Freighter Queen - Cathay Pacific

Yield challenge
Seeking clearer skies
Butterfly effect
Interim results reveal
pressure on income
Interview with Director Flight
Operations on pilot situation
How small donations for
Change for Good change lives
Page 3
August 2016, Issue 244
Freighter
Queen
Our 14th and final 747-8F
at Boeing’s centennial
Page 5
Page 4
Page 8-9
Inspiring moment
Cathay people get ready for
B-KOO’s round-the-world trip
A magazine for the people and friends of Cathay Pacific Airways
Page 13
NEWS
Message from the Chief Executive
Ivan Chu
In recent months we have talked a lot
about the operating environment being
“difficult” – and just how difficult it has
been was brought into sharp focus in
our interim results.
We declared a modest profit,
thanks largely to the contribution from
subsidiary and associate companies,
but the sharp fall in income resulted in
an operating loss of HK$783 million – a
big drop compared to the previous year.
To see our passenger revenue decline
by 8% and our cargo revenue plunge
by 17% is of great concern, especially
when volumes have been holding up
quite well.
While the second half of the year is
usually better than the first, we believe
that this year it will not be as strong as
the second six months in 2015. We
expect to see our business affected
by the same adverse factors, including
ever-stronger competition, pressure
on yield, currency movements working
against us, general economic weakness,
and the impact of security concerns.
So what we can do in the face of
such challenges? We have shown we
can react quickly to market changes,
introducing the successful Vantage
Pass promotion this summer to
make up for the shortfall in corporate
premium traffic. We will need to
continue to be smart and nimble as our
sales teams face up to the challenge
of getting the right balance between
market share and yield.
On the cost side we should still
benefit from low fuel prices, while our
unit cost per ATK excluding fuel has
been trending downwards thanks
to a great effort from the team. The
measures that we announced earlier
in the year to curtail costs and improve
productivity will remain in place, and I
ask all of you to keep this as a key focus
through into 2017.
Whatever challenges we face in the
short- to medium-term, our robust
financial position will enable us to keep
making the investments needed to
retain our competitive edge and deliver
on our promise of a Life Well Travelled.
With the help of our superb team, I feel
confident that we can weather this
storm and come out stronger on the
other side!
Farewell to the Queen
Emotions run high as we get set to say goodbye to our passenger 747s
•
•
•
Three 747-400s left in our passenger fleet
Fleet to retire in October; last revenue flight on 1 October from Tokyo Haneda
Staff can participate in special farewell flight on 8 October over HK airspace
It’s going to be a sad moment for many colleagues when the final Boeing 747-400
passenger aircraft leave the fleet in early October.
Among the three remaining “Queen of the Skies” in operation, B-HUJ, B-HUI and
B-HKT, one will end revenue service on 30 September.
On the same day, the other two 744s will operate as overnight flights to Haneda
and Taipei, getting ready for their last commercial flights back to Hong Kong.
On 1 October, the last 747-400 departing Taipei Taoyuan Airport will operate as
CX469, scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong at 12:10pm.
The last 747-400 out of Tokyo Haneda will operate as CX543, arriving at 2:10pm.
“If all goes according to plan, that CX543 service will be our last-ever 747
commercial flight for passengers,” says Tony Britton, Aircraft Project Manager Lease, Return & Dispense.
The intention is to operate that service with B-HUJ, which has a significant place
in Cathay history.
“It is was the last of our 747 passenger aircraft delivered to Cathay in May 1995.
It also operated Polar 1, the very first transpolar non-stop flight from New York to
Hong Kong, which was also the first commercial flight to arrive at Chek Lap Kok on
the morning of 7 July 1998,” Tony explains.
“It seems fitting that this aircraft should be used for the last 747 revenue flight and
also the special flight on 8 October (see right).”
All three aircraft will undergo pre-retirement maintenance, including engine swaps
and work to retain certain components, before being ferried to a yet-to-be-decided
final retirement destination.
“Sadly, once we have completed our parts salvage, the aircraft will be deregistered
and ultimately broken down,” Tony says.
A flight to remember
The last ever flight for B-HUJ will be Special Farewell Flight CX8747, which will cruise over the skies of
Hong Kong on 8 August carrying upwards of 300 of our people, together with some special guests.
There was a great response to a competition run on IntraCX, which asked people to recall their special
memories of the 747 to win one of 20 guaranteed places on CX8747.
More than 250 of the seats on the flight will be opened up to other colleagues, who will be asked to pay
a minimum of HK$747 to enjoy a very memorable day out.
Look out on Daily News on 26 August for the chance to get your place on the flight!
Performance index
60
50
40
Fuel price
Rolling 6 months
Sing Jet Kerosene
ICE Brent
On-time
performance
80
70
60
Mar16Aug16
Within 15 mins
71.9%
On-the-dot
41.5%
50
40
30
30
Traffic vs capacity
(CX + KA)*
20
Feb 16
Jul16
Passengers carried
Passenger load factor
ASKs (000)
Freight carried
Cargo load factor
ATKs (000)
3,070,815
87.0%
12,723,458
158,022
64.7%
2,644,617
2.9%
0pt
2.6%
7.1%
2.9pt
1.8%
* Figures for Jul16
Publisher Tom Owen
Managing Editor Mark Tindall
Editor Kawai Wong
Produced by the People Department
8/F North Tower, Cathay City, HK
PNL#COM@cathaypacific.com
CX WORLD
Interims highlight income drop
Intense competition, pressure on premium business and currency impact all took a toll on revenue
and yield in our interim results. What can be done to address the problem?
•
•
•
Group announced a reduced profit in 2016 interim results, with passenger and cargo revenues declining
Revenues “most intensely impacted through pressure on yield” says COO
Teams looking for opportunites to grow yield in highly competitive environment
The challenges faced in the first six months
of the year were highlighted on 17 August
when the Group announced a reduced profit
of HK$353 million its interim results.
The bigger underlying story was the
HK$783 million loss in the airline’s core
business, with earnings buffeted by factors
ranging from intense competition to the
impact of currency fluctuations.
In briefings for our people, Chief Operating
Officer Rupert Hogg said the headline story
was the fall in revenue “which was most
intensely impacted through pressure on yield”.
So where does this pressure come from,
and what can we do to address the situation?
Passenger business
In the first six months of 2016, passenger
revenue fell by almost 8%, largely as a result
of a 10% decline in yield – the average fare
paid per passenger kilometre.
Revenue Planning Manager Frank Wong
says the sharp yield decline was a reflection
of the current fragility of the global economy
and intensified competition.
“In view of the uncertain economic
situation, large corporates have been
reducing business travel. The share of
premium passengers has been under
pressure which has impacted our average
yield,” says Frank.
Another issue is that additional capacity
is being pumped into the market.
“For example, Chinese carriers took
delivery of 171 new aircraft during the
first half of 2016, of which 23 were widebodies. As a result, we have seen significant
increases in seat capacity in some markets
- a 43% increase in seats between Mainland
China and Australia, for example, and a 23%
increase between the Mainland and the
US,” says Frank.
Other factors at play include the greater
reliance on lower-yield connecting traffic;
exchange losses resulting from the
depreciation of certain currencies; and the
suspension of the fuel surcharge.
