
was to evaluate what customers really value so that we can focus our
efforts and investments in those
areas,” says Manager Product Alex
McGowan.
The survey questions covered
all variable aspects of the inflight
experience asking passengers to
assess how the provision
of those products and services made them feel – and
how they would feel if they
were not available.
The responses were categorised by class of travel
and haul, with long-haul
being split further into day
and night flights.
A similar-style
survey was also
run on the
ground, asking questions
relating to the
airport experience.
ASSESSING VALUE: Product’s Alex McGowan.
“We got back a
propositions early next year.”
detailed report split into
The team already has a much
various sub-categories and we’ve
clearer
idea of which product and
been able to burrow into the list of
service elements customers cannot
things we provide in some detail,”
live without.
Alex says.
For example, in Business Class
“For phase two we will distil down
passengers
seem to really value bethe findings into a set of core propoing able to speed through the airsitions based on class and haul and
port but relax in a lounge with hot
run an online survey testing those
Noodle soups make a splash
First and Business Class passengers can
now enjoy the authentic taste of Chinese
noodles, with a menu of 14 Signature
Noodle Soups on offer.
Catering Manager Planning & Concept
Design Brendan Duffy says the noodle
soups are available on selected mainly
long-haul flights ex Hong Kong as an inflight snack.
“They are being promoted as a ‘Signature’ dish. After January, they will no
longer have that branding but will still be
available inflight,” Brendan says.
The 14 Signature Noodle Soups include
shrimp wonton noodles, braised pork and
preserved vegetable with rice noodles,
barbecued duck with lai fun noodles, Sichuanese dan dan noodles, deep-fried
shui gow noodles and beef curry with ho
fun noodles.
Two media events were held in
October to introduce the noodles to local food writers who all provided anonymous feedback after sampling nine of the
dishes. The Sichuanese dan dan noodles
scored high with a rating of 4.29 on the
5-point scale.
Writing in Eastweek magazine, reporter
Leung Ka-kuen said he liked seeing the effort that goes into preparing the noodles
inflight.
“I liked the textures of the dan dan noodle and the braised beef shank dish – also
the fact that the noodles are supplied by
a manufacturer that specialises in Italian
pasta!” he wrote.
Lau Kin-wai from the Hong Kong Economic Journal said: “Given there are so
many constraints in preparing inflight
meals, it’s nice to see the original taste
of the lai fun and rice noodles was retained.”
DINING
PLEASURES:
(from left)
Brendan Duffy,
chef Kwan Sit-fu
and Assistant
Manager
Catering
Planning Tony
Kiang.
10
food and wireless Internet.
Inflight they really value
being able to catch up
on the latest blockbuster
movies.
“They love the duvets we
introduced with the new
product but seem to want
simpler, less fussy food –
and definitely a hot breakfast,” says Alex.
At the same time, the
survey revealed that extras
such as a limousine service
were not particularly valued or expected.
“The basics are that the
majority of passengers in
all classes can’t accept even
the smallest cosmetic defects in our cabins,” says Alex.
“This could mean spending more
in some areas and less in others. At
least we can be confident that we
are spending money on things that
our passengers truly value – things
that will influence airline selection
and increase customer loyalty.”
Relationship sealed
with co-brand card
ON THE CARDS: At the launch ceremony of the co-brand
card are (from left) BOC’s Zhu Ling, BOC’s Ling Hai, CX’s
Sam Swire, BOC’s Vincent Chiang, Paul Loo and China
Union Pay’s Jeff Wang.
CPLP and the Bank of Communications launched a co-branded Asia Miles credit card on 14 October targeting frequent
business travellers with residency in China.
Speaking at a press ceremony on 14 October in Shanghai,
General Manager CPLP & CIS Paul Loo highlighted the relationship between Asia Miles and the Bank of Communications
for the past four years.
“We have long since recognised the need to provide a cobranded credit card which offers frequent flyers the ease of
earning miles for redeeming airline tickets,” he said.
Paul said the card application target for the first year was
20,000.
Coinciding with the launch, Asia Miles roadshows were
held in prominent districts in Shanghai and Beijing for several
weeks in October with more than 1,500 new Asia Miles members being recruited.
Recognition
for green
strategy
The Centre for Asia Pacific
Aviation (CAPA) acknowledged
Cathay Pacific’s environmental
efforts by naming it “Best Environmental Performance Airline
2009” at an awards ceremony in
Beijing in October.
