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A team to be proud ofEmergency landing and fl ight disruptions test mettle of airline’s staff

May 2010, Issue 170

One thing we’re all painfully aware of in Cathay Paci� c is that the airline business is basically a series of crises punctuated by periods of relative calm. Last month certainly proved that to be the case.

We had two major incidents in April that fully tested our mettle. The emer-gency landing of CX780 from Suraba-ya on 13 April was followed very soon after by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland that sent a thick plume of ash over Europe. What followed was six crisis-� lled days as � ights across the continent ground to a halt.

The emergency landing was a very di� cult situation, and I can’t com-ment on why it happened as the inci-dent is still the subject of internal and external investigations. What is clear, though, is that our pilots performed magni� cently in landing the aircraft safely, while our cabin crew kept cool heads and showed professional con-trol to evacuate the plane in just two minutes.

The volcanic eruption that paralysed European airports was something unexpected, and something unlike anything else we’ve dealt with before due to its sheer length. We’re used to dealing with typhoon disruptions in our airline but this was something on a di� erent scale, with 93 � ights either cancelled or delayed and 20,000 or so

of our passengers a� ected. Our European services cover some

10% of our network and so the closure of European airports triggered a mas-sive control and recovery operation. I was proud to witness the magni� cent response from our team, with sta� working day and night.

In Hong Kong and outports, back o� ce sta� put their hands up to help overstretched Reservations and Air-port teams. We even had CNN come over to Cathay City to see the great work being done by volunteers in our CEPIC call centre. Their e� orts to get some 750 students and Unaccompa-nied Minors back to London were ex-emplary.

What both incidents clearly high-lighted to me was the quality of the team we are fortunate to have here at Cathay Paci� c. We have sta� who are talented, committed, and fully able to respond to di� cult situations and go the extra mile just when it’s needed.

The stream of letters and emails I re-ceived following both events in April tells me that the e� ort made was fully appreciated.

Thank you to everyone on the team who pulled us through an extremely trying month.

Tony Tyler Chief Executive

Page 4

ALL HANDS ON DECK: Teams around the network worked tirelessly to keep passengers informed and try to get them to their destinations as the volcanic ash cloud over Europe brought fl ights to a halt.

Sta� � eld trips show how Change for Good donations reallly do change lives.

• See pages 8-9

Making abetter world

Praise for crew as preliminary report on CX780 incident releasedThe preliminary report into the emergency land-ing of CX780 from Surabaya released by the Civil Aviation Department highlighted the sequence of events that led to the incident on 13 April.

The report, released on 6 May, was consistent with the airline’s understanding of what had occurred.

In a statement the airline said it would continue to cooperate fully with the CAD in its ongoing in-vestigations.

“We look forward to the � nal report which we believe will determine the cause of the emergen-

cy and enable us to take steps to avoid a recurrence of such an incident,” it said.

Cathay Paci� c also stressed that while an engine control system fault message appeared about 30 minutes after takeo� , as the CAD report had pointed out, the parameters on both engines were normal except for the slight engine power � uctuations.

Both the � ight crew and Maintenance Control were satis� ed that it was safe for the � ight to continue.

• Continued on page 2

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Preliminary report on CX780 released• Continued from page 1

During the landing, � ve main tyres de� ated. The Airport Fire Services team reported � re and smoke on the main wheels so the Captain initiated an emergency evacuation of passengers. All passengers were evacuated in about two minutes.

The moment that calls started coming in about CX780’s emergency landing, the Integrated Operation Centre (IOC) sprang into action, putting into play the crisis train-ing which has been rehearsed time and time again.

The aircraft landed at 1.43pm and the Crisis Manage-ment Centre (CMC) was up and running by 2.30pm, with 40 department heads and representatives in place under the command of Director Service Delivery Ivan Chu as Cri-sis Manager.

About 50 Immediate Support Group (ISG) volunteers were deployed to Hong Kong International Airport to as-sist the uninjured passengers, while another 10 were sent to aid the eight injured passengers who were taken to hospital.

“ISD also helped to contact Indonesian-speaking crew to help out,” says Crisis Response Development Manager Carrie Shiu.

Crew support was enacted quickly, with the CX780 crew brought back to Cathay City for a debrie� ng with the airline’s psychologist and medical team.

Ivan says that by the time the CMC stood down at 6pm that night he knew the job had executed with profession-alism of the highest order.

“The ongoing crisis management exercises that we conducted over the years paid o� ,” he says. “We have con-ducted three exercises in Hong Kong over the last year and learned a lot from each one.”

Ivan says learning items from the CX780 incident have already been identi� ed and will be followed up in the coming months.

“We must continue to ensure that our crisis handling is world class,” he says.

General Manager In� ight Services Charlie Stewart-Cox praised the work of the cabin crew in ensuring all the pas-sengers were deplaned through the evacuation slides before they evacuated themselves, calling it “a real testa-ment to their very high standards of safety knowledge and skills”.

The pilots – hailed as “heroes” in newspaper headlines – also won praise.

In his weekly update, General Manager Flying Captain Henry Craig said, “the skill and manner in which they land-ed the aircraft in very unusual and di� cult circumstances is something for which we wish to commend them.”

Rising to an extraordinary challengeStaff praised for response as ash cloud leads to 79 fl ight cancellations and 20,000 passengers stranded

When the � rst rumblings were heard from Iceland’s Eyja� allajokull volcano in March, no one could have imagined the impact a geological event would soon have on so many people.

A major eruption of the volcano on 14 April sent a huge plume of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, which winds pushed in the direction of Europe.

Fearful for the impact the ash might have on jet-powered aircraft, authori-ties took the di� cult decision to sus-pend � ights over almost an entire con-tinent.

The airspace closure led to scores of airlines cancelling thousands of � ights,

with hundreds of thousands of passen-gers a� ected.

For Cathay Paci� c, the disruptions began on 15 April and ran through six days. The airline cancelled a total of 79 � ights a� ecting around 20,000 passen-gers. Even when � ights resumed it took a mammoth e� ort from teams around the network to clear the backlog and get people to their destinations.

The Hong Kong response involved action from a wide range of operational and commercial teams, with Director Service Delivery Ivan Chu assuming overall control as Disruption Manager, supported by General Manager Opera-

tions Russell Davie and General Man-ager Airports Peter Langslow, the latter coordinating the response at airports around the network.

The disruption team met daily in the “war room” – located in the Integrated Operations Centre – with Manager IOC Alex Chan overseeing the huge e� ort to get � ights back on track.

CEPIC was activated throughout the disruptions and sta� volunteers helped to man the phones as well as give assis-tance to frontline teams at the airport. Across the network, sta� worked hard to keep passengers informed and help get the stranded home once � ights re-

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Teams from around the network rallied around to help thousands of passen-gers as the fallout from the volcanic ash cloud over Europe left them stranded far from home.

As the smoke and ash started to bel-low from the Eyja� allajokull volcano on 14 April, the airspace over Europe closed and then remained practically empty for the next six days.

Hong Kong In Hong Kong, the Corporate Contin-gency Planning team started organising additional help for teams from 16 April onwards.

Crisis Response Development Man-ager Carrie Shui, says: “We started by getting the reservations support team members to help sta� in Hong Kong Of-� ce.

“Then we worked through the week-end to recruit volunteers, and coordi-nate and deploy cabin crew volunteers to assist Hong Kong airport sta� in vari-ous hotels,” she added.

As � ights resumed on 21 April, even more support was required as passen-gers � ooded into Hong Kong.

“We recruited more than 200 sta� to work 20 shifts at the airport to help with crowd control,” Carrie says.