These same pressures will continue in
the second half of 2016, “but we will not
lose heart,” says Frank.
“Our focus will be on trying to boost
leisure traffic in the premium cabins while
corporate demand remains weak, and to
maintain market share through tactical
promotions and swift responses to
developments in the market.”
Cargo business
Cargo revenue fell by 17% in the first six
months, with yield declining by around
the same amount. The main reason was
the big drop in fuel surcharges collected
across the network, says John Cheng,
Manager Cargo Sales & Distribution.
Another major issue is that the lowfuel-price environment has encouraged
carriers to bring older aircraft back into
service.
“We’ve seen a big increase in capacity
that is not in sync with demand,” says
John. “And it’s not just freighters – there
has been an increase in belly capacity, too,
John Cheng
Frank Wong
especially from the Middle East carriers.”
The capacity issue affected transpacific
routes in particular, with yield down 20%
year on year.
On the positive side, tonnage stabilised
from the second quarter and the Cargo team
saw growth into India, where yield has been
less of an issue than on transpacific services.
Yield depends on the dynamics between
supply (capacity) and demand, and John
says the team is “cautiously optimistic” of
a pick-up in demand in the fourth quarter.
“We will put a stronger focus on the
diversification of our higher-yield special
products and do our best to upsell once
we hit the peak,” he says.
NEWS
Brand Design
column
“Simplicity is about subtracting
the obvious and adding the
meaningful.” John Maeda, designer, computer
scientist and the author of The
Laws of Simplicity: Design,
Technology, Business, Life
90% of information transmitted
to the brain is visual, and visuals
are processed 60,000 times
faster in the brain according to 3M
Corporation and Zabisco.
Therefore, when we design
our content and collaterals such
as a backdrop, a PowerPoint
presentation, a notice, or signage,
we need to bear in mind that
people nowadays are looking for
well-crafted, eye-catching visuals
rather than readymade graphics
such as the notorious clip art.
Below are some graphics which
are used all too often in our noncustomer facing communications.
Life Well Travelled should not
be a promise for the external only.
When we design for our internal
customers – i.e. our people –
do you think these graphical
elements reflect our brand? Do
they add any value?
Well-designed materials help
maintain our brand image and
visually communicate our message.
Using low-grade clip art and
superfluous graphics is often
viewed as dated, amateur and
unprofessional.
Next time when you are about
to design a piece of work, before
you tap into the clip art bank, or
download a random graphic from
the internet, try browsing our
current photo library on IntraCX
via: Brand Team> Content>
Resources> Photos, and see if
there’s anything suitable.
Alternatively, you could consider
using icons, accessible via Brand
Design> Iconography, should you
wish to add some simple graphic
elements to spice up your content
and reinforce the messaging.
If you have exhausted these
options but still struggle to find
the right graphic or image, the
Brand team is always here to help.
Feel free to contact us at brand@
cathaypacific.com.
4
Looking for clearer skies with
the Hong Kong pilots’ association
The background to the discussions held with the HKAOA and the road forward
•
•
•
A big effort was made earlier this year to finally resolve some outstanding issues with the HKAOA, an association that represents our Hong
Kong- and New Zealand-based pilots
Although an agreement was reached with the association’s General Committee, it was unfortunately voted down by its members by a narrow
margin in July
CX World caught up with with Anna Thompson, Director Flight Operations, to get the background and find out about the next steps
Anna Thompson
Director Flight Operations
What are the outstanding
issues between Cathay and the
HKAOA?
Two of the major issues are
Rostering Practices, which are
the set of rules for how pilots
are rostered, and also the Hong
Kong Pilots’ Allowance (HKPA)
which many Hong Kong-based
pilots receive.
Some of the issues have
remained unresolved for more
than a year and during this
time the HKAOA has banned
its members from applying for
Training Captain positions.
Why haven’t the issues been
resolved?
A lot of work has gone into
resolving the issues in relation
to Rostering Practices and the
HKPA over the past 12 months,
and earlier this year the Cathay
and HKAOA negotiating teams
spent more than six weeks in
discussions.
A Tentative Agreement was
finally reached with the HKAOA’s
Negotiating Committee; was
endorsed by the HKAOA’s
General Committee and Cathay
management; and then went to
HKAOA members to vote on. It
was unfortunately narrowly voted
down – 46% to 53%.
What is the HKAOA’s Training
Captain ban all about?
As we have been unable to resolve
the outstanding issues, the HKAOA
placed a ban on its members
applying for Training Captain
positions more than a year ago,
and this makes it more difficult
for us to have the right number of
pilots across all fleets and ranks.
This can be a problem for us as
we need more pilots to operate
as we receive our order of A350s.
The HKAOA uses the Training
Captain ban as a measure to
try to limit our growth, which
would have a negative impact
on our airline, and as a means to
pressure Cathay into resolving
the issues.
Where to now, given the
agreement was voted down?
Making sure Flight Operations
supports Cathay’s growth, by
having the right number of pilots
across all fleets and ranks as we
receive new aircraft, is crucial.
As the HKAOA’s ban on its
members applying for Training
Captain positions remains in
place, we are using different
means to train pilots and boost
numbers across all ranks more
quickly.
This initially includes
assistance by some of our
training resources across the
Cathay Group airlines including
Dragonair and Air Hong Kong,
and hiring First Officers directly
from other airlines.
Further, the transfer of some
aircraft and routes to Dragonair
will help reduce our training
demand.
As these measures are
introduced, our training
standards, safety and operational
excellence remain as priorities.
What’s the next step with the
HKAOA?
We aim to negotiate an
agreement with the HKAOA
in the future; however, given
the amount of time and effort
that was put into reaching the
Tentative Agreement with the
HKAOA’s General Committee,
that was then voted down, our
immediate priority is to focus on
growing our operations.
The HKAOA are in the
process of electing new General
Committee members and a
person to fill the Chairman’s
position, and we hope that this
will provide an opportunity to
begin negotiations again.
Do you see any changes
for Cathay as a result of the
ongoing Training Captain ban?
We don’t foresee there being any
notable disruptions to services
or our growth at the Group level
at this point.
What about the agreements
with our pilots who are located
in other parts of the world?
Our Flight Operations Employee
Relations team and the
Associations have recently
worked to put agreements in
place with the associations that
represent our pilots who are
based in Canada, the United
States and Australia, and we
are working to negotiate an
agreement with the association
that represents our pilots who
are based in Europe.
CX WORLD
I Can Fly participants graduate!
This year’s six-month long I Can Fly
programme has drawn to a close, with all
300 participants throwing their hats in the
air at the graduation ceremony held at BP
International on 10 July.
The participants were joined by their
parents and teachers, our staff volunteers,
Hong Kong CAD Deputy Director-General of
Civil Aviation Victor Liu and former Director
Corporate Affairs and now Dragonair Acting
CEO James Tong, as the teenagers charted
their five-month journey of classroom
studies, ground school training, social
service activities and site visits.
“I started out as an aviation newbie and
now I know a lot more about aviation,” said
17-year-old Cherry Lau.