“The award is a recognition
that we are moving in the right
direction and a vote of confidence in the importance that
CX has placed on addressing
environmental and sustainability
challenges,” says Head of Environmental Affairs Mark Watson.
General Manager China Sam
Swire was on hand to accept
the award from CAPA Executive
Chairman Peter Harbison
(above).
It has been a significant time
for the Environmental Affairs
Department as CX put its full support behind the pledges made
in June by the International Air
Transport Association (IATA) to
commit to carbon neutral growth
for the industry.
“CX has done a lot in this area
over the past year,” says Mark.
“We were at the forefront of
work undertaken by the industry
in calling for a global sectoral
approach to addressing aviation
emissions – a leadership role we
were happy to see IATA taking
up.”
The next major event will
be the United Nations Climate
Change Convention in Copenhagen in December where IATA will
be reiterating the collective targets for the industry – namely to
improve fuel efficiency by 1.5%
each year until 2020, carbon
neutral growth from 2020, and
an aspirational goal to reduce
net carbon emissions by 50% by
2050, compared with 2005.
THE TRUTH ABOUT AVIATION
• Aviation, its supply chain and the
spending of employees in these
businesses support more than 15
million jobs and US$1.1 trillion of
GDP worldwide.
• If additional industries that depend
on air transport were taken into
account, these figures would be even
higher. For example, by just including
air transport’s contribution to tourism
the figures grow to over 33 million
jobs and US$1.5 trillion of GDP.
Source: Airbus-commissioned Oxford Economics report
A Nippon experience
CANADA
Cargo team takes top
CIFFA award
TRIPLE HONOUR: Proudly displaying the three CIFFA awards
are (from left) Cargo Supervisor George Tsang, Cargo Manager
Western Canada Bruce Spencer and Cargo Supervisor Frankie Ng.
The UK team held a cocktail reception at the
fashionable Shanghai Blues restaurant to
thank industry partners for their ongoing
support.
Hosted by General Manager Europe Philippe
de Gentile Williams (pictured left), guests
at the event included agents from the main
leisure and corporate accounts. 
“Our trade partners are very important to us
and it was a great opportunity to get everyone
together,” Philippe says.
Charity for Ramadan
To mark the holy month of Ramadan, the United Arab Emirates
team organised a charity collection to provide items for lessfortunate residents in Dubai (left). On 17 September, the team
took the items, including food and toiletries, to distribute at one
of the city’s labour camps.
Also in September, Sales and
Marketing Manager UAE and
Oman Satish Shitut took a group
of Dubai travel agents on a fam
trip to Hong Kong and Macau.
The group visited tourism
landmarks in both SARs and had a
taste of the vibrant street activity
in Hong Kong (left).
INDONESIA
Relief effort for
earthquake victims
MAJOR CONTRIBUTION: The Toronto sales team, (from left)
Ross Cronin, Denny Cheng, Tom Rapin and Jane Rooney,
have helped keep the route strong.
12
Cathay Pacific won the grand “Carrier of the Year
for 2009” award from the western region of the
Canadian International Freight Forwards Carrier
Association (CIFFA) at a gala award night on 2
October.
The awards were voted by members of the
industry in western Canada to honour the carriers
serving the freight forwarding community.
CX also picked up the “Best Carrier to the Far East”
award for the fourth consecutive year and the “Best
Carrier to Australia/New Zealand 2009” award, also
for the fourth year in a row.
Getting the blues
UNITED KINGDOM
Like every other territory in the CX network, Canada has
been through a challenging year.
Despite achieving record passenger load factors at times,
fare cuts by competitors and a tightening of corporate travel
policies both served to drive down yield to levels well below
previous years.
“The best news is that things seem to have stabilised,”
says Alex Shum, Vice President Canada.
Working in Canada’s favour is the fact that its economy
is not as financially driven as in others parts of the world,
though the country’s consumers – both leisure and corporate
– remain cautious spenders.
“‘Best price’ will definitely take priority over value/brand
throughout the recovery period,” Alex says.
The team has been buoyed by “VFR” (visiting friends and
relatives) Chinese travellers together with Canada’s large
base of loyal MPO and Asia Miles members.
In Toronto, back-end loads have remained in the 90%-plus
range, helped by the non-stop service on the 777-300ER.
“We have seen competitor traffic switching to CX because
of attractive Business Class offers, but the yield was such
that overall front-end revenue has remained fairly flat,” says
Alex.
Vancouver to Hong Kong remains extremely competitive,
with nine Asian carriers plying the route and pricing
plunging to record lows in 2009.
