CX°/KA°/LD | Swire Group: Cathay Pacific/Dragonair/Air Hong Kong

[Fenix_2007]

Jueves, 21 Julio 2011 10:23

PANAMÁ - AEROLÍNEAS ASIÁTICAS Interesadas en vuelos directos al país

All Nippon Airways -ANA- y Cathay Pacific Airways mostraron interés en establecer un vuelo directo a Panamá. Por su parte, ANA envió una invitación para que autoridades panameñas viajen a finales de julio a Hong Kong, para empezar conversaciones y explorar la factibilidad de un vuelo directo entre Tokio y Panamá.

ANA señaló que una frecuencia aérea entre Japón y Panamá tendría potencial para cuatro vuelos semanales, y que el 20% y el 30% de los pasajeros tendría como destino final Panamá.

Cabe señalar que en los primeros cinco meses del año, se reportó el ingreso de 15,000 turistas asiáticos al país, lo que representó un aumento del 17% en comparación al mismo periodo del 2010.

In English:

Thursday, July 21, 2011 10:23

PANAMA - Asian airlines interested on direct flights to the country

ANA All Nippon Airways and Cathay Pacific Airways have shown interest in establishing a direct flight to Panama. Meanwhile, ANA sent an invitation to Panamanian authorities in late July to travel to Hong Kong to begin talks to explore the feasibility of a direct flight between Tokyo and Panama.

ANA said air frequency between Japan and Panama has the potential for four weekly flights, and that 20% and 30% of passengers would fate Panama.

Note that in the first five months of the year, reported income of 15,000 Asian tourists to the country, representing an increase of 17% over the same period of 2010.

http://www.travelupdate.com.pe/inter...rectos-al-pais

[hkskyline]

That's another interesting one. Are there major Star / Oneworld carriers connecting into Panama? It seems a bit far to do a non-stop from Asia - perhaps Japan is still OK.

[Fenix_2007]

* OneWorld in PTY:

- American Airlines --> MIA (DFW seasonal)

- Iberia --> MAD

* Star Alliance in PTY:

- Continental --> EWR and IAH

- Avianca (future member) --> BOG

- Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia (future member) --> PTY is the first one's base to 55 destinations in the Americas.

- TACA (future member) --> SAL, SJO, MDE and several locations in Panama

* SkyTeam in PTY:

- Delta --> JFK

- KLM --> AMS

[deasine]

Be interesting to see what route they take. I'm not surprised if there would be a stopover in North America for the Asian-Panama routes. I wouldn't mind ANA to stop in YVR

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by Fenix_2007

* OneWorld in PTY:

- American Airlines --> MIA (DFW seasonal)

- Iberia --> MAD

* Star Alliance in PTY:

- Continental --> EWR and IAH

- Avianca (future member) --> BOG

- Copa Airlines and Copa Airlines Colombia (future member) --> PTY is the first one's base to 55 destinations in the Americas.

- TACA (future member) --> SAL, SJO, MDE and several locations in Panama

* SkyTeam in PTY:

- Delta --> JFK

- KLM --> AMS

Thanks. I was actually looking for whether a Oneworld carrier had major connections to South America out of Panama.

[deasine]

LAN? They are the only OW carrier in SA.

[g.yau]

Cathay Pacific hopes to introduce a world-beating premium economy service when the Hong Kong flag carrier eventually reveals its long-awaited mid-market offering.

Cathay Pacific Airways CEO John Slosar confirmed CX’s premium economy plans to a National Aviation Press Club lunch in Sydney earlier this year, stating that “we will be taking steps to compete in the [premium economy] market and in true Cathay style we will deliver something special – not just an economy seat and call it premium.”

Now the airline’s premium economy playbook is shaping up, with CX General Manager for Product Alex McGowan revealing his premium recipe in an exclusive interview with Australian Business Traveller.

McGowan, who has already kicked several goals with Cathay’s new business class as well as HK airport lounges like The Cabin and The Wing, admits premium economy is “an obvious segment” for the airline.
Filling a gap in the market

“If you’re a premium airline and you have a long-haul network that’s important to you, there’s a natural gap in the market between the standard economy product and the fully flat bed of business class, and certainly when you have a new business class like ours” McGowan told Australian Business Traveller when we visited Cathay Pacific HQ.

“But you need to really identify the core needs of the people who are going to be purchasing that product.”

“I think the philosophy that’s right is to make it a quiet cabin, a more exclusive environment, with a larger more comfortable armchair that you can really sink into, recline and relax in.”