See how the youngsters became miniaviation experts in the next CX World. New freighter, more opportunities
Cathay’s 14th and final Dash 8 will bring more flexibility to cargo operations
•
•
New 747-8F freighter, B-LJN, was centrepiece at
Boeing’s centennial celebration in Seattle
Delivery coincides with news on Portland launch
Before B-LJN officially became part of our freighter fleet,
this brand new 747-8F was already making headlines at
the Boeing’s centennial celebration, as she took centre
stage at the “707 to 787” aircraft parade outside the
Museum of Flight in Seattle.
With this new addition, Cargo will have more flexibility
to capture business opportunities. “A freight carrier can’t
create market demand,” says General Manager Cargo
Planning Cecilia Leung. “What we can do is to be as agile as
possible with capacity and offer a comprehensive network
and frequencies to cater for any changes in demand.”
Cecilia says her priority is to make sure Cathay can fill
its freighters and maximise loadings in the bellies of its
passenger planes.
The arrival of our last -8F coincided with news of the
latest addition to our cargo network – Portland in the
USA. This service, which launches in November, will
take advantage of our freighter’s idle ground time in Los
Angeles, and will operate a Hong Kong - Anchorage - Los
Angeles - Portland – Anchorage routing every Thursday
and Saturday.
Find out more about the business opportunities that
Portland will bring in the September CX World.
A taste of aviation life
A group of students with an interest in aviation had a summer holiday to remember
when they arrived for a two-day visit to Cathay in late July.
Under the Exposure to Workplace programme, part of the “Life Buddies” scheme
launched by The Commission on Poverty, 30 secondary school students from
underprivileged families were given a broad introduction to Hong Kong’s aviation
industry, and Cathay was happy to be part of the experience.
The youngsters got a full tour of Cathay City, including the Flight Training Centre and
cabin mock-ups, with CSO Maggie Cheng, Flight Attendant Tammie Lau and Junior
First Officer Leo Chan on hand to talk about career opportunities.
“I had an invaluable opportunity to meet pilots, cabin crew and airport ground staff
in person, who were so eager to share insightful tips on aviation careers from their
firsthand experience,” student Leung Pu-miao said after the visit.
5
FEEDBACK
Letters to the editor
North-South divide
Win a Business
Class wine!
Star letter winner
Engineering staff
Many years ago, during one of the industry downturns, a cost-study
exercise was initiated to evaluate how the lifts in Cathay City could
be better utilised with the goal of saving energy.
Apart from closing out lifts, it was decided to experiment between
the North and South Towers. South Tower lifts were to continue
serving all floors; and North Tower lifts would be split to serve odd
and even floors.
I notice that Cathay City guests firstly get confused with our North
and South Tower lifts, for there is no clear indication of North and
South. Secondly, the discrepancy in lift operation between the North
and South Towers certainly bemuses many, especially for those who
cannot get out of the floor they intended to reach!
My question is, how was this study concluded?
Irene Ip, Head of Property & Services, replies: Thanks for
raising this question. The matter of lift patterns at Cathay City has
generated considerable interest and discussion.
A review was done in 2011 in regard to the existing settings, with
particular focus on the North zone. The study showed that an oddeven configuration could maximise the overall efficiency of lift usage
within Cathay City.
Since 80% of staff were either satisfied or neutral about the
current configurations, it was agreed that there was no immediate
need to make changes regarding the lift patterns. Management
has therefore decided to adhere to the existing arrangements until
further notice.
Prime position
Parking pain
Desktop din
Letter from Karen Lok, Senior Purser
Letter from a cockpit crew
Letter from an Airports colleague
I see more and more undercover car
parks at Cathay City being labelled as
“Reserved”. Not so long ago it was only the
directors’ vehicles that had this privilege
but now there seems to be at least as
many reserved without specifying a
registration mark.
Can anyone explain why there are fewer
car park spaces available undercover
to the many staff who pay for monthly
parking?
The desktop wallpaper featuring the 24hour Charity Pedal Kart Grand Prix 2016
was so colourful that I found it hard to look
for my desktop icons.
I understand that after upgrading to
Windows 8.1, we cannot change the
wallpaper anymore, so can we at least
choose to use a background in a simple
solid colour, or can we turn the fonts on
the icon to bold and black?
It really impacts my daily work when I
cannot even find the correct icon I need to
use on my desktop.
With reference to ID travel, why are the more
senior staff assigned seats further back in the
cabin?
Kayse Ng, Assistant Manager, Business
Solutions, AHQ, replies: The system logic for
seat assignment always starts from the rear.
The seat assignment is controlled by individual
customer value. Staff have lower value than
revenue customers, meaning the available
seats for selection are limited.
If passengers are not satisfied with the autoassignment, they can request for a seat change
through online check-in or at the counter.
I hope the following may explain why staff
travellers with higher priority may sometimes
get seats towards the aft of the aircraft:
• Flight open – lower priority staff may have
checked in first and request a seat in the front
• Flight full – the departure control system will
automatically perform “acceptance”, followed
by “seat assignment”, which guarantees
staff with a higher priority are accepted first.
However, the system also assigns seats from
the rear by default, so the last-accepted staff
will be assigned a seat nearer the front.
Please be reminded that the front seats are
used for Advanced Seat Reservation (ASR) by
revenue customers and will only be released
if the customer hasn’t shown by the time the
counter is about to close.
6
ISD offers a bottle from the Business
Class selection every month for the
Star Letter prize winner. This month,
the prize is a bottle of Borsao Tres
Picos DO Campo De Borja 2012
made from Garnacha (Grenache)
grapes.
Got any suggestions, questions or
interesting observations to share
with CX World?
Write to PNL#COM!
Irene Ip, Head of Property & Services,
replies: Thanks for your enquiry.
According to the car park policy at Cathay
City, which was established in 1999 when
we moved over from Kai Tak, all directors
and Level E staff are eligible for a reserved
parking space. The car parking spaces designated for
directors are marked with the company’s
car plate numbers, while those parking
spaces for Level E staff are marked as
“Reserved” only because they are not
using company cars.
Jessica Wong, Assistant Manager,
Training Systems & Projects, PNL,
replies: Thanks for your feedback. We
understand your concerns and have
contacted Microsoft about the issue. As Windows 8.1 has preset font
combinations, we are not able to make
adjustments for the time being. We
apologise for any inconvenience caused
and have taken into account your
valuable feedback for our next wallpaper
designs.
CX WORLD
Service
Straight
from the Heart
Game of
phones
The operating crew of CX271 on 20
June and the Airport and Engineering
teams from Amsterdam received
recognition from a passenger after
an incident involving a missing phone.
The Business Class passenger
pressed the call button when
breakfast was served, recalls Inflight
Services Manager Alice Wong
(above).
“It turned out that his mobile phone
had gone missing after he went to
sleep,” Alice says. “We understood
how distressing this would be, so the
whole Business Class cabin crew
pitched in to help.”
Alice, together with Senior Purser
Doris Chan, Flight Pursers Scarlet Ho
and Suga Sze, and Flight Attendant
Tony Mok, searched around the
passenger seat. Tony even bent down
on hands and knees peering into all
the corners using a torch, right until
Change is coming!
Teams begin countdown to the launch of Cathay Dragon on 21 November
In a landmark announcement on 28
January, the Group revealed that Dragonair
would be rebranded as Cathay Dragon
later in 2016, bringing it into much closer
alignment with Cathay Pacific.