The CEPIC hotline was a hive of activ-ity at the height of the disruption and afterwards as priority was given to get-ting students and Unaccompanied Mi-nors back to school.

Worldwide Reservations & Ticketing Manager Mary Chan says: “With seats so scarce, the team worked really hard to � nd ways to assist passengers to get to their � nal destinations in the shortest time. They really had to think out of the box to provide this magic.”

Hong Kong International Airport At the eye of the storm in Hong Kong,

the airport team was left to deal with a diverse array of disrupted passengers.

The team arranged for ac-commodation at 21 hotels for about 1,800 passengers and also managed a ma-jor logistical task in getting 1,976 pieces of checked-in luggage back to them.

General Manager Algernon Yau says: “The HKIA Commu-nication Centre was set up to manage the operations, or-ganise counter deployment, coordinate crowd control, and act as a communication nerve centre.

“The HKIA team performed

EMERGENCY MODE: The Marco Polo Service Centre handled more than 2,900 calls over the course of eight days as they tried to keep members who had been left stranded updated on the situation.

Two Diamond Plus members, Dr Tony Mok and Leng Xu Song, were stranded overseas and needed to urgently return to Hong Kong.

The dedicated Diamond Plus team managed to arrange for both men to return to Hong Kong via Rome, only two days after their original scheduled departure.

The men were so impressed they sent chocolates and a self-authored book to show their appreciation to (from left) Team Leader Debbie Shuen and Senior Member Services Executives Caroline Ramos and Shereen Wong.

Cathay Paci� c issued a trading statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 10 May saying that its trading position had improved since the 2009 annual results were issued in March this year.

The airline said that its trading position has been strong, particularly on the cargo side.

“The improved cargo and premium passenger revenues which became apparent in the last quarter of 2009 have continued into this year,” the statement said.

“This means that, despite higher fuel prices, we expect strong � nancial results for the � rst half of 2010 and, if present trends continue, for the second half also.

“That said, conditions can change very rapidly in the airline industry. Our results would be adversely a� ected, and very quickly so, by a signi� cant increase in fuel prices or any return to the recessionary economic conditions of 2008 and much of 2009.”

Commenting on prospects in the 2009 results announcement, Chairman Chris Pratt said the airline remained cautious with revenues and yields below levels experienced prior to the recent downturn and still no sustained improvement in premium passenger demand.

Trading position ‘strong’

3

Rising to an extraordinary challengeStaff praised for response as ash cloud leads to 79 fl ight cancellations and 20,000 passengers stranded

The aviation industry was left reeling by the airspace closure with many already-struggling car-riers taking a big � nancial hit.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that the volcano crisis cost airlines more than US$1.7 billion in lost revenue, and for the three-day period from17-19 April lost revenues reached US$400 million per day.

“The scale of the crisis eclipsed 9/11 when US airspace was closed for three days,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

One thing the grounding of � ights did make clear was the essential role aviation plays in the global economy.

Praise from around the world

commenced (see story below). The airline did all it could to help pas-

sengers, putting up nearly 2,000 people in hotels at one point. When European airspace reopened it put on 10 extra � ights and aircraft upgrades to provide an additional 6,500 seats.

Chief Executive Tony Tyler acknowl-edged the e� ort of various teams, say-ing it was a great job by everyone, espe-cially the frontline sta� who “performed miracles” to help stranded passengers.

“You are did a brilliant job in a very dif-� cult situation and I would like to thank you for your hard work during this trying time. The sheer length and scale of the

disruption made it di� erent from any-thing we’d dealt with before.”Tony said.

In his wrap-up message to airport teams, Peter Langslow thanked everyone for their “outstanding e� orts” in manag-ing what was an extraordinary situation.

“I’m grateful to our teams across the network for looking after our customers as well as possible and for getting them on their way again as quickly as possible, given the circumstances,” he wrote.

In London, General Manager Europe Philippe de Gentile Williams said the “spontaneous solidarity, enthusiasm and sheer grit on display was a humbling ex-perience.”

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While the thousands of stranded passengers made the headlines, the impact went far beyond the inconvenience of businesspeople and tourists.

Airlines, tour companies and cargo shippers of course took a big hit, as did the � ower farmers of Kenya, with millions of dollars’ worth of blooms left rotting in airports.

Bone marrow transplants were delayed, sports events hit, weddings and funerals missed and important meetings cancelled.

“Our global economy is built around the fast movement of high-value products and when that’s taken away the e� ects are far-reaching,” said Tony Tyler.

well and showed a remarkable level of spirit in the face of some quite testing situations.

“A large number of sta� worked overtime and through the night to ensure that everything went ac-cording to plan. The management team alone managed to clock up

1,048 hours of overtime over the course of a week.”

EuropeOver in Europe, the teams were inundated with requests from passengers, � nding hotel accom-modation and keeping them up-dated with the latest information.

With four � ights daily to Hong Kong, the UK team was over-whelmed by the challenge and, according to General Manager Eu-rope Philippe de Gentile-Williams, drafted anyone with relevant expe-rience into reservations while vol-unteers were given a crash course in Quickres.

“We opened throughout the whole period, took thousands of calls, had up to 50 calls waiting at a time and for most of the period had no available land-lines for the rest of the o� ce and had to fall back on mobiles. The system had simply buckled,” Philippe says.

The team set up an email address on the UK website for stranded passengers to get in touch, which proved invaluable when � ights started again as it helped sta� to contact them more quickly.

“We rebooked about 1,800 through the website address box method alone,” Philippe says.

“When Heathrow � nally re-opened we had a phalanx of sta� with CX signs on the T3 forecourt to greet passengers and escort them into the terminal as BAA had banned anyone without a booking from entry,” he adds. By 23 April, calls were � nally down to zero and the CX check-in desks were quiet.

As Italy remained one of the few countries with airports opened – at times, Rome was the only Eu-rope port still operating – the team was � ooded with passengers from all over Europe hoping to catch a � ight.

As � ights to London were divert-

ed to Rome on 15 April, the Airport team stayed onsite overnight to look after passengers until a � ight back to Hong Kong could be ar-ranged.

The Sales & Marketing team also arranged coaches for the long jour-ney to London as no other trans-port was available.

At Frankfurt, hospitality desks were set up at the hotels where passengers were accommodated and sta� accompanied passengers on bus rides of more than 30 hours to ensure they arrived safely.

AsiaBack in Asia, passengers were also desperately trying to get a � ight back home.

In Bali passengers � ooded the airport and ticketing o� ces in Den-pasar, most wanting to get back to Amsterdam.

As � ights were diverted, upgrad-ed and an extra � ight was added, teams in Denpasar, Surabaya and Jakarta managed to get more than 220 passengers home in one go.

In Taiwan, the teams not only showed they were capable of deal-ing with a multitude of calls, but also that every passenger’s con-cerns were important to them.

The Taipei Airport team went

out of their way to help a Ger-man passenger, Mr Vyas, return home to deal with a family medi-cal emergency. Mr Vyas was placed on standby for several � ights from 16 April onwards which only in-creased his anxiety.

Finally, on 21 April, Airport Ser-vices O� cer Thomas Chou realised an extra � ight to Frankfurt had been mounted, contacted Mr Vyas at the last minute and secured him a seat. The team even ensured a vegetarian meal was ready for him in� ight.

Industry reels again, importance of aviation underlined

4

Final freighters set to return from desertCargo team buoys capacity before aircraft leave for joint ventureThe three remaining Boeing 747-400BCF freighters parked in the Californian desert will soon be re-turning to more humid climes.