“I think that any premium economy product needs to be its own seat, which needs to be wider and have more (legroom), it needs to have a legrest and footrest and be a better all-round experience.”
Better food, entertainment, and a private cabin

McGowan also calls out “upgraded catering and a larger (video) screen size” as key components. “But it’s mainly its about being a small private cabin, set separately and having more interaction with the cabin crew and a better standard of service (compared to economy).”

McGowan has of course been studying the competition, including Oneworld alliance partners such as Qantas and says “I think airlines that have done all that have got it right. Airlines that have perhaps gone for innovation for innovation’s sake, or trying to do things with fixed back shell seats in premium economy, I think that’s a mistake when what passengers want is a simple comfy armchair.”

It's no business class, though
Premium economy won't be an approximation of Cathay's ultra-premium new business class seat.

The airline is keenly aware of the need to sharply differentiate premium economy from business class in order to protect its pointy-end profits.

“The key with something like premium economy is to understand that it’s an economy plus product, not a ‘business class minus’ product – at least from a philosophical perspective, but not as a product definition” McGowan told Australian Business Traveller.

“It’s not seeking to capture people who want to trade down from business class because realistically if you’re a frequent business traveller who has important deals to do when you get to your destination, you need that flat bed and you need an environment that’s conducive to sleep and work so you can be at your peak when you arrive.”

“Trading down from business class into premium economy is not the game we’re in. It’s for people in economy who want more space, more exclusivity, and a few details like better catering and wine. It’s also about capturing people who may want not to travel in economy but can’t afford to travel in business class.”
When will it happen?

McGowan won’t be drawn on when the airline will make its big reveal of the new premium economy seats, cabin and service – only that any announcement “would be a couple of months before the product is rolled out.”

“When we have something to say we want to make sure we have firm timescales. With the new business class we announced in December and we started rolling it out in February, that’s the kind of sensible lead time because you’re not telling people something that’s irrelevant to them because it won’t happen for a year."


http://www.ausbt.com.au/cathay-pacif...n=home-flipper

With this info given from CX, what do you think the new premium economy class would look like?

[Fenix_2007]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

Thanks. I was actually looking for whether a Oneworld carrier had major connections to South America out of Panama.

That would be LAN, American and Iberia. They all connect their hubs (SCL, MIA and MAD) to almost every major city in South and Central America.

LAN is the only one that has its origins in the region.

Qantas flies to Buenos Aires too.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by Fenix_2007

That would be LAN, American and Iberia. They all connect their hubs (SCL, MIA and MAD) to almost every major city in South and Central America.

LAN is the only one that has its origins in the region.

Qantas flies to Buenos Aires too.

So the greatest chance is to have CX connect to LAN in Panama?

[deasine]

Totally speculating this one, but if the financial outlook on JAL gets better, Panama could be a destination if there are more OW airlines. JAL currently flies to Sao Paulo via New York. Buenos Aires is also quite popular with the Japanese, so if there's a direct flight to Panama from Tokyo (perhaps via a West Coast North American city), and a network of codeshares with LAN and AA, it could work.

But keep in mind, Panama's location challenges Mexicana's hub. And while Mexicana is gone, it may find its way to start up once again. It's still part of the OW alliance afterall.

[EricIsHim]

I can't imagine what were in the passengers' mind when you are flying between New York and Hong Kong, but find yourself with a enroute in London for a night~

Incident: Cathay B773 near North Pole on Jul 20th 2011, medical emergency

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, Jul 22nd 2011 16:02Z, last updated Friday, Jul 22nd 2011 16:39Z
A Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300, registration B-KPT performing flight CX-841 (dep Jul 19th) from New York JFK,NY (USA) to Hong Kong (China) with 4 flight crew, 14 cabin crew and 201 passengers, was enroute on a near polar route about 6:20 hours into the flight when one of the pilots became sick while taking his crew rest. The crew decided to divert to London Heathrow,EN (UK) and landed safely at Heathrow's runway 27L about 6 hours later.

The aircraft departed London after 36 hours on the ground and reached Hong Kong with a total delay of about 44 hours.

Cathay Pacific reported that when the pilot fell sick London Heathrow was the nearest airport. Passengers were provided with hotel accomodation and meals. Due to crew availability and slot restrictions in London Heathrow the flight could continue only the following day and reached Hong Kong on Jul 22nd 10:07L (02:07Z) with a scheduled arrival on Jul 20th 14:05L (06:05Z). The sick pilot was able to join the continuing flight as passenger.