Since the announcement, work has been
going on across different departments to
prepare for the transition, with the official
launch date for Cathay Dragon now
confirmed as 21 November.
The background
Cathay Dragon was born out of a need to create a closer alignment
between the Group’s airlines in the face of growing competition on
many routes.
There was a feeling that people still viewed Cathay and Dragonair
as distinct airlines, with new customers in particular not knowing
that Dragonair was part of the Cathay Group.
By creating Cathay Dragon, “we will align our two airline brands
closer together, enabling us to provide greater convenience and a
more seamless travel experience for our passengers,” said Chief
Executive Ivan Chu.
The rebranding is about much more than a new livery and logo.
“This is about sharpening our competitive edge and capturing
the fast-growing passenger flows across our two carriers… it will
allow us to become stronger than the sum of our parts.”
The rebranding is designed to capitalise on Cathay Pacific’s
worldwide reputation while leveraging Cathay Dragon’s
connectivity in Mainland China and the region.
The Cathay Dragon brand shares much of the same ethos with the
Cathay Pacific brand because “we want people to start thinking
about these two brands together – the relationship to one another
and the resultant seamless travel experience – rather than two
completely separate brands,” says Manager Brand Ruaraidh
Smeaton.
Both airlines have brand pillars based on Heartfelt Warmth,
Considered Simplicity and Joy of Discovery, while the fourth pillar
differs; for Cathay Dragon it is Contemporary Chinese while Cathay
Pacific has Contemporary Asian.
“We saw an opportunity here for Cathay Dragon to have a different
feel from Cathay Pacific, emphasising its strong connections with
China, which will be reflected in various aspects of the inflight
experience,” says Ruaraidh.
“When positioning the brand, we were very careful not to alienate
those who were familiar and already loved the brand – including the
airline’s people.”
What will stay the same
Cathay Dragon will still be a premium carrier offering the best
products and services to its customers. It will have its own crews
operating its own fleet of aircraft across its extensive network in
Asia, and Mainland China in particular.
Excellent cooperation
between flight crew,
ground staff and engineers
won heartfelt appreciation
from a passenger...
the captain made an announcement
for crew to be seated for landing.
“Despite our efforts we failed to
locate the phone,” Alice says. “We
suspected it must have slipped into
the gap by the side of the seat.”
As the flight touched down at
Schiphol Airport, the passenger had
to disembark right away as he had
a connecting flight to catch. Alice
hadn’t given up, however, and paged
for the ground handling agent and an
engineer to come on board to help.
The AMS third party engineer
quickly dismantled the seat and
fortunately the phone was spotted.
“I recalled that the passenger had
mentioned he would be in the BA
lounge until the next flight,” Alice
says. “So our ground staff tried his
luck to dash over to the lounge,
managing to hand the phone to the
passenger in person, just in time!”
The passenger was very pleased
to be reunited with his phone. “This
is great and remarkable service,”
he wrote in a complimentary letter.
“Please pass on my thanks to the
flight crew, ground staff, and the
engineer!”
The brand thinking
What will change?
Some changes are already apparent, with the new Cathay Dragon
livery – featuring the distinctive Cathay brushwing on a red tail –
already appearing on three aircraft. It will be painted onto seven
aircraft by transition day.
The majority of changes will be introduced on 21 November,
the day the Cathay Dragon identity is launched. These range from
uniform accessories to airport signage; from a single website
for the two airlines to new sales and marketing collaterals; from
baggage tags to boarding passes; and from our people’s name
cards to stationery items.
Find out more about the Cathay Dragon journey in coming issues
of CX World.
Helping to make it happen
Among those most deeply involved in the Cathay Dragon project – and most excited
about its launch – is Henry Ng, who for the past 10 months has been working as
Planning & Development Manager in the Project Management Office (PMO).
PMO is the team that was set up to coordinate between the Cathay Dragon
steering committee and the different work streams involved in the launch
of the rebranded airline – from brand and communications to IT and staff
engagement.
“It’s been our job to make sure everything is going according to the agreed
timeline and budget, taking key decisions back to the steering committee for
endorsement,” says Henry.
“We’ve also been involved in stakeholder management, helping to
coordinate cross-department dependencies, unearth risks and resolve issues;
essentially helping to ensure the implementation of project activities.”
Most of the major decisions have been taken now and Henry is looking
forward to 21 November.
“It’s all finally coming together – this will be a real milestone moment for our
airlines,” he smiles.
7
FEATURES
Every little helps
Our people spent five days in Nepal to see how Change
for Good donations can make a big difference
•
•
Health & hygiene
Cathay people joined UNICEF tour to see how fundraising programme improves lives
Projects in Nepal aim to improve hygiene, empower girls and rebuild lives after the
2015 earthquake
Crystal Durie, Inflight Service Manager, ISD
I am impressed with how UNICEF goes about
their programmes in the local community,
working to address issues such as sanitation,
education, and child trafficking. They spread messages
about basic health and hygiene practices through
songs and dances, making them easier to remember
and accept by children and families. Through this, they
have laid a strong foundation that will continue from
grassroots to government.”
Every day, Cathay Pacific cabin crew hand out thousands of envelopes as part of
UNICEF’s Change for Good programme – and every day, entire communities are
impacted by this seemingly simple gesture. Each flight has the potential to collect funds that will forever improve the future of a
child, a home, a village or even a whole nation. To help understand the importance of the Change for Good partnership, UNICEF
hosted a field trip for 11 of our people in July, during which they witnessed first-hand
how each coin becomes an achievement.
Representing different departments, our colleagues spent five days in Nepal, and
were given an in-depth look at the aftermath of the disastrous earthquakes in 2015.
Days were tightly packed with activities and visits that aimed to cover three main
subjects: health and hygiene, empowering girls and women, and post-earthquake
recovery efforts. Here’s a snapshots of the group’s experiences.
Karen Ng, Flight Purser,
ISD (in Cathay cap) The Nepalese people’s
enthusiasm and hope for life has
impressed me. The donation from
Change for Good has helped to
make an impact in their lives.”
Empowering women and children
Temporary Learning
Anita Ngai, Revenue
Analyst, REV
One of the key programmes aimed at
empowering girls provides classroom
training for hand sewing sanitary pads
and encouraging gender-friendly
toilets at schools. This allows girls to
continue to attend classes throughout
the month. The team joined one of the
classes and learned that this simple craft
is responsible for keeping many young
women in school.
8
In conservative rural societies, a
simple game of football can help
to break down stereotypes and
traditional gender bias. With sport,
young girls can build confidence
and team spirit – both very evident
when our people joined them for a
friendly match.
In many places, educatio
is granted and compulsory – sadl
many children in Nepal suffer
the chance of being deprived of
schooling. Yet, it is amazing to see
that they all have enthusiasm in
learning, despite their poor living
environment.”
CX WORLD
Juliana Ong, Training Specialist, ISD
During the visit, our staff were guests of
honour at a village celebrating being Open
Defecation Free (ODF).
“The ODF campaign is part of the social sanitation
movement to reach the national goal of universal
sanitation. It promotes that every house should have
toilet, to eliminate open defecation. This field trip
was a big eye-opener, giving me an opportunity to
experience life at the extreme.”