Cargo has revealed that the air-craft are being brought back into service to be deployed on the exist-ing network and help the team re-instate frequencies trimmed during the 2009 downturn.

The � rst BCF left Victorville on 6 May and is expected to be back in service by 1 June. The remaining two will be operating again by mid-June and mid-July respectively.

“The cargo market remains buoy-ant so the reinstatement of this ca-pacity is timely,” says General Man-ager Cargo Planning Rossana Lau.

“However, even with these three

Janice Lao, Environmental Manager

What is the main part of your job? I spearhead, encourage, commu-nicate and implement environ-mental initiatives on all aspects of Cathay Paci� c operations.

I particularly concentrate on three major aspects – the annual Sustainable Development report, compliance with the European Union Emissions Trading schemes and the FLY greener programme.

What is your training/background? I am an environmental scientist with an economics and busi-ness degree. I graduated with a Masters degree from Oxford University.

I’ve been working in the envi-ronmental arena for more than eight years now, having previ-ously worked for an NGO in the United States, a consulting � rm in Hong Kong and the Philip-pines, and a carbon trading � rm in London.

What do you like best about your job? I really feel that I am making a di� erence.

I strongly believe travel is important and I am very proud of the fact that I am helping make sustainable travel a reality.

What is the most challenging part of your job and how do you tackle it?A lot of challenges! A typical day for me is dealing with issues in� ight and on the ground.

Our operations are so complex and vast and I am always on my toes trying to understand our operations and what we can do to make them more environmentally friendly.

I may not always understand our operations as much as the pilots, crew and ground sta� do, but I try to engage with sta� to understand why things can or cannot be done.

So there are a lot of chats with sta� trying to understand and eventually encourage departments to think green. I’m lucky to work for a company with people who are genuinely helpful.

WHAT I DO

Help for earthquake victimsCathay Paci� c and Dragonair sta� showed their generosity in sup-porting the victims of the deadly earthquake which hit the western China province of Qinghai on 14 April.

A relief e� ort was launched on 23 April and ran until 7 May with all donations going to aid UNICEF’s rebuilding and rehabili-tation e� orts in Qinghai.

All sta� donations will be matched by the company.

At the time of press, the ap-peal total stood at just under HK$800,000 including a generous donation of HK$100,000 from the Sunnyside Club.

Passengers were also asked to contribute to the earth-quake appeal, with Dragonair joining Ca-thay Paci� c’s “Change for Good” in� ight fundraising programme from 23 April-7 May.

All proceeds will also go towards helping UNICEF’s relief e� orts in Qinghai.

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BCFs back in service we will still be behind pre-economic crisis levels when we had 26 freighters in op-eration.”

Rossana says the team is encour-aged by the current strength of the cargo market, and the gradual return of the parked freighters will help in the operation of recently ex-panded services such as the fourth weekly Miami � ight, the third Dha-ka/Hanoi � ight and additional ser-vices to India and the Middle East.

“It will also help us get back to the previous schedules for Europe and North America,” says Rossana.

The return of the three parked aircraft will help Cargo maintain capacity as it gets set to release the � rst two of four other BCFs that will

BACK TO WORK: Capacity maintained with returning freighters.

Produced by CX’s Corporate Communication Department

7/F North Tower, Cathay Paci� c City, Lantau, HK

Publisher: C K YeungManaging Editor: Mark Tindall

Editor: Joyce WongEnquiries: 2747-5293GalaCXy ID: CCD#SCT

Email: ccd#sct@cathaypaci� c.com

Performance Index

56.5%

85.5%Within 15 minsIndustry standard

on-the-dot CX standard

On-time performance

Passengers carried 2,221,694 6.0%

Passenger load factor 85.7% 6.6pt

ASKs (000) 9,427,221 -1.6%

Freight carried 159,270 22.9%

Cargo load factor 81.7% 13.8pt

ATKs (000) 1,959,769 -0.4%* Figures for Mar 2010

Traffi c/capacity (CX + KA)*

go Air China Cargo in the second half of 2010 as part of CX’s commit-ment to the cargo joint venture.

A further two BCFs will leave the CX � eet for the joint venture in the � rst quarter of 2011.

Rush for new crew jobs in Hong KongThe latest round of cabin crew recruitment is well underway and at the time of press more than 7,000 people had submitted applica-tions for the few hundred vacancies open in Hong Kong.

A number of new crew have already been hired and the � rst batch will begin going through induction training this month.

The positions have become available as a result of the planned increase in capacity in the coming year together with the impact of natural attrition.

Recruitment is also underway in ISD’s Lon-don and San Francisco bases, the key driver being the the need to work towards current team � ying plans as well as covering normal attrition in the bases.

In San Francisco, applications are open to those who have the right to live and work in the United States, while applicants for the London positions should have the unre-stricted right to live and work in the United Kingdom or the European Union.

Details of recruitment in Hong Kong can be found in the Careers section at Cathay-paci� c.com while details of base positions can be found on the Cabin Crew Team Site on IntraCX.

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5

Presidential touch infl ightCrew on the Los Angeles-bound CX882 took care of an extra-special VIP on 9 April when former US President George W. Bush apeared on board.

This was the � rst time he had � own on Cathay Paci� c, and he was happy to spare a few moments to chat with crew and pose for a photo.

Pictured with the former US President are (from left) Flight Purser Jonathan Ching, Flight Attendant San Huynh, Flight Purser Charize Villareal, Flight

Attendant Eva Kwong and Flight Purser Maggie Choi.

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■ OFT investigationThe UK competition authority, the O� ce of Fair Trading (OFT), issued a Statement of Objections to Cathay Paci� c and another airline last month in relation to “past pricing practices in the United Kingdom concerning certain passenger air transportation services”.

An application for CX immunity from any � nancial penalty by the OFT in relation to this matter has been granted, conditional on the airline’s full cooperation with the investigation.

Cathay Paci� c has a policy of full compliance with competition law.

■ Betsys are back in June

The annual Betsy Awards return on 2 June, with the presentation ceremony taking place on The Street at Cathay City.

Find out who are our latest service stars from CX and KA and hear how each went beyond their call of duty to assist a passenger in need, further promote the airlines’ signature service and become an inspiration to their colleagues.

Each awardee will receive a Betsy gold pin, a certi� cate and a chance to take part in a unique CX experience.

■ Fuel surcharge upThe Civil Aviation Department has approved an increase in passenger fuel surcharges from 1 May.

The surcharge is now HK$92 for short-haul services and HK$434 for long-haul – increases of 13.6% and 15.7% respectively on April.

■ Webby winnerThe CX Mobile “Meet the Team” iPhone application was awarded as an O� cial Honoree in the 14th Annual Webby Awards in the Mobile/Experimental & Innovation category.

The Webby Awards – hailed as “The Oscars of the Internet” by the New York Times – are the leading international awards to honour excellence on the Internet.

The CX Mobile application now sits in more than 100,000 iPhones around the world.

Briefs

CX passengers were able to enjoy

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First Sustainable Development Report earns airline’s second A+

Top rating for reportingReporting on Cathay Paci� c’s e� orts to run a sustainable business became even more comprehensive this year as the airline launched its � rst Sustainable Development Report.

The in-depth and transparent nature of the report led straight away to an A+ rating in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines – the top rating available in this internationally accepted bench-mark for CSR reporting.

The Sustainable Development Report builds on previous corpo-rate social responsibility reports to cover the Group’s economic, social and environmental performance last year, falling in line with the implementation of a new sustain-able development strategy at the airline.