In the “best price” environment, the team has seen a
reduction in third- and fourth-freedom market share, though
the overall route contribution remains strong.
“Kudos to the team as the Toronto route has been a
top-five contributor for most of 2009 and in some months
all Canadian flights were in the top 10,” says Alex. “More
importantly, we have shown efficiency gains in terms of
revenue per ASK.”
Alex says brand awareness in Canada and CX’s two
gateway cities remains relatively strong, “and our sales teams
continue to exploit every opportunity to increase yield and
leverage the extensive CX/KA network”.
On the cargo side, business has remained relatively
stable in 2009, though there is still no sign of any sustained
upturn.
“However, it’s worth noting that we had an extremely
good cherry season ex-Vancouver with a 52% increase on
the tonnage uplifted in 2008 – a great accomplishment
when the season runs for just two months in summer,” says
Alex.
With a return to a more stable pricing environment in the
last quarter, including strong demand for front-end seats,
albeit at lower yield, Alex says the team remains “cautiously
optimistic” as 2009 draws to a close.
The CX Tokyo team took part in the 16th Nippon to Asobo (have
fun with Japan) event from 13-14 October at the Byodoin temple
in Kyoto.
The event was one of the activities in the 2009 Japan and
Hong Kong Tourism Exchange Year as well as commemorating
the 1,300th anniversary of the Nara Heijo-kyo Capital.
Cathay Pacific helped sponsor the flights for Hong Kong-based
journalists and well-known actor Terence Yin to attend. The
evening included an auction to benefit the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees and a cultural exchange performance
using Japanese instruments. 
A Japanese-style dinner (right) was held afterwards attended
by Diamond Marco Polo Club members Mr and Mrs Yamaji,
General Manager Japan Simon Large and an apprentice geisha.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Canada team
meeting the
challenge
JAPAN
news focus
The CX teams in Indonesia dug deep to help victims of
the Sumatra earthquake.
Staff in Jakarta, Denpasar and Surabaya contributed
29 boxes of clothes and raised 10.1 million rupiah, with
another five million rupiah donated from the social
fund. The money was given to Yayasan Asa Pradana
which aids victims of natural disasters.
 “The team has been deeply touched by the response
from all Indonesian staff to the earthquake appeal,” says
Country Manager Indonesia Rob Bradshaw. “The money
raised will make a real difference to many devastated
lives in the Sumatran province.”
Port people
Stars come out for
office anniversary
HORSING
AROUND: Ilka
and RDA pony
Brown Sugar
bond during
her visit to
Hong Kong.
INDIA
The Mumbai team celebrated the first
anniversary of its new office on 1 October with
a stream of movie stars attending.
Staff got into the spirit of the evening
by dressing as characters from famous
Hollywood and Bollywood films. Edward
Scissorhands mingled with Captain Jack
Sparrow and the cast of the Wizard of Oz,
while the ladies’ favourite was definitely a
dapper-looking James Bond.
The Airport, Cargo, Finance and
Customer Sales teams put on a series
of skits and dances, with the Cargo
team winning the audience vote by a
landslide.
Ilka’s patchwork zoo
Winner of last year’s RDA Pony Naming Competition, Sales
Support Officer – C&P Ilka Goldschmitt, not only has a
thing for horses, the animal lover also keeps a wide variety
of other pets at home in Frankfurt.
She owns four ponies – two for riding and two to draw a
carriage when she goes for long rides – two cats, 11 rabbits
and more than 30 hens.
“I wish I had a dog too, but a dog needs too much
attention, which is simply not possible if you work full
time,” says Ilka.
With so many animal friends under her charge and a fulltime job, Ilka says there is not much time left to do anything
outside “pet care”, which her boyfriend Georg helps with.
“The question for us is not ‘what are we doing tonight?’
but rather ‘which pet needs the most attention?’” she
jokes.
But no matter how much work her pets cause, Ilka says
being with them is the best stress reliever in the world.
“After an exhausting day at work, I can sit on a bale of
hay with a purring cat resting next to me and listen to the
horses munching away.
“As the snow starts to fall, you cannot imagine how
peaceful it becomes,” she sighs.
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13
One
minute with...
Samuel Lo,
Flight Data Analyst
1. As a photography fanatic
and CX Camera Club chairman, what is the best part
of seeing the world through
a lens?
You can crop out all the rubbish.
2. Is there such a thing as
an idiot-proof camera?
No, there are only easy-to-use
ones with basic operations. Idiots
don’t use cameras!