Capturing a colourful lifestyle
Roy Yu, Supervisor Trainee,
Operations, CPCS This was my first glimpse of
a child with malnutrition in one of the
affected districts, which struck me the
most during the trip.”
g Centre
on
ly
e
Bijaya Regmi, Airport
Services Officer, AKL
It is amazing to see how a
dollar coin donated can bring such
a big change including happiness in
the faces of many children living in
poverty.”
New book tells interesting tales from our cabin crew’s lives
•
•
•
Stories Straight from the Heart features stories from 33 cabin crew
Tales of inspiration, anecdotes and heartwarming episodes on the wing
Proceeds from book sale to go to Sunnyside Club
A wakeboard athlete, comic illustrator, makeup
artist and singing queen. Unplanned excursions,
shopping around the world, building homes
for the poor, entertaining the unprivileged on a
community flight …
Our cabin crew are a talented bunch, and their
working lives offer some unique and rewarding
experiences – as outlined in a recently published
book.
Stories Straight from the Heart is a bilingual
book penned by 33 crew members of all ranks
from the crew community.
It features a compilation of heartwarming stories,
inspirational tales, memorable anecdotes and
exciting adventures that highlight the fascinating
nature of the work and the talents behind the
people who deliver excellent service.
The book also includes practical information
about the cabin crew profession in Cathay, from job
requirements to uniform and grooming standards,
from training programmes to the career path.
Stories Straight from
the Heart is available in
bookstores citywide.
All proceeds from
the sale will go to the
Sunnyside Club to
help put smiles on the
faces of disadvantaged
youngsters.
Kate Hui
Flight Purser
I read Chinese language at
university and being an author has long
been my dream. To fulfill this dream as a
cabin crew is beyond my expectations!
It gave me a lot of pleasure to see the
stories I have written being converted into
a real book.”
Kristy Chan
Flight Attendant
I am honoured to be one of the
cabin crew authors. One of my two stories
in this book is about my first skydiving trial
in Auckland. This extraordinary experience
would not have been possible if I were not
a cabin crew. I hope my story can help our
readers to get a glimpse of the different
aspects of our colourful lifestyle.
Judi Puentespina
Inflight Service Manager
Writing is nothing new to me - I was
Editor-in-Chief of the student newspaper at
my alma mater and also the newsletter for
my church. Contributing to the new book
has been amazing because we are never
short of stories to tell in this wonderful job.
9
NEWS
The man behind our new menu to North America
Our Hong Kong to North America routes
are now featuring a new inflight menu
specially designed by celebrity chef
Daniel Green for First and Business Class
passengers.
CX World: Daniel, can you tell us a little bit
about yourself?
I’ve never tried to be this Michelin-starred
chef; I just try to make really good choices
of lightening food up. You know there are
many diet trends going full circle, but my real
philosophy is about low fat, which helped
me to lose weight many years ago.
And in the outports...
Many exceptional stories are created across the
network every day, and our outports are putting their
own spin into the Work Well Done campaign.
Here’s a taste of what they have been doing.
Japan
Clockwise from left: Managers
in Tokyo put on aprons to
serve breakfast to surprised
colleagues. Fukuoka engineers
celebrated with sandwiches! At
Narita Airport, staff cut a special
cake featuring B-LAK with a cute
nose!
CX World: Isn’t fat an essential ingredients
in tasty meals – cheese, cream…
I’d never believed when you hear chefs say
fat is flavour. If you have some bad food and
you can sure throw some cream and cheese
in it and say fat is flavour. My counterexample is that if you have tom yum gong
soup – that’s flavour.
CX World: This leans towards the Asian
styles of cooking which rely more on
seasonings, herbs and spices…
If you are doing a Thai curry, you can really
make it like a Thai curry, you don’t have to
Dubai
Thank-you cupcakes
coated with gold butter
cream were given
to staff as token of
appreciation by the
local management
team.
Johannesburg
Department heads
cooked up a feast for
their team. Manager
People SAMEA Neil
Andrade says: “It’s great
to see such initiatives in
our region!”
Two of our great Work Well Done stories from around the network... visit our Recognition Wall for more
Amazing can-do spirit &
excellent camaraderie
Total dedication &
drive to succeed
Kaohsiung Manager on Duty Lily Lu wrote
on the Recognition Wall: All flight services
at Kaohsiung were suspended from the
afternoon of 8 July to 9 July, when Taiwan was
hit by super typhoon Nepartak.
By the morning of 10 July, more than 1,400
of our passengers were stranded in the
departure hall, with very long queues waiting
behind our check-in counters.
The situation was tough, but the Dragonair
Airport team tried their best to help the
disrupted passengers, assisting them to
rebook seats on the earliest available flights,
so that they could continue their journeys as
soon as possible.
Our Airport Services Manager helped to
supervise crowd control and gave passengers
on-hand assistance. Colleagues who were on
leave also volunteered their help.
By the end of the day, as colleagues
stepped down from the counters, they were
so exhausted that they just slumped on chairs,
although feeling fulfilled and heartened.
Our Baggage Services team also worked
diligently with limited manpower, to serve
1,441 arrival passengers.
A big thank to the KHH Airport team!
Lead Consultant Employee
Experience Sandy Tang
Director People Tom Owen wrote on
the Recognition Wall: Sandy is doing
a remarkable job in the Employee
Experience team, working long hours on
building the soon-to-be-launched new
Performance Management System.
There is significant complexity on
the systems side and problems and
inconsistencies in organising the data,
which has meant a significant amount of
extra work for Sandy. But she is quietly
achieving, and creating a new system
which will bring tremendous benefits to
the company and its people ahead.
Thank you Sandy for the amazing
commitment you are showing which
will make such a positive difference to
properly managing performance in the
future.
Have you nominated recently? It only takes two minutes www.cathaypacific.com/workwelldone
10
Daniel Green’s exclusive menu of
three salads, two power drinks and five
main courses will be featured onboard
selected flights from Hong Kong to North
American destinations from August.
Living and breathing
Work Well Done
Kaohsiung Airport Services Team
Auckland
The Town Office team
have created their own
physical Recognition
Wall to keep the spirit of
WWD going!
tone it down. And Cathay is quite authentic
to let you have a free rein with that, so I
think if you were a European
airline you might be a little
bit more restricted. I
think Cathay has taken
cuisine very well, you
can make it exactly
how you want to.
CX WORLD
A350 ready for longhauls
Work is going on at full throttle to train
crews and engineers in anticipation of long-haul ops
Cathay has taken delivery of three A350-900s, fourth arrives on 26 August
Sufficient pilots trained and Engineering is ready for Gatwick and Düsseldorf
Business Class seats for some A350s will be fitted in Hong Kong
Following the arrival of our first A350900 (B-LRA) on 29 May this year, Cathay’s
newest fleet has now grown to four
aircraft with the addition of B-LRB, B-LRC
and B-LRE.
Following the arrival of the second
aircraft in July, the A350 network has
expanded beyond the launch destinations
of Taipei and Manila to include Bangkok,
Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. With
four A350s in operation by September,
we will be ready to launch our first longhaul destinations to London Gatwick and
Düsseldorf.
To date, the A350s have been flying an
intense pattern of regional sectors. “Our
A350s have flown close to 400 revenue
sectors so far,” says Head of A350 Project
Bob Taylor. “Their technical dispatch
reliability is in line with expectations bearing
in mind ours have been working very hard!”