In his introduction to the report, Chairman Chris Pratt says the strategy demonstrates the airline’s commitment to ensuring that “sustainable development principles and processes are at the heart of our business model going forward”.

The new strategy, says Chris, “emphasises the need to engage with climate change issues and to play our part in mitigating our own impacts and adapting to future changes.

“It also places priority on engag-ing with social and economic sus-tainability issues to meet the needs

minutes of comedy in-fl ight from Jan-Mar 2010

of our customers, communities and shareholders.”

The latest report is by far the most in-depth produced to date, for the � rst time incorporating 100%-owned subsidiaries based in Hong Kong together with information on various outport initiatives.

A new section, Focus on

Customers, examines how the airline responds to customers’ needs and the actions it takes when things go wrong.

The theme of the report is “Our Next Destination”, and Chief Ex-ecutive Tony Tyler stresses that the sustainable development strategy is part of a continuing journey that will ensure CX is seen as a respon-sible company.

“The Cathay Paci� c brand has al-ways been associated with safety, integrity, reliability quality, service and care, and our commitment to sustainable development reinforces this responsibility to our stakehold-ers,” Tony says in his closing state-ment in the report.

“The industry faces many social and environmental challenges but at Cathay Paci� c we have demon-strated that we have taken a lead on many of these issues.”

The Sustainable Development Report can be downloaded in PDF format from Cathaypaci� c.com.

An interactive web version is will also be made available at www.cathaypaci� c.com/sdreport

HIGHLY RATED: The new report is the most comprehensive one yet.

‘Best lounge’ accolade for The ArrivalThe US edition of travel magazine Travel + Leisure has named CX’s The Arrival at Hong Kong International Airport as Best New Lounge in its annual airport awards.

The magazine said the awards re� ect a growing desire among travellers for a better airport experience.

“Most of us don’t expect much from airport vendors, but there were some truly outstanding options cropping up around the globe,” the magazine said.

“Even if � ights are running on time, passengers are showing up hours early, just in case security is a nightmare. Many international hubs recognise the value of a great airport experience,” it said.

The Arrival, which opened on October 2008, was praised for its “minimalist interiors” and the fact that passengers can reserve a private bathroom suite.

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The online poll

� oors was initially undertaken as a trial with a view to improving internal access. This has also encouraged a greater usage of the stair-case by sta� .

A subsequent user survey produced incon-clusive results with compliments regarding the improved waiting time in the lobby, but also comments on the inconvenience of trav-elling between odd and even � oors.

In the circumstances, it was decided to continue the lift arrangements in the North Tower but not to extend these arrangements to the South Tower.

Shower blues I’d like to ask why the rubber matting in the men’s shower area in The Dakota Club has been taken away. Now when we get out of the shower we have to tread in pools of dirty water, and there’s a safety risk too because the � oor is quite slippery.

Oh, and one more thing: can we please have soap dispensers that (a) work, and (b) contain soap!

Name withheld

Nicholas Cullum, General Manager Head-land Hotel, replies: In the last few years the Dakota Club’s changing rooms had synthetic green mats that were used in wet areas.

These mats were very hard to keep clean and whilst they assisted in promoting stabil-ity in wet conditions, they were unhygienic and thus disposed o� last year when the pool was closed for winter.

We have subsequently sourced new mats that will already be installed in the wet areas outside the shower stalls by the time you read this response.

In regards to the soap dispensers, we shall certainly increase our monitoring of these to ensure they are in working condition and � lled with soap at all times.

Munich on the monitor? Will Cathay Paci� c ever consider starting a service to Munich?

It seems strange that in a country of 82 mil-lion, we only have one � ight daily to Frankfurt, especially as we � y to many smaller countries with multiple daily � ights.

Millions of travellers visit Munich every year and not just for the beer festival. The city has many cultural and historical attractions to o� er.

Name withheld

Nelson Chin, Manager Airline Planning, re-plies: With the recent and soon-to-be-online services to Milan and Moscow respectively, the “M” destinations have certainly caught the spotlight of late!

Munich itself is a dominant economic hub and does have a cultural � air, along with the beerfest.

While tra� c numbers appear to be quite strong, the routes linking Munich and Asia have grown considerably, which leaves the question whether there will be su� cient market stimulation to support more capacity than already exists on the Hong Kong – Mu-nich route at this current juncture.

With Milan and Moscow online, the scope for an online Munich to capture beyond traf-

Getting a liftWhy is it that all of the South Tower lifts con-tinue to serve all � oors while the North Tower lifts serve alternate � oors to save electricity?

Mark Byrne, ENG

Jerry Tam, Building & Facilities Manager, replies: The sta� tra� c patterns in Cathay City vary throughout the day and one lift group alone cannot meet all needs.

While an express lift may be appropriate for tall buildings, zoning appears to be the solution for Cathay City.

The reprogramming of the lifts in the North Tower to allow them to operate on alternate

Last month we asked: “The online check-in and registration option is now available for sta� travel around the network – have you tried it yet?” You answered:

Check out the CX World website and Daily News on IntraCX for next month’s poll question.

10 20 30 40 50 60

I use it every time I fl y on ID tickets.

I have tried it but I’m still not a regular user.

I’m a bit of a dinosaur - I still haven’t tried it.

%

Letters to the Editor� c into Europe could be reduced somewhat, and be more restricted to Eastern Europe.

We shall continue to observe the recovery of the European economy and speci� cally how the manufacturing centres in Eastern Eu-rope grow, which could be the driving factor for more tra� c � ow from or through Munich.

We should then have a better gauge of when a Munich service will earn good enough returns and be strategically sound to enter.

The reply in the April CX World by Headland Hotel General Manager Nicholas Cullum in response to a query about Internet costs at the hotel was cut during the editing pro-cess.

Below is his unedited response:

The Headland Hotel is a wholly owned sub-sidiary of Cathay Paci� c, now managed by Swire Hotels.

The Headland has a multi-year contract with a third party Internet service provider which has invested large amounts of capital on setting up the necessary equipment to provide such a service.

It has to maintain and continue to upgrade the system and as such charges a fee to users to recoup its investment during the contrac-tual period.

Free Internet access is available at the Headland Hotel in the Lobby computer area as well as the Guest Lounge located on the 23rd � oor; paid access is for in-room usage only.

Some CX departments do pay the Internet fee for eligible users; their own departmental policies dictate those who fall into this cat-egory.

Prices have not changed for the last six years; a 24-hour rate exists at HK$135, a com-petitive rate in the Hong Kong hotel market.

I would also however like to highlight that we o� er three-day, 30-day and three-month plans which can bring the daily rate down to just HK$9.60 a day.

Send us your feedbackWe welcome feedback from anyone in the CX network on any issue a� ecting 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.

documents it is possible to open them in read-only

mode using Windows O� ce 2007 Viewer, which is installed

on all outport GalaCXy PCs. Unfortunately the read-only

mode does not allow for changes to be made to the document.

Should sta� have any problems using the Viewer, please contact the

Service Centre at 2747-3883 or email the Service Centre Group (SPI#CSC) so they can help you address the issue.

Regarding the upgraded email software, the New Ways of Working (NWoW) project, which will replace the current GroupWise email system in Hong Kong and the out-ports, is progressing well, and is scheduled for implementation in the third quarter of 2010.

This is a major project that should bring big bene� ts – particularly in the areas of security and compliance.

The upgrade of outport GalaCXy PCs to O� ce 2007 will also be done as part of this project.

Lost in conversionThe new DOCX and XLSX o� ce � les are, I’m sure, packed full with wonderful smart new features by kind Mr Gates of Microsoft.