The spokesperson added: "We would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the passengers for the 43 hours of delay. We did everything possible to bring the passengers to Hong Kong and their final destinations as soon as possible. Due to crew availability and slot availability at London's Heathrow Airport, we were not able to reschedule the flight until 21 July. All flights from London to Hong Kong and other destinations of our passengers on 20 July were fully booked and so alternative arrangements have been very limited."

http://avherald.com/h?article=440183e9

[hkskyline]

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/539/5392247.html

[hkskyline]

Cathay Pacific's 'Eternal Task'
By Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation
Published on July 27, 2011

The head of Cathay Pacific Airways' Thailand operations, Maggie Yeung, explains to The Nation's Pichaya Changsorn how Cathay - one of the most profitable and largest airlines in the world, - attempts to set itself apart from its competitors by making sure its staff deliver "service from the heart".

Within Cathay Pacific Airways, the staff refer to their special skill as "SSFTH" - service straight from the heart.

It lies at the core of the airline's so-called People and Service Campaign. It was introduced nearly two years ago, and will entering the second phase of implementation in September. It is an on-going campaign and, according to Cathay Pacific's country manager in Thailand, Maggie Yeung, it looks like becoming an "eternal theme" for Cathay, which sees customer-service excellence as its competitive advantage.

"This campaign will be an eternal theme for us. Because the airline industry is so competitive that if you choose to compete on price, others can follow you tomorrow," she said.

Customer surveys and her own experience, working earlier in the airline's sales division, revealed that customers choose to fly with Cathay because of its cutting-edge customer services.

Under its People and Service Campaign, Cathay invites some of its staff members to share their experiences, such as why they are motivated to deliver customer service genuinely from their hearts, via various media including TV, print and the airline's website.

"First of all, this is a good form of recognition for the staff. Their colleagues get inspired by this sharing, and customers may see some familiar faces," Yeung said.

The website offers more than 100 video clips while one print advertisement features five or six staff members at a time. The campaign has been a hit, and has already attracted more than 1 million visitors to the website.

To motivate staff to "go the extra mile for their companies", Yeung said firms first needed a clear mission and vision, and these needed to be aligned to the objectives of the staff.

"Staff understand what helps a company to succeed. They are engaged with the company and feel that if the company is good, then they will be good," she said, adding that because Cathay emphasised "service from the heart", it was important that staff felt part of a team, with a contribution to make to the firm's success.

Furthermore, companies have to provide sufficient training and hardware and software support to enable their staff to deliver excellent customer service. Thanks to its customer database, Cathay's cabin crews are able to surprise their frequent flyers with birthday cake, champagne, cards signed by the crew, and so on.

"I think this kind of recognition leads frequent flyers to enjoy flying with us," Yeung said.

The proportion of revenue contributed by frequent flyers is an important indicator that Cathay uses to measure its performance. Worldwide, the airline has 650,000 frequent flyers who are the members of its Marco Polo Club. In Thailand, Cathay's frequent flyers number nearly 5,200, and the figure is growing gradually.

"Of course we want more [frequent flyers]. But if we try to grow too fast, we may not be able to deliver excellent service, because we want to give very personalised service," she said.

--Bangkok-based cabin crew

Cathay began building up its Bangkok-based crew team in January 2009. After two rounds of recruitment, it now has 44 crew members living in the Thai capital. It recently recruited another 24 staff, who will join the airline in about one month.

Yeung said Cathay Pacific expected to keep expanding its Bangkok-based cabin crew staff, in line with increasing numbers of Thai passengers. However, it has no plan to increase the numbers of Thai staff based at its Hong Kong headquarters beyond the current 192 people.

Outside Hong Kong, Cathay has only a few air-crew bases. The reason why Bangkok enjoys that privilege is more about language than anything else, since local staff can communicate with Thai passengers.

"We believe that with the same training, everyone [of any nationality] can offer quality service," she said.

Nevertheless, the recruitment process is focused intensively on finding people who really enjoy serving others.

"Willingness to [provide service] is not enough," Yeung said.

To be a flight attendant is one of the most popular career ambitions in the world. At one recruitment session in Bangkok, Cathay attracted more than 3,000 applicants for 24 jobs.

To engage staff, Yeung said communication was key, and it should go beyond formal meetings.

"I emphasise staff communication, including casual checks. I enjoy informal talks with staff. They tell me a lot and I learn a lot. Fairness and transparency are also important. You cannot make everyone happy. When people raise something, if I cannot do it, I will tell them frankly."

[city_thing]

I have a question...

I'm on flight CX105 from HK to Melbourne, and my details says there's a stop over somewhere. I can't find out where the stop over is anywhere, does anyone have any idea?

Maybe it's just a refeulling stop?

Thanks!

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by city_thing

I have a question...