From Flight Operations’ perspective,
sufficient numbers of flight crew have
already been trained for long-haul
operations to begin in September.
Deputy
Flying
Training
Manager
(Airbus) Tim Burns says: “By the end
of August we will have 146 crew who
have completed their training. So from
a crewing perspective we are ready. Our
next challenge is rostering all our New
Zealand-based pilots an extended period
in Hong Kong to complete their training in
anticipation for the A350 Auckland service,
which will commence in October.”
On the Engineering side, a similar story
of intense training has been taking place
with around 50 Cathay Line Engineers
now fully qualified to handle the A350. Bob
says: “Engineering will be ready to support
the launch of long-haul operations –
First airside electric vehicle!
B-LRC arrives into HKIA
Benjamin Hari
•
•
•
Our Engineers had been eyeing an all-electric car fleet long before electric
vehicles became all the rage.
Now, with enhanced charging facilities at HKIA, steps are being taken to
launch an EV fleet, with the first Nissan Leaf arriving on the airside very recently.
“Every petrol car operating in the airport is required by the Airport Authority
to be replaced every nine years,” says Head of Planned Maintenance Tim Hau.
“Since Line Maintenance Operations has one car due for replacement in 2016,
we took this opportunity to replace our old petrol car with an electric one.”
Not only is an EV more environmentally friendly, there is no need for
replacement after nine years, either!
although it’s not without its challenges.”
For example, the original plan for London
Gatwick and Düsseldorf was to utilise
established third-party providers. “But a
regulatory hurdle means that we need to
support the early European operations
using Engineers from regional Cathay line
stations,” Bob says.
As for the third delivery, B-LRE is
currently in HAECO having its Business
Class seats fitted.
Due to the initial delivery delay with
the Business Class seats, the seat-fitting
programme has been jolted out of sync with
the Airbus production line flow. Christine Chu,
Lead Cabin Projects Engineer says: “We’re
flying some of our A350s to Hong Kong to
fit the Business Class seats to avoid further
delays in the production line in Toulouse.”
Cathay will receive seven more A350s
before the end of year.
The Singapore team pulled out the stops to welcome the first A350 into Changi
11
OUTPORTS
Station updates
1
2
3
1 KATHAMANDU
Demonstrating the Cathay caring spirit
In April 2015, Nepal experienced an earthquake that claimed more than 8,000 lives.
While the Cathay family in Nepal were lucky not to have suffered any fatalities, most of the team
were impacted to varying degrees. The worst-affected colleague was one of our longest-serving
staff, Surendra Rajthala, whose house – where 10 of his family members resided – was reduced to
rubble in the quake.
Our team in Kathmandu quickly came to the aid of Surendra and family to organise temporary
accommodation for them.
FunCX – a South Asia Cathay employee club that organises staff activities – drove a series of
fundraising activities under the banner of “V love Nepal”.
What started out as a regional initiative quickly saw funds coming in from UAE, Bahrain, South
Africa, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Europe.
On the other hand, a project team headed by Country Manager Nepal Parthenia Lai worked to
help Surendra rebuild his house.
A little over a year after the earthquake, Surendra and his family have finally moved into their
new home.
Manager People South Asia, Middle East & Africa Neil Andrade said: “I would like to thank
everyone who played a part to ensure Surendra and his family have a roof over their head!”
2 JOHANNESBURG
Happy 25th anniversary!
From the first customer checked in to the last to board the flight, the JNB team celebrated their
25th Anniversary in style. With colourful balloons, surprise chocolates and Cathay souvenirs,
customers and crew were invited to party!
“It feels great to be part of a team who have been serving our customers for 25 years!” says
Managers on Duty Trevor Grist, Katharine Rangayah and David Ren. “Growing from strength to
strength, the team always give their very best even in the face of challenges.
“Our efforts are rewarded by our customers’ appreciation and continued sharing.”
Zanele, Customer Services Agent, shares more: “As we express our gratitude, we must never
forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them!”
3 BEIJING
Friendly footy
Two Cathay Service Delivery football teams were in Beijing in June for a friendly football
tournament with Air China Ground Service and AMECO Ground Service.
A total of 23 cabin crew, five ISD colleagues, five HKIA people and one Dragonair staff joined the
game, with Director Service Delivery James Ginns taking to the field.
James also presented an A350 model to Mr Gong from Air China Ground Service and Mr Teng
from AMECO Ground Service.
Outport people
12
INDIA
MALAYSIA
INDIA
Senior Purser Deepika Kumar
Mrs India Classic
Flight Attendant Wendy She
Mrs Malaysia Universe
Flight Purser Mukta Chopra
Mrs Asia International Universe
Deepika saw the contest as an opportunity to learn
and grow. “It’s my belief that people should step out
of their comfort zone to try something different, or
you will never know what you are capable of.”
“The pageant was a wonderful experience –
winning was great, and I walked away with plenty of
life lessons, and the memories and friends I
have made are invaluable,” she says.
As the incumbent Mrs India Classic,
Deepika will spend as much time as
possible associating herself with
meaningful charitable causes in the
coming year.
“I hope to make a difference in
other people’s lives in any small way I
can,” she smiles.
Wendy says she took part in the pageant for a very
good cause.
“I hoped my exposure in the pageant would help
to raise awareness of children suffering from rare
genetic diseases,” says Wendy, a certified Genetic
Counsellor who practices part-time at a clinic in
Hong Kong.
“I ‘ve come across many families with
children suffering from rare genetic
diseases. They often lack support
from the public and the government.
Medical assistance and rehabilitative
therapies are essential to improve
their quality of life.”
Wendy took third spot in the
pageant, saying it was “inspiring to
meet so many great personalities from
different walks of life!”
Mutka was invited to join the Mrs Asia International
Universe after coming in the top five in the Mrs India
pageant in 2014 and winning Mrs India Beautiful eyes.
Having caught the travel bug at a very young age,
with her family moving to different cities in India,
Mukta says that becoming cabin crew “seemed a
perfect fit”.
“With strong support from my husband,
family and friends, I feel that my two
decades’ experience in Cathay has
given me the confidence and poise
required to excel in the pageant.”
After winning Mrs Asia, Mukta
is now busy preparing for the Mrs
Universe being held in Guangzhou next
month, “and I look forward to meeting
gorgeous women from around the
world!”
Karen Yung
CX WORLD
Network gets ready for B-KOO
People across the Cathay network help
Hank Cheng achieve a life-long dream
•
•
A seven-year journey culminates in a three-month round-the-world
trip for Captain Hank Cheng and the Inspiration team
Plane to visit several Cathay ports, including San Francisco
Inspiration – Hong Kong’s first home-built and locally registered singleengine aircraft – made history in November as it took to the skies above
HKIA. The Van’s RV8 is about to embark on the journey it was built for: a
three-month round-the-world trip.
“We’re very happy that the Hong Kong CAD issued Inspiration a
Permit to Fly so that we can circumnavigate the world using the B-KOO
registration,” says Captain Hank Cheng.
B-KOO was temporarily de-registered while it was conducting the
necessary flight testing in Australia. After 40 hours of flight, Inspiration
was piloted back to Hong Kong via Bali, Kota Kinabalu and Clark, where
staff were happy to offer their expertise and assistance to the RV8 team.