3. What got you interested
in taking photos of planes?
Seeing the aircraft against the
night lights of Hong Kong.
4. Kai Tak was a wonderful place to take photos of
planes. Which other airport
would you recommend for a
good aircraft shot?
Congonhas (CGH) in Sao Paulo,
Brazil.
5. Planes aside, what is the
most photogenic place in
Hong Kong?
Sai Kung East Country Park.
6. You vs (CCD photographer) David McIntyre. Who’s
the best snapper?
Alfonso bounces back for
Asian games
The upcoming East Asian Games,
which get underway in Hong Kong
on 5 December, will mark a comeback for Alfonso Bibi Cordero.
In October 2006, the hockey player – a Flight Purser with CX – busted
his knee and was out of the sport
for a long time. Determination and
hard work have enabled him to
bounce back, and now he’s keen to
do Hong Kong proud in the upcoming games.
“My mum told me I first picked up
my uncle’s hockey stick at the age of
three, and I still have a great passion
for the game,” says Alfonso.
In 1991, at the age of 16, he was
selected for the Hong Kong team,
playing against Macau in the annual
interport event.
His most memorable tournament was in 1998 when Hong Kong
defeated Singapore 4-2 to lift the
Asian Hockey Federation Cup on
home soil.
Come December, the all-amateur
Hong Kong team will be up against
regional opponents such as Korea,
Japan and China, who all field fulltime professional players, and Chinese Taipei, whose team is drawn
from the military.
“I’d say we have a slim chance to
get third or fourth place, but the fact
we’re playing at home should be a
big advantage,” says Alfonso, who
currently trains at least three times
a week in between flights.
Joining him in the Hong Kong
squad are HAS Load Controller Arif
FANCY STICKWORK: Arif, Natalia and Alfonso will make their presence felt
during the hockey matches at the East Asian Games.
Ali and Flight Attendant Natalia Chu,
who will serve as a hockey judge for
the games.
Natalia, who played for the Hong
Kong Ladies Team in her university days, says she’s excited about
her upcoming role. “Even though
I won’t be playing, it is still an honour to contribute as an official in the
games,” she says.
Cathay Pacific is a Diamond Sponsor of the East Asian Games.
Paper plane challenge a winner
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Hand-made projectiles were flying
right, left and centre at the Dakota
Sports Hall at lunchtime on 23 October as staff took part in the Paper
Plane Flying Challenge.
Organised by the Flight Operation Department’s Inter-Section
Training Group and the Sunnyside
Club, the event was designed to
raise funds for the Club and have
some fun along the way.
Staff making a small donation
of HK$10 received three pieces of
paper and could then either follow
tips from paper plane folding “experts” or use step-by-step instructions which showed how to make a
wide variety of planes.
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Two challenges were offered –
the Flight Control Landing section
saw fliers trying to land a plane on
a simulated HKIA runway complete
with paper boats in the “harbour”;
while, in the Long Range Cruise
section, staff simply had to make
their planes fly as far as possible.
Within minutes of starting, planes
of all shapes and sizes were gliding
through the air as enthusiastic staff
tested out every possible aerodynamic form.
Proving that they also know
something about the paper variety of aircraft, staff from Flight
Ops emerged victorious, collecting
all three prizes in the Flight Control
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Landing event.
ICM Patterns Manager Joyce
Choy took first place while Training
& Schedule Coordinator – Airbus
Mei Ling Kong came second and
third.
In the Long Range Cruise section,
Inventory Operations Officer Patrick Ho was also a double winner,
coming first and third, while Flight
Planning & Navigation Manager
Morgan Ng came second.
Patrick says his winning plane
was a simple one-wing effort that
“still flew straight and far”.
“When I was younger I liked to
play with paper planes – they are
simple but lots of fun,” he adds.
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Joyce says she was taught how to
fold a plane by her father when she
was only three.
“I made one attempt and the
plane landed smoothly on the ‘runway’ – it was very lucky!” she says.
Morgan says he also used to
make a lot of planes when he was
younger and flew them all over the
street.
“I know how to fold a few types
– some for hovering and some for
straight flights,” he says. The one
which proved a winner for him was
a basic dart with one extra fold
along the wing.
The event raised a total of
HK$5,000 for the Sunnyside Club.
David is better. He photographs
everything while I concentrate on
aircraft.
7. As a scout leader, what
would make a good boy
scout motto for CX?
Respect for equality and being
fair when dealing with everyone.
8. You also like to go hiking
– where is the best place in
Hong Kong?