The trouble is that when outport sta� receive � les in these formats as an attach-ment from Head O� ce – or anywhere else – we cannot open them.

Outport sta� have to write back plead-ing for a re-send in a readable format as we have not been given the new software.

Can Head O� ce teams please remember to send us the more primitive � le versions – or could we just get updated software?

And is there any news on the promised improved email software?

Name withheld

Oswald Wong, Operational Services De-livery Lead, replies: To access O� ce 2007

Lost in

Star letter

to open them in read-only mode using Windows O� ce

2007 Viewer, which is installed on all outport GalaCXy PCs.

Unfortunately the read-only mode does not allow for changes

to be made to the document.Should sta� have any problems smart new features by kind

KA PEOPLE

Taking a popular dish out of its res-taurant environment and adapting it for an in ight atmosphere is a cre-ative challenge for Dragonair Cater-ing Manager (Food & Beverage) Kim Chong.

This year, as Dragonair celebrates its 25th anniversary, the airline is partnering with several well-known restaurants in designing promotion-al in ight menus for passengers to sample their signature dishes.

The restaurants featured include JW’s California at the JW Marriott hotel in Hong Kong, which serves contemporary Western cuisine; the Chinese Dynasty Restaurant at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel

Crafting fl avours infl ight The thought of helping to build proper foster homes for or-phaned children in Nepal spurred Captain Keven Tate on as he took part in an “ultramarathon” across a desert in Chile.

Keven competed in the 250-kilometre “Race the Planet” event in the Atacama desert in March to help raise funds for the Free-dom Care project being run by the Buddhist Child Home (BCH) in Nepal.

The project aims to improve the lives of the orphans by pro-viding them with a real home and a foster mother.

Keven says he has been in-volved with BCH for about four years now.

“Although these children have nothing they still have hope, and all they need is help to give them a better future,” he says.

So far six children have re-ceived a foster home through the Freedom Care project and Keven would eventually like to see all 52 children in the BCH participating.

But to realise that dream anoth-er nine homes would be needed at a cost of US$13,000 each.

The event was also Keven’s first ultramarathon and he says the worse aspect was muscle fatigue and heat exhaustion.

“I had to keep as much of my body covered as possible, and al-though I had on the most ridicu-lous hat, it paid dividends in the end!” he says.

Out of the 144 contestants, Keven came 22nd, a result that surprised even himself.

“It was quite a challenge and the hardest thing I have ever done, but I imagine it’s nothing compared to the life of a child living on the streets of Nepal,” he says.

So far, Keven has raised about HK$80,000 from Dragonair staff who sponsored him to compete in Chile.

Sixteen cadets from the Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps are participating in Dragonair’s 2010 Aviation

Certi� cate Programme, which is celebrating its � fth anniversary.

The programme launched on 23 April with CEO James Tong pres-

ent to welcome the cadets and o� er words of encouragement

as they embarked on the eight-month course.

Also present at the inaugural dinner was guest of honour Director General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo, Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps Commanding Of-� cer Group Captain Jones Wong, General Manager Operations Captain Peter Sanderson and the Drago-nair pilots who will act as mentors to the cadets.

James thanked the pilots for their dedication to the programme as well as supporting aviation-related companies including the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the Civil Aviation Department and the Government Flying Service.

Cadets ready for Aviation Certifi cate Programme KA PEOPLE

7

Keven’s marathon

effort

Hong Kong; The Opposite House’s Sureño in Beijing; Madam Zhu’s Kitchen in Shanghai, which serves home-style Chinese dishes; and French restaurant Continental Room located in the Okura Garden Hotel in Shanghai.

“Overall, the dishes are chosen based on passenger pro� le, destina-tion, whether the cuisine is suitable for the in ight environment and whether the restaurant matches the airline brand,” Kim says.

“For instance, on the Beijing and Shanghai ights we have predomi-

nately Asian passengers so we look for dishes that appeal to a Chinese palette. Even when we partner with a Western restaurant, we have to consider tastes and avours Asians recognise and appreciate,” Kim adds.

For JW’s California and Sureño, Kim placed an emphasis on simple, unpretentious dishes which high-light the healthy, contemporary con-cept of both restaurants.

The operational environment and menu concept are � rst presented to the restaurant and, during the food tasting, Kim keeps an eye out for

dishes that are practical for crew to replicate and can stand up to the re-heating process.

“We show the restaurant a selec-tion of dish presentations done in ight and explain the process of airline meal production to them so they already have an idea of how the dish should look when they propose the menu,” Kim says.

“Again we are looking for a simple, elegant look that is not too hard for the crew to reproduce in bulk and can maintain its quality after the re-heating process,” she adds.

FOOD TO FLY FOR: The launch of the Dragonair promotional infl ight menu with JW’s California restaurant in April.

TASTE TEST: Kim works closely with the restaurants to perfect the infl ight dishes.

8

Two recent Change for Good staff field trips helped to show that contributions are put to very good use

Tracey Kwong, Internal Com-munication Executive in CCD, travelled with the Change for Good field trip to Kenya.

It’s estimated around half of Kenya’s population of 38.3 million are chil-dren, and the country faces many challenges in the areas of child sur-vival and development, education and protection, as well as battling to overcome the impact of a prolonged food crisis that led to malnutrition and outbreaks of disease.

In April, CX and UNICEF led 13 staff on the latest Change for Good field trip where they spent six days learning how UNICEF programmes are supporting Kenya’s underprivi-leged children.

The group toured various UNICEF

projects in Nairobi and Mombasa in-cluding the Pumwani Maternity Hos-pital, which advocates safe mother-hood, and district hospitals and outreach health centres that help to promote child survival through early intervention and education.

In Kajiado, staff got a reality check as they discovered the hard life led by the local Maasai people and their daily struggle with basic needs such as clean water.

Villagers used to have to walk 40km to fetch their water, but thank-fully the NOSIM Women’s Group, with support from UNICEF, has been instrumental in bringing clean water to the community through the Wa-ter and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) Programme.

“With clean water now available

in school, we have eliminated tra-choma – a chronic contagious dis-ease of the eyes,” says NOSIM Execu-tive Director Phoebe Mollel.

Participants were especially moved after interviewing two fami-lies benefiting from the Cash Trans-fer programme in Kwale, including 17-year-old Joseph who struggles to look after his younger siblings on top of attending school.

HIV/AIDS awareness and preven-tion was also a recurrent theme in this year’s trip, and at the Ukunda Centre, Kwale District Sports Officer Silas Ngundo was proud to intro-duce the “Kick AIDS out of Kenya” Programme, which uses football to

raise awareness about HIV/AIDS

“It was both humbling and inspir-ing to be welcomed openly by villagers and their children with their traditional songs and ap-plause.

“Learning about how they sur-vive with the barest of resources makes me want to complain less and give more.”

– Jenette Del Mundo, ISD

“Meeting recipients of the Social Cash Transfer programme touched me as many of those ladies were the same age as me.

“They showed not a trace of self-pity, and the programme al-lowed them to live life with pride and work towards a better future for their children.”

– Frauline Semilla, ISD

“I was inspired by the recipients of the Social Cash Transfer programme and the unbeliev-ably impressive way they have changed their lives and those of their children.

“Those ladies could be role models for many people in devel-oped countries!”

– Brad Pieters, FOP

among girls in high-risk settings. “The football tournaments have

helped to build the self-esteem of girls, encouraged their enrolment in schools, and improved their skills in negotiating their way through life and protecting themselves against HIV/AIDS,” says Silas.