Henry Ming, our Engineer in Bali, says: “Some of
our staff came into the office on their day off
just to see Inspiration’s arrival. They wanted to
show their enthusiasm!”
The local teams went beyond their call
of duty to help this Cathay people project,
organising security permits and other
engineering needs by liaising with local
authorities.
Bali Airport Services Manager Yaniarti
Yaniarti said: “We’re very happy to see
this aircraft! After seven years of work, big
congratulations go to this excellent team!”
“We’re super thankful for the help that each
outport is offering,” says Hank. “In fact, there are many
Cathay people in Hong Kong who are supporting this endeavour.”
Gary Tat, the first engineer to join Hank on the Inspiration
project, adds: “The Inspiration Operations Centre in Cathay City follows
the plane in real time to make sure both Hank and the aircraft are safe.
Our team came in on their days off or even on their birthday to volunteer!”
“It was wonderful to see the passion that our people have for planes,”
says Assistant Manager AV Unit & Photographer Karen Yung, who was
there to see Inspiration’s arrival in Bali. “RV8 bonds our people around
the network and people are building a good rapport around this great
project!”
Inspiration begins its journey on 28 August and will fly to approximately
50 destinations, many of which are Cathay or Dragonair ports. Stay
tuned to IntraCX, Yammer and CX World for more Inspiration updates.
55,000km in distance
466L fuel tank capacity
>50 destinations including Greenland &
Hawaii
HK$3 million is required for the
trip (visit inspiration.bkoo.hk to buy
merchandise in support of this trip)
Red Bull and Energy Bars are the
meals served onboard
Immersion suit will be worn on journeys
over water
Clockwise from top: Hank landed at
HKG on his homecoming journey from
Australia; the Bali team was excited
to see Inspiration on its approach to
DPS; Inspiration with Kota Kinabalu’s
Cathay team; CE Ivan Chu charts the
beginning of Inspiration’s journey.
Watch out for a video featuring our people
collaborating with the Inspiration team on Yammer and IntraCX!
One minute with... Chris Kempis, General Manager Flying
1. How did you get involved in the annual pedal
kart race?
I was a First Officer at the time and one of the Captains I flew with was a keen cyclist. He invited me to
attend a Pedal Kart selection trial in early 1996 …
the rest is history!
2. What has kept you motivated for more than
20 years?
Like many people, I find it gratifying to do something that is both exciting and meaningful. Pedal
kart grows on you the more you participate.
3. What makes the event so exciting?
Very few of us in the competitive teams can claim
to ‘enjoy’ the intensity of the 30 minute stints
we do, but the atmosphere, camaraderie and
fantastic support we receive all make the event
something I love being part of.
4. How many trophies have you won through
the years?
My regular team, the Cathay Jumbos, has won at
least one trophy every year. The “heavyweight”
trophies are Winning Team and Fastest Lap, which
the Jumbos have won on several occasions - and
I’m sure would have done without me!
5. How are you preparing for the race?
I train by cycling a lot. Close to the race I spend
some time on the recumbent cycle in the gym as
well.
6. What is your practicing route?
I cycle from my home to Bride’s Pool Rd, where
many cyclists train; alternatively, I do a circuit of
some part of the New Territories. I count myself
lucky if I get out twice in a week so I target 6090km on each ride.
7. What is your fastest lap by far?
I don’t consider myself to be the ‘fast guy’. I leave
that to the younger sprinters. I aim for very quick
changeovers and consistent lap times.
8. Does the Cathay team have any specific tactic?
Our main aim is to keep going for 24 hours, avoid
crashes and minimise technical problems. We are
extremely fortunate to have outstanding support
from pit crews and helpers.
9. Any expectation for this year’s race?
It’ll be another win for the men – and I’ll be supporting the women as they defend their championship.
10. Do you take part in other sports?
A hike or gentle run on one of the trails near my
home in Tai Po Kau is high on my favourites list.
13
WHO WHAT WHERE
Cathay Club
Bush adventure
Pilot takes on driving challenge in Zambia
•
•
Mawgan Grace will put his offroading skills to the test in the Mudhogs team
Goal is to raise funds to help conservation efforts in Zambia
Basketball
The Cathay Ladies Basketball Team successfully defended
the Inter-Hong Champion trophy, maintaining a strong winning
streak over the two-month tournament.
Cathay competed against PCCW, CLP, New World Sports Club,
Standard Chartered Bank and Wayfoong Sports Club in the roundrobin event, with their win secured even before the final match.
“We are very pleased with our performance, especially when
so many of our players are on rosters, which made it even harder
to maintain a strong squad,” says HKIA’s Helen Liu, a key player in
the Cathay team.
Tennis
The Cathay Tennis Team were declared champions of this year’s
Inter-Hong event after a tight final against Jardine Sports Club.
“We lost the men’s and ladies’ singles in the best-of-five match
so the situation wasn’t looking good,” says Fanny Nip, Tennis
Team Organiser. “Thankfully we won all three doubles games to
claim the championship.”
Only eight players could actually take part, “but we had the full
team showing up to support, which was fantastic,” Fanny says.
“We have some talented new blood this year so we are pretty
confident about the future!”
Fencing
The Cathay Fencing Club received a terrific response to its
roadshow held at Cathay City back in June.
“More than 60 signed up for our induction training,” says
Allan Tang, the Fencing Club Organiser. “With more colleagues
participating we really hope that this elegant sport can gain
more publicity.”
The fencing team holds regular practice sessions on Monday
and Thursday evenings – contact Allan at FOPACT.
14
On 30 September, Senior First Officer Mawgan Grace begins a three-day adventure that is going
to test his stamina and resolve – and at the same time raise vital funds for conservation efforts in
that country.
The Elephant Charge is an annual event that sees teams complete a gruelling course through
“unbelievably difficult terrain” in customised off-road vehicles and motorbikes.
Mawgan is joining as part of the Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) Mudhogs team, run by a
friend who has taken part in the event for the past few years.
“I always wanted to get involved, and I jumped at the chance when invited by Mark Barrett, the
Director of Flight Operations for Zambian airline ProFlight, who I’ve known since my university days.”
Teams in the Elephant Charge are given a GPS grid reference early
in the morning before setting out deep into the Zambian bush,
traversing valleys, ridges and escarpments in what is called “a
trial of driving, navigating and endurance”.
The winning team is the one that completes a course of 10
checkpoints in the shortest distance possible.
Mawgan will be one of a team of six in the Mudhogs and will
share tasks throughout the day, including driving.
“I’ve driven in the bush a fair bit and have done a lot of offroading, but the Elephant Charge will be a whole new challenge,”
he says.
“The driving itself will be tiring – from 5am to 6pm – and at
nighttime we’ll be camping out and dealing with hazards
such as scorpions and snakes!”
Underpinning Mawgan’s determination to do
well in the Elephant Charge is the goal of helping
conservation efforts in Zambia.
Each team taking part needs to donate a
minimum of US$800 and run their own fundraising
drives, with the money going to support 10
beneficiaries across the country.
“I’ve been visiting Africa since 1995 and the
poaching is getting out of control,” Mawgan says.