I'm on flight CX105 from HK to Melbourne, and my details says there's a stop over somewhere. I can't find out where the stop over is anywhere, does anyone have any idea?

Maybe it's just a refeulling stop?

Thanks!

Stop in Adelaide.

[g.yau]

Cathay Pacific’s new business class is a winner, and its premium economy seats are taking shape… but what about the oft-criticised ‘fixed shell’ economy seats?

Alex McGowan, General Manager of Product with the Hong Kong flag carrier, tells Australian Business Traveller that the airline is “working quite aggressively” on an overhaul for the seats – beginning with a deep dive into what passengers don’t like about the current design, and what they do want in a modern economy seat.

At issue is the seat’s construction in a single shell, which ‘reclines’ by edging the back cushion down and the bottom of the seat forward rather than physically tilting the back of the seat.

The upside is that there’s no intrusion into your personal space when the passenger in front ‘reclines’ their seat, because each seat stays within its hard shell.

The downside? Spend more than a handful of hours with the seat ‘reclined’ and your lower back will likely be aching due to the odd angle and the lack of lumbar support.

These two traits make Cathay’s economy seat well suited to short-distance regional flights in Asia but less so for longer trips, such as the 8+ hours from most Australian cities to Hong Kong, let alone the 12+ hours from Hong Kong to London or the US.

McGowan admits that while he feels the seat is “perfect for daytime flights – when you want to watch TV, when you want to dine or talk to a companion" – it’s less good for long-haul overnight flights.

“We’re looking at what we can do and we always start from the perspective of the passenger. What are they telling us they don’t like about particular features, and how can we address that? We’re working on that quite aggressively."

“Then we need to look at what the alternatives are, what else is on the market, what are the innovations in this space and what’s being developed. That process takes time, so you’ll have to continue to watch this space for a little bit longer.”

[g.yau]

Originally Posted by city_thing

I have a question...

I'm on flight CX105 from HK to Melbourne, and my details says there's a stop over somewhere. I can't find out where the stop over is anywhere, does anyone have any idea?

Maybe it's just a refeulling stop?

Thanks!

You can check on the CX's website. Here's the info, I did a dummy booking:https://book.cathaypacific.com/pl/Ca...dustrie%20A330 At the bottom it says Stopover location: Adelaide, Australia

I remember taking that route 3 years ago, you basically stop at Adelaide. Once you land a member from CX would hand out a transit card to you and other passengers carrying onto MEL, you will go through a mini security check and taken back to the departure gates. The shops are opened but not that many so it's really just waiting at the gate. I remember there was another CX flight to MEL that flew directly, but I think it's a morning flight.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by g.yau

You can check on the CX's website. Here's the info, I did a dummy booking:https://book.cathaypacific.com/pl/Ca...dustrie%20A330 At the bottom it says Stopover location: Adelaide, Australia

I remember taking that route 3 years ago, you basically stop at Adelaide. Once you land a member from CX would hand out a transit card to you and other passengers carrying onto MEL, you will go through a mini security check and taken back to the departure gates. The shops are opened but not that many so it's really just waiting at the gate. I remember there was another CX flight to MEL that flew directly, but I think it's a morning flight.

No need to make a dummy booking. Just check the flight status and it'll show the stopover.

[hkskyline]

Source : http://pic.feeyo.com/posts/539/5393155.html

[hkskyline]

Sacked pilots denied appeal to top court
The Standard
Friday, July 29, 2011

The Court of Appeal has dismissed a bid by a group of former Cathay Pacific pilots to take their claims of wrongful dismissal and defamation to the Court of Final Appeal.

The appeal court ruled that the 18 pilots had failed to prove their case was "reasonably arguable as a matter of law," and therefore, not appropriate as questions of general importance.

The decision of Court of Appeal Vice President Frank Stock and justices Susan Kwan Shuk-hing and Johnson Lam Man-hon was made last Friday, but the reasons were handed down yesterday.

The pilots were also ordered to pay costs.

However, their lawyer said they will apply directly to the Court of Final Appeal.

The case goes back more than a decade, when 49 pilots who participated in industrial action in June 2001 were dismissed by the airline.

Last December, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling that awarded each plaintiff HK$3.3 million for defamation, slashing the amount to HK$700,000.

It also overturned the findings of wrongful dismissal.

Cathay was originally ordered to pay the 18 pilots a total of HK$56.1 million, but this was reduced by the Court of Appeal to HK$11.9 million.

The pilots are appealing this, saying they have suffered huge loss of earnings, and that as professionals they had been accused of being unprofessional. In addition, Cathay has never apologized for the defamation.

The pilots also claim Cathay had bypassed Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures in dismissing them.