The trip ended on a high note when street kids put up a special performance for the Hong Kong del-egation at the UNICEF-supported Tononoka Drop-in Centre.

These young people have been given a new lease of life with op-portunities to go back to school or learn useful skills. Amazingly, many of these former street dwellers are making great academic strides.

“I was very touched by their cour-age and determination to start a new life. These rehabilitated street kids are awesome and I’m so im-pressed by what they’ve achieved,” said CPCS’s Vincci Ngan.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Donations from the Change For Good Inflight fundraising programme has helped to improve the lives of thousands of children in Kenya.

Working to make the world a better place

IMPROVING LIVES: The week-long field trip to Ethiopia provided staff with a first-hand opportunity to see where Change for Good donations go and the impact contributions have on people’s lives.

‘I Can Fly’ members reach for the skies

9

Two recent Change for Good staff field trips helped to show that contributions are put to very good use

Matt Bowden, Assistant to Gen-eral Manager HKIA, travelled with the Change for Good field trip to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is an astonishing place, with stunning landscapes and a civi-lization that dates back to around 1,000BC, but recent history has not been kind to the country.

For many, the name Ethiopia still stirs up memories of a disastrous se-ries of famines which struck during the 1980s, and the vicious civil war fought in the early 1990s.

However, the country has begun to get itself back on its feet. The government has, with great support from organisations such as UNICEF, allocated the bulk of its budget to sectors such as agriculture, food security, education and health that have a direct and immediate impact on the country’s people.

The Change for Good programme has been providing funding to UNICEF Ethiopia for a number of years, and a recent week-long field trip to the country provided a group of CX staff with a first-hand oppor-tunity to see where the money goes and the significant impact it can

have on people’s lives.Birchiko Kakrew, a gaunt 37-year-

old widow, is one of the recipients of a small cash loan – roughly HK$1,100 – which UNICEF works with the Ethi-opian government to fund.

The Social Cash Transfer initia-tive targets poverty-stricken house-holds that face extreme challenges which, in Birchiko’s case, involves singlehandedly caring for her own, and her dead sister’s, children, while struggling to cope with the ravages of HIV.

“This loan has given me the chance to work with dignity and without pressure,” says Birchiko, who has used the money to start a petty trading business

The limited resources with which UNICEF works mean that the organ-isation’s focus remains on core areas such as basic health care provision, access to clean water, and primary education.

One intense battleground is a programme which aims to provide access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services, called WASH.

In the Libo Kemkem district of Amhara, in north-western Ethiopia, the UNICEF WASH scheme has made

a significant contribution to the fact that 67% of the local population now has clean water coverage – a genuinely life-transforming change for the communities involved.

A great deal of effort is also being made by UNICEF, in close partner-ship with the government, to im-prove the quality and availability of primary education in Ethiopia.

In the capital, Addis Ababa, the key challenges for schools include limited physical resources, such as classrooms and teaching materi-als, as well as teacher training, and female student participation, while the issue of gender disparity is be-ing addressed through UNICEF-sup-ported gender clubs.

Ethiopia still faces enormous challenges, but the hard work and tireless commitment of countless individuals across the country mean that great progress is being made – hard work that’s greatly assisted by donations from Change for Good, says Wesley Lau, UNICEF Hong Kong Fundraising Officer.

“There’s much more work to be done, and we really need the con-tinued support of donors like Cathay Pacific,” he says.

Working to make the world a better place

“It was an excellently run, infor-mative and thought-provoking trip that has left a lasting impression.

“I’ll try and organise to send some mosquito nets – easy and cheap things that can do a lot to stop the spread of disease.”

– Evan Summerfield, FOP

“I was able to put myself in the children’s shoes and fully under-stood their struggle with poverty.

“I’m so happy that with the help given by UNICEF and other volunteers, these lovely children can move forward and pursue their dreams.”

– Kylie Tan, ISD

“Meeting children who have nothing but continuing to believe in their future made a very deep impression.

“They are full of hope and value the chance to enjoy the benefits of UNICEF’s support.”

– Linda Pezigot, PAR

Since the the launch ceremony of the 2009/10 “I Can Fly” Programme in February, the 100 members have been kept busy with activities every weekend.

Kicking off their programme was a field visit to various aviation-related facilities in Hong Kong, including the airport, the air traffic control tower, the Government Flying Service and HAECO, which gave them a broader understanding of the industry.

This year, the youngsters also took part in a weekend training camp – a first in the history of “I Can Fly”.

The members picked up valuable first-hand knowledge on aviation from their pilot leaders.

They attended a Healthy Lifestyle session organised by the Life Education Activity Programme (LEAP), participated in a photography workshop and got to know their friends through various teambuilding exercises.

The activities finished off with a training session on inflight service led by the Inflight Services Department, with members taking away with them the CX core philosophy of Service Straight From the Heart.

Assistant Corporate Communication Manager Jennifer Wong, who is this year’s programme organiser, says members are now busy designing and implementing a social service programme, which is designed to raise their awareness of their responsibility to society.

“Their hard work will be recognised at the ‘I Can Fly’ Graduation Ceremony in July and outstanding members will be rewarded with an overseas trip either to Adelaide to learn how to fly a small jet, to Seattle to visit the Boeing Factory, or to Tianjin to visit the Airbus 320 Assembly Line and the Civil Aviation University of China,” she adds.

A regular column highlighting the airline’s commitment to the community

Cathay Pacif ic cares

10

Philip leaves CX/Swire fold‘Enormous contribution’ is recognised Deputy Chairman Philip Chen will end his association with Cathay Paci� c as he gets set to leave the Swire group after 33 years.

His resignation was announced on 19 April and he will leave the company at the end of June.

Philip became part of the Swire family upon graduating from university in 1977 and the bulk of his career was spent working in the aviation sector. He became CX Deputy Managing Director in 1997, Chief Operating O� cer the next year and Chief Executive in 2004.

Philip moved across to Swire in July 2007, taking up the position of Chairman of John Swire & Sons (China) Ltd together with the CX Deputy Chairman role.

Philip said leaving Swire was “a most di� -cult decision”.

“I am very grateful for the trust, support

HKIA team lauded at latest airport service awards

and opportunities given to me over the years. I am fortunate to have been able to work with such a great team in an interna-tionally renowned group,” he said.

Swire Chairman Chris Pratt said that Philip “has been a valued member of the group and has contributed much to its success, particu-larly in the group’s aviation business”.

Chief Executive Tony Tyler also recognised Philip’s “enormous contribution” to Cathay Paci� c and the Swire group.

“His energy, commitment, aviation know-how and wise counsel will be hard to re-place,” said Tony.

Philip’s continuing love of aviation was highlighted on 16 April when he launched his latest book – Great Cities of the World. – which highlights how the world’s biggest metropolises have all grown due to their sta-tus as transport hubs.

MOVING ON: Philip Chen was joined by Tony Tyler for the launch of his new book.

Cathay Paci� c received a Hong Kong International Airport Customer Service Excellence Programme – Corporate Award 2009/10 for the second consecutive year from the Hong Kong International Airport on 28 April.

The award, which is voted on by the more than 200 organisations based at HKIA, was presented by Hong Kong Tourism Board Chairman James Tien to Chief Operating O� cer John Slosar at a special ceremony at the airport.

A Team Award was presented to Supervisor Vera Chan, Customer Services O� cer Jojo Lee, Assistant Manager – MOD Leila Tsang and Supervisor Shirley Su for helping a sick passenger in The Wing. Vera, Jojo and Shirley were on hand to receive the award from Hong Kong Airport Authority CEO Stanley Hui.