The western side of Lantau Island
such as Kau Nga Ling and Fan
Lau.
9. What is your favourite
holiday destination and why?
Japan – new things, new technology, nice views and the people
have a good attitude.
10. How many cameras do
you take when travelling?
Only two. One DSLR for high quality, which is heavy, and one compact DC, which is much lighter.
14
FLYING HIGH: Manager Strategic Planning & Support KY Cheng presents certificates to (from left) Morgan Ng,
Mei Ling Kong, Joyce Choy and Patrick Ho (above). Mei Ling is shocked as her plane lands on the runway (left).
Golden moments
for CX tai chi team
The CX Tai Chi Club had a resounding success at the 2009 Hong Kong
Open Tai Chi Competition on 11 October taking home team and individual gold medals.
Twenty-seven staff took part in the competition with the Ladies
Team, comprised of Angela Ho (FIN), Christina Li (AHQ), Jackie Tse
(WRT), Natalie Chow (EXO), Shirley Wong (ISD) and Tricia Seng (ISD),
securing the gold medal in the Form 24  group event.
Jackie and Tricia also received silver and bronze metals respectively for their participation in the Form 24 individual event. 
All the staff took part in the three-minute Traditional Tai Chi Performance competition, taking home a total of 21 gold medals, four
silver and two bronze medals.
The team also received the Grand Trophy for being the organisation with the most number of participants in the event.
Tai Chi Club organiser Harty Baleros says: “The outstanding results
are a great acknowledgement for all the staff who went through
intense training to perform to such high standards. I would like to
thank for all their active participation and commitment to the competition.”
ff take a
rabaya Airport sta
PEAK MOMENT: Su
ason.
se
Leberan peak
breather during the
IN STEP: SFO staff take part in the Race for the Cure
breast cancer fundraising walk.
WARR GAMES: Cabin crew runners fighting fit for the
World Airline Road Race in Hangzhou in September.
, Patrick Yeung, Sam
ANNIVERSARY GALA: Erica Peng
anniversary
60th
a
nd
 atte
Miao
Swire and Miao
le.
dinner at the Great Hall of the Peop
TOP FORM: The victorious tai chi team and their trophies.
The Quiz
To celebrate the world premiere of the
live-action movie Ben 10 Alien Swarm on
Cartoon Network on 28 November, we have
five Ben 10 packs for lucky prize winners.
Based on Ben 10 Alien Force, Ben 10 Alien
Swarm follows teenage hero Ben Tennyson
as he breaks ranks from the Plumbers (a
secret organisation that battles alien forces)
to help Elena, a mysterious young woman,
uncover an alien threat.
Joining him on his adventures are his
cousin Gwen and friend Kevin, superpowered heroes in their own right, who must trust each other’s instincts
to help save the day. Ryan Kelley (Letters from Iwo Jima) stars as 15-yearold Ben Tennyson, who, armed with the Omnitrix, can transform into 10
different aliens.
The pack contains a ballpoint pen set, an Alien Creation Transporter, a
Swampfire keychain, a 3-zipper pouch and an Omnitrix Illuminator.
Find out more at www.CartoonNetworkAsia.com.
The winner of our second prize this
month will receive a three-night stay in a
superior villa at the Pullman Sanya Yalong
Bay Resort & Spa.
The property, which has a private
beach, houses 78 rooms and 115 villas
each with its own pool and indoor
Jacuzzi. Visitors can enjoy playing at the adjoining golf course or
visit the resort’s spa and fitness centre.
Guests can enjoy international cuisine at Rive Gauche, Cantonese
favourites at Le Chinois and delicious Indian dishes at Jaipur. There
are also three bars including Azur which offers a selection of vitamin
cocktails and juices; swim-up pool bar Lagoon with snacks and cool
drinks; and evening lounge Soda.
Find out more at www.accorhotels.com
To enter, visit the online quiz entry form on the CX World site.
The deadline is noon on Friday, 4 December.
COLOUR CLASH: “Odd sock day” is a Friday tradition
for CCD’s Kerry McGlynn.
t in
e helping ou
ff celebrat
ta
S
:
S
.
EA
S
E
Angeles
SAVING TH
ent in Los
Cleanup ev
the Coastal
FESTIVE FLAIR: The BOM Town Office team wear
traditional attire to celebrate the festival of Diwali.
GOOD SPORTS
: The CX Pakist
an cricket team
the tournamen
at
t organised by
Galileo Pakist
an.