“There’s an urgent need to stamp out poaching
and the bush meat trade, and education is an
important part of that.
“I’m asking friends and family to support
me, and any other help from the Cathay
team, no matter how small, would be hugely
appreciated!” he smiles.
Find out more about the event at www.
elephantcharge.org.
Donate to support Mawgan at
www.virginmoneygiving.com/clz, stating “car 13”
on the online payment CX WORLD
Memory board
Thank you Maria Chow!
45 years of service
Looking at this photo of the ever-elegant and
photogenic Maria Chow, who could have guessed that
she has already been with us for 45 years?
Maria joined Cathay in 1971, first as a cabin crew
who operated our first pure jet, the Convair 880.
Through various uniform changes, Maria rose to
the position of Chief Purser before migrating to New
Zealand with her husband in 1996, where she assumed
the role as a part-time Customer Services Officer.
She’s now Auckland’s Airport Services Supervisor.
The Auckland team invited Maria and some
Cathay retirees to join Mark Pirihi, Country Manager
New Zealand & Pacific Islands, to celebrate Maria’s
incredible milestone. For more about Maria, read the
September issue of CX World!
1
Win a trip to Gatwick!
Flights and hotel stay for one lucky winner
To celebrate the launch of our new four-times-weekly service to
London Gatwick on 2 September, CX World is giving away a free twonight trip to our latest destination.
2
The prize includes a pair of return tickets (priority 16YB) for
CX343/344, together with a two-night stay at the Sofitel London
Gatwick with dinners and breakfasts for two.
The Sofitel London Gatwick is a luxury hotel located within the hotel
perimeter, directly linked to the North Terminal and minutes away from
the South Terminal by monorail. The nearby Gatwick Express rail link
takes you into the heart of London in just 30 minutes.
3
The hotel features 518 guest rooms and facilities such as a gym and
business centre which are open 24 hours a day. The four-star facility
features three restaurants: La Brasserie offers a modern European
menu; Gatwick Oriental Restaurant features Southeast Asian cuisine;
and Le Café includes a terrace for guests to relax. You can also enjoy
drinks at the Kua Bar.
To enter the competition, answer the question below:
1. America bade goodbye to the ever-positive and helpful Patrick Lai, who has been with Cathay for the past 43
years! Vice President Sales & Marketing – Americas Eric Odone also presented pins to Lisa Manning (30 years)
and Timothy Remedios (35 years). 2. The San Francisco Town Office held a baby shower for Vice President
Marketing – Americas, Robecta Ma (centre). 3. The Frankfurt Airport team bade Tony Sham a fond farewell. The
former Country Manager Germany is moving back to Hong Kong.
Brushwingers...
Q. From which terminal at Gatwick will Cathay Pacific operate?
Send the correct answer by email to PNL#COM with the title “Gatwick
Giveaway” no later than 5pm (HK time) on Friday, 2 September. Correct
entries will go into a lucky draw and the winner will be announced on
Daily News. Good luck!
Say hello to some of our new people at Cathay!
Oliver
Oscar Setchell
Kwan
Airport
Procurement
Manager
Cargo Revenue
Specialist
Although I grew up in Hong Kong, I love
the countryside and places with beautiful
natural scenery. I enjoy all sorts of outdoor
activities such as swimming, jogging and ball
games, so I’ll be sure to check out some Cathay
Club events.
As a Brushwinger, I find that people in Cathay
City are friendly and helpful and it’s great to be
able to work with such a cheerful team. As for my
role, I provide support to our outport Cargo Sales
teams, to help them maximise revenue for the
network!
Christi Choy
Safety Training Specialist
Before joining Flight Operations, I was a
cabin crew with Emirates Airline in Dubai.
Outside of work, I enjoy watching
movies, snowboarding and cooking. I’ll definitely
check out the organic farm on the Cathay City
rooftop when I have chance!
Also, I’m glad to see there are so many animal
lovers in Cathay, I have one dog and one cat
and both of them were adopted. Animals are so
adorable and cute!
I look forward to share more moments with all of
you in Cathay.
Michelle Heath
Project Manager – Crew Management
Programme
Hello everyone! I am originally from New
Zealand and moved to Hong Kong at the
end of last year. I am a Project Manager
on the Crew Management Programme.
If you visit New Zealand make sure you
experience driving around parts of the country to
really enjoy the stunning scenery, fresh seafood
and local wines – and of course the fresh air!
15
TRAVEL
Authentic tour of Asia
Frankfurt’s Marketing Communications Officer – Digital Sales
took the roads less travelled on her recent tour around Asia
By Susanne Schirm
CONTRIBUTE TO
DISCOVERY
Our inflight magazine Discovery is now
looking for staff contributors!
If you have a knack for writing or if you’re an
amazing photographer, write to PDTSYS with
some samples of your work.
Your travel wisdom will be shared with our
customers across the network to help them
live a Life Well Travelled!
Yammer photo log...
Best shots from the
Share Your Moments groups
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Arrive in Hong Kong in the early
morning? Don’t hit the hay yet!
Go hiking on Dragon’s Back. The
beautiful trek will wake you up! And
do visit Cheung Chau and see the
Mini Great Wall, and do get lost
on the island and find its hidden
treasures.
For food, always consult a local!
They know the best non-cliché
places. My thanks go to Alvin Lee
from the Digital Sales team who told
me where to find the best hot pot.
Taipei
You think Taipei 101 offers the best
view of Taipei? Try hiking up Elephant
Hill! It’s got a birds eye view of the
city, including the aforementioned
skyscraper. But be warned, the hike
is very steep.
Singapore
Singapore is not just about the
postcard perfection of Marina
Bay Sands and Orchard Road.
If you want to experience the
real Singapore, go to MacRitchie
reservoir and enjoy pure nature and
wild monkeys. Do hit Chinatown and
eat authentic Singaporean food.
To ease digestion, take a walk in
the Chinatown night market – the
atmosphere is electrifying.
Taipei
Cebu
Singapore
Macau
HK$500 for every tale!
Courtesy of ISD, every published travel story gets a
HK$500 Discover the Shop voucher*.
Send your 450-word travel tale and high res images to PNL#COM.
Shop at www.cathaypacific.com/dutyfree
*Excludes liquor and cigarettes
16
Cebu
Now, the Shangri-La on Mactan
Island. What a hotel – it’s got a
brilliant garden, beautifully trimmed,
and you can see many curious
animals at night: huge frogs, cute
lizards and little crabs. What’s more,
the hotel has its own house reef
and it’s accessible from the private
beach just a short walk away from
your bedroom!
Macau
Macau Tower offers the best view of
the territory – and you’ve got to see
it at night. You have to try the Macau
egg tarts, which are an adaptation
of the Portuguese pastel de nata.
Delicious!
Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Central
Asia are well-known stops along the Silk Road. I
highly recommend an exploration of this beautiful
and – most importantly – peaceful part of the world.
Central Asia can offer natural scenery, draw-dropping architecture and hospitable people!
Jonathan Yip, Flight Purser
The ancient town of Hoi An in Da Nang is a charming old seaport. The houses and infrastructure were
influenced by European, Chinese and Japanese cultures and have remained untouched for centuries.
This delightful town was recognised by UNESCO as
a World Heritage Site in 1999.
Raunak Kothari, System Analyst