Another eight CX HKIA sta� received individual Customer Service Excellence certi� cates for the way they have served passengers.

“However good our hardware facilities are, we rely on the sta� working in di� erent areas at the airport to provide passengers with the best airport experience,” Stanley said at the ceremony. “These awardees have set good examples for us all – not only did they perform their duties diligently, but they kept themselves alert to passengers who may be in need.”

Refreshed Brand Hong Kong logo takes to the skies on fi rst fl ightThe � rst revised Brand Hong Kong logo was proudly displayed beside the front door of thw aircraft operating CX820 as it took o� to Toronto on 23 April.

Passengers onboard were presented with souvenirs from the Hong Kong government to mark the occasion.

While the � rst logo was generated by a computer-cut decal to save time, the remaining aircraft will have the logo painted on.

The logo will eventually be incorporated into the livery of the 30 aircraft being delivered over the next three years as well as all existing aircraft.

Marketing Services Manager Daniel Heung says: “The logo we are using is slightly di� erent as it is a solid colour version rather than the graduated one, which is more di� cult to reproduce.”

Over the next few years as aircraft go in to the hangar for a repaint, engineers will take the opportunity to scrape o� the old logo for the refreshed one to go on top.

WELL DONE!: John Slosar at the award ceremony with some of the CX airport team.

11

Volunteers who CARE wanted for crisis teamStaff sought to be trained to help out in emergenciesOver the past six months, the Cor-porate Contingency Planning team has been working with Immediate Support Group (ISG) coordinators to lay the foundation for a new pro-gramme, which is looking to recruit sta� volunteers rather than the cur-rent system of making it compul-sory for all Level B sta� and above to join.

CCP is looking for sta� who are interested in helping families of vic-tims cope in an emergency response situation to be part of a CARE team which is launching in late summer.

The preparation of the CARE team will take many months to complete and, until then, members of the cur-rent ISG programme are considered active and may be called upon for emergencies.

Recruitment for the CARE team will be extended to Dragonair, out-port sta� , CX subsidiaries and even retirees.

“Right now we have the right at-mosphere for volunteering and we

want to give sta� a choice to rep-resent Cathay Paci� c and work with families during times of crisis,” says Crisis Response Development Man-ager Carrie Shiu.

Each volunteer will attend a two-day class with retraining every 24 months.

“Our training programme has been redesigned with lessons learnt from other airlines,” Carrie says.

“In-house Psychologist Florence Ma will deliver the Humanitarian Re-sponse session, which will include interactive role play,” says Carrie.

CCP will organise visits to external humanitarian organisations like the Hong Kong Red Cross for care mem-bers to learn how to work in a critical environment.

CARE volunteers will also need to participate in various exercises, such as callout drills and the annual crash exercise organised by Airport Au-thority Hong Kong which will give them a chance to test their skills.

Di� erent roles will be assigned to

Cathay Paci� c is hooking up with yet another oneworld partner to expand its network through a new code-share service.

The arrangement with LAN means that, for the � rst time, CX has extended its reach into the burgeoning South American mar-ket.

Under the new arrangement, ef-

New code-share arrangement adds Santiago to the network fective from 17 May, the “CX” code will go on LAN § ights between Santiago and three key gateway cities: Auckland, Los An-geles and New York.

At the same time, LAN’s “LA” code will go on CX § ights between Hong Kong and the above-mentioned

three cities. Chief Executive Tony

Tyler said that South America is an untapped market for the airline’s passenger business and sees it o� ering great po-tential.

“The new code-share service with LAN will o� er more

VOICE OF EXPERIENCE: Continental Airline’s Jason Kelly addresses CX staff.

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Refreshed Brand Hong Kong logo takes to the skies on fi rst fl ight

Get ready with your suggestionsThe WeSuggest! 2010 campaign is launching later this month looking for innovative ideas that can bring business value to the CX Group.

From 17 May to 11 June, all CX and KA sta� are invited to form teams of two to four people to generate an idea based on the CX Vision and Missions which will help the entire Cathay Paci� c Group.

The top four teams will be invited to take part in an o� site meeting from 28-30 June to fur-ther develop their proposals in a more relaxed atmosphere before presenting to senior manage-ment for � nal appraisal.

A grand prize of cash certi� -cates equivalent to 188 CX shares awaits each member of the win-ning team.

During the submission period, weekly lucky draws will be held with various exciting prizes to choose from.

This is the � fth time since 2004 for the WeSuggest! campaign to be run.

For more details, visit the iSug-gest website on IntraCX.

Clarifi cation on IMT TRANSform programmeThe Information Management De-partment wishes to point out that the headline “Transformed IMT ready to serve the business”, used for an article in the April CX World, was misleading.

IMT aspires to be a strategic part-ner to the airline and the team is happy to work closely with busi-ness units, partnering with them to achieve corporate goals.

There is a mindset change from previously: IMT no longer serves business units, but rather consults with them and delivers what’s best for them and the company.

The TRANSform programme is not yet complete.

IMT stresses there are a number of bigger goals it hopes to achieve in-cluding increasing the department’s output, driving business innovation and changing the team’s culture – all of which will take time to achieve.

choice and greater connectivity for passengers, and at the same time highlight the bene� ts of alli-ance member airlines working to-gether.”

CX already code-shares on § ights with a total of � ve out of the 10 full oneworld members – namely, Brit-ish Airways, American Airlines, Qa-nta, Japan Airlines and Finnair.

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CARE helpers in the event of a crisis with some taking up administrative roles while others will be deployed to assist families.

“We strongly encourage sta� to attend the training � rst to � nd out what is expected of you in this spe-cial job. You can decide after that if you still want to volunteer as a CARE helper,” says Carrie.

To prepare sta� for the develop-ment of the CARE team, CCP has organised several talks relating to

emergency response this year. The � rst of these was held on 23

April with Continental Airlines Di-rector of Emergency Management Airport Services Jason Kelly shar-ing his experience in handling two separate aircraft accidents that oc-curred within three months of each other.

A roadshow will also take place at Cathay City in late summer in the lead up to recruitment and training in early September.

Innovative solution from SFO engineersIn November last year the Engineering team in San Francisco decided to follow a di erent path.

The airport authority was introducing options for lease renewals and the CX team decided that, rather than extending the lease for another 10 years, they would look for a solution outside the airport boundaries.

Engineering Manager Jim Aspros saw that he could save the airline a signi­ cant sum of money yet still allow the team to do its job e ectively.

“I took a drive and looked at nearby properties o -­ eld and saw there was an abundance of available space at a mere fraction of what the airport rents were,” says Jim.

Weeks of searching and negotiating for a suitable property followed, with the clock ticking on the lease on the airport space.

“I began to feel more like a commercial realtor than an engineering manager!” Jim smiles.

But ­ nally it all came together and Jim was able to secure a property with two-months free rent from 1 May – enough time for a seamless transition as the team gives up its current ramp o� ce on 30 June.

“The US management team and the Finance people in Vancouver provided great support,” he says.

Jim estimates that the rent paid will drop by some 70%, though the team will enjoy a facility three times the size.

“We’ll have paid o the relocation costs within a year and over a 10-year span we are looking at considerable savings,” says Jim.

“Our team welcomes the move because we’d outgrown our current ­ eld o� ce – it really is a win-win.

“If we can put man on the moon there’s no reason we can’t turn a new-generation aircraft around with a mobile work environment!”

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On 1 April 1960, CX became the rst inter-national airline to operate regular � ights to Itami Airport when the TYO/OSA/TPE/HKG route was launched. The twice-weekly service used a DC-6B aircraft with a capacity of 60.