TAKING SHOTS: LHR engineers enjoy a BBQ and
clay pigeon shooting on a lovely autumn day.
CENTURY CLUB: AKL sta
ff Maria Chow, David
Figgins
and Angela Hui celebr
ate significant career
milestones
– combined their CX
ser vice is more than
100 years.
Coastal beauty
Travel
bites
Lakes, waterfalls and delicious ice cream – Administration
Supervisor Connie Choi discovers the splendour of Croatia
I had heard the natural scenary in the former
Yugoslavia was unbelievably beautiful so,
when holiday time came around, I decided
a visit to Slovenia and Croatia should be on
the agenda.  
Croatia became an independent state in
1991. The country has a long coastline with
more than a thousand islands dotted about
and many old towns to explore. 
One must-visit destination is the Plitvice
Lakes National Park.  It was Croatia’s first national park and is a great place for hiking or
taking photographs of the mountains, lakes
and waterfalls.
The park has 16 terraced lakes which are
connected by a series of waterfalls. The clear
water is full of vibrant colours turning this
park into a natural wonderland. 
The lakes are divided into the Upper Lakes
and the Lower Lakes and there are hiking
routes of various lengths winding around
them. The entrance ticket is 110 kuna (about
HK$170) which includes bus and boat rides
within the park.    
Many cities have an old town and the one
in the coastal city of Dubrovnik should not be
missed.
It is surrounded by thick walls and, from
the top, I had great views of the red-roofed
town and over the Adriatic Sea.
Another highlight of my trip was swimming at the Skradinski Buk (big waterfall) in
the Krka National Park.
The park is named after the River Krka and,
after the swim, I strolled along the riverbank
stopping for a relaxing glass of wine at one of
the many restaurants.
A trip to Croatia is not complete with trying
the local ice cream. Stalls are located everywhere serving a variety of Italian gelato-style
ice cream.
As one delicious scoop only costs between
HK$7-10 it’s a great reason to leave the diet
at home! 
n Getting away
Away Koh Kood resort in
Thailand is offering Cathay
Pacific staff special rates starting at 1,140 baht for Island Tent
accommodation including breakfasts.
Away Koh
Kood is a hideaway on Koh
Kood island
featuring spacious luxury
bungalow villas with private
terraces and sea views from almost every
room.
Guests can enjoy a range of water-based
sports or simply lie back and enjoy the
serenity of the resort.
More information on Travel Desk.
n Shanghai dining easy as 1221
The Cathay Pacific City Guides features Air
Crew Tips from staff. Resource Librarian Elli
Mo recommends dining at 1221 Restaurant
when visiting Shanghai.
“This is low-profile, modern Shanghainese
restaurant with reasonably priced food and
wine,” she says. “There’s also an extensive
menu in English designed especially to cater
to European and Japanese customers.”
Elli says the restaurant serves a range of
Chinese favourites including dumplings,
Peking duck and shredded pork served with
scallions and pancakes. Call (86-21) 62136585/6213-2441 for reservations.
To submit your own tips, go to www.
cathaypacific.com/tips. The best tip from
staff for the November/December period will
receive a two-night stay for two at the Grand
Hyatt Singapore.
n Macau is driven
The 56th Macau Grand Prix is being held on
the streets of Macau from 19-22 November.
Drivers from all over the world are expected to compete
in the three
major events
– the Macau Motorcycle Grand
Prix, the FIA
World Touring
Car Championship – Guia Race
and the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix.
Visitors can also enjoy watching a fashion
show highlighting the 55-year history of the
Grand Prix and show commemorating the
10th anniversary of the Macau SAR.
Visit www.macau.grandprix.gov.mo
SHOW US YOUR TIPS!
STUNNING SCENERY: (clockwise from top) A water wonderland of lakes and waterfalls at the Plitvice Lakes National Park; a street scene in
Dubrovnik’s Old Town, swimming among the waterfalls at Krka National Park; and an aerial view of the red-roofed Old Town.
Snap happy
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
16
This month’s photo was taken by First
Officer Richard Clausen and shows
storm clouds brewing over Myanmar
earlier in the year.
“We were flying over Myanmar
airspace when nature started putting
on a fantastic light show for us,”
Richard says.
“My camera was looking out into
a dark night and, as I was about to
put it away, my finger slipped and I
pressed the button.
“At that exact moment the clouds
were lit up by lightning. It was a real
freak of nature!” he adds.
The small white dot to the right is
the moon beginning to rise.
CX World welcomes staff travel tips from
across the network – email us at CCD#SCT