The inaugural ceremony included govern-ment o� cials, the British consul, the gover-nor of the prefecture and the mayor of Osaka.

This year, to celebrate the 50th anniver-sary a special � ight was operated on 2 May from Osaka to Hong Kong with a small gate

Leading New Zealand columnist and author Steve Braunias won two tickets to Johannesburg on Cathay Paci c for his prize-winning entry, “A Cold Day in Hell”, in the 2010 Cathay Paci c Travel Media Awards in New Zealand.

Braunias, pictured right with Country Manager David Figgins, took top spot with his story about Antarctica, published in North & South magazine.

Cathay Paci c has been the major sponsor of the Travel Media Awards, which now includes a major photography prize, since they were established in 1991.

The photography award was won by Levin-based photographer Aaron Smale, for his portfolio of travel photographs of Havana, Cuba.

The prizes were presented at an African-themed dinner at Auckland’s Heritage Hotel in late March.

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Getting 20:20 visionThe All India, Nepal & Bangladesh meet was held from 10-14 March at The Dukes Retreat – Khandala, two-hours’ drive from Mumbai.

Teambuilding was held on the rst day with the goal of showing that strategic planning, leadership and listening skills

were of vital importance to accomplishing every task. The evening showcased the dancing talents of many

unheralded CX/KA superstars.Day two began with a trek up the mountains to soak in the fresh

air and scenic beauty of Khandala. Later in the day, General Manager Middle East, India, Africa &

Pakistan Tom Wright presented a company situation to the team and discussed the OAS survey. A brainstorming session followed with the teams presenting their feedback and suggestions on ways to continue to build the brand.

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Bowled over by HK Sevens Sales Manager Canada Chris Vanden Hooven invited VIP travel agents from Flight Centre Canada to watch this year’s Hong Kong Sevens from the CX private box.

The group had a great time watching the Canadian team make it all the way to the Bowl nal where they defeated Wales 35-19 to take home the trophy.

O¥ the eld, CX Canada partnered with the Canadian Rugby Foundation to further promote and heighten awareness of the annual sporting event.

Osaka celebrates 50 years

ceremony hosted by Marketing & Sales Manager Japan Clarence Tai held before departure.

Special guest was Kansai International Airport Co General Manager, Aviation Sales & Marketing Department Hiroyuki Sumita, who was joined by the airport’s mascot Kankun.

In� ight Service Manager Jacqueline Lam and Flight Attendants Miyabi Abe and Aby Chiu wore the vintage uniform

from the 1960s to welcome everyone onboard.

Passengers received spe-cial souvenirs to mark the occassion and the headrest covers were printed with the 50th anniversary logo.

Passengers received spe-

‘Hell’ photo takes top media award

SITTING PRETTY: The SFO Engineering team take time out to celebrate their new offi ce arrangements.

It seems as if Sohail Ali’s days of being wild are over after the birth of his daughter, Fajr, who is now six months old.

“There’s nothing like being a dad. You feel a lot more responsible and don’t take uncalculated risks anymore,” says Sohail.

Formerly a Customer Services O� cer in Dubai, Sohail moved to become Marketing Supervisor in Bahrain in 2008, helping to sell CX’s premium products and services in the key Middle Eastern market.

It’s not just his job that’s changed. He now enjoys gentler activities such as cricket, snooker and Korean martial arts – a big contrast to his former life which involved fronting a rock band and driving fast cars.

“Well, I still enjoy fast cars, but now I just take pictures rather than driving them,” says the avid photographer, who showcases his shots at www.bahrainspeed.com.

Sohail is enjoying every aspect of his job, which included organising the inaugural event for the Jeddah service

which launched late last year.“The event happened close to

Ramadan. As a result, we had to work extra hard to get things moving,” recalls Sohail, though the special e ort was worth it

when Chief Executive Tony Tyler congratulated his team for a well-

organised event. “That was certainly our

moment. All the hard work and tears were worth it,” Sohail says.

The wild thing mellows

FAMILY MAN: Sohail has slowed down since his daughter came on the scene.

After 30 years of service in CX, Indonesia’s Hermien Erwin is still going strong.

The Con­ dential Secretary in Jakarta has served 12 Country Managers during her tenure with the airline with her most recent boss being Rob Bradshaw.

“They are all very experienced individuals. Each Country Manager comes with a di erent style and strategy but I can assure you they all left with a very good impression,” says Hermien.

The self-assured lady joined on 8 March 1979 after being informed by a friend that CX was hiring. She didn’t hesitate to apply for the job as she knew the airline as a large com-pany with great sta bene­ ts.

“The key to long service is to really enjoy what you are doing. We also have a good work environment and inter-esting friends here,” explains Hermien.

For leisure, Hermien enjoys the simple things in life such as spending time with her husband and 17-year-old son.

They love travelling overseas for holidays and on weekends you’ll ­ nd them enjoying family activities such as bowling, dining at a restaurant or driving up to Bandung for some sightseeing.

“You got to enjoy life while you can,” she says.

Leading the simple life

LONG SERVICE: Hermien is a valued member of the Indonesian team.

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Top agents gathering highlights deep ties The Bahrain Top Agents Award event was held on 12 April hosted by Country Manager Bahrain, Saudi Arabia & Offline Middle East Daniel Cheung.

In his welcome speech, Daniel said: “I would like to pay my personal tribute to you as our valuable trade partners for your unfailing support not only in the good times but, in particular, also the difficult times.”

Pictured left are N.V Sharma Bahrain District Sales Manager, Hisham El Saadi General Manager CX World Travel Services, Ja¥ ar Baqer Business Development Manager CX World Travel Services and Daniel.

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Showing appreciation The Chongqing team held an agency appreciation dinner on 25 March hosted by General Manager China Sam Swire, Manager Marketing & Sales China Arnold Cheng and Manager Western China Winnie Tong. The night featured performances by sta¥ and fun games.

A special video was made with key agents sharing their feelings about working with the airline and their expectations moving forward.

Dragonair CEO James Tang visited Chongqing in March and met with Vice Mayor Tong Xiaoping. James also met with the team that night during which a special farewell gift was presented to Raymond Ma (right) before he left to join the CX/CA joint venture team.

Refreshed seats take off The Taipei Engineering team had a busy time in March with the Skylux Seat Refresh Programme, which required inspecting and repairing all the Skylux Business Class seats on one aircraft overnight in Taipei airport. It took around 50 hours to complete the task. (below, right)

The Taiwan Airport Conference was held on 15 March with General Manager Airports Peter Langslow attending.

During the Airport Performance Awards held in Hong Kong in February, the Taipei team won Best Airport Performance for both Cathay Paci c and Dragonair and General Manager Taiwan & Korea Adrian Harley was present to praise the Taipei teams for their hard work.

And, nally, a farewell party was held for ex-Cargo Manager Taiwan Newman Yang (top, right) on 19 March before he was seconded to Shanghai as newly appointed Cargo Manager China. Newman shared his favourite memories of the past 35 years with the team.

Conference success down under Over 100 delegates, including 19 senior Head O� ce managers, attended the South West Paci c Management Conference at the Sydney Marriott Hyde Park Hotel on 16 March.

Presentations from Revenue, Product, Airline Planning, Loyalty, Engineering, Cargo, Airports and Sales and Marketing were given throughout the day, concluding with an interesting speech on the airline industry by guest speaker Geo¥ Thomas, an award-winning Australian aviation author and journalist.

Delegates later divided into small groups charged with the task of coming up with at least three innovative ideas on making improvements in the Southwest Paci c region in 2010.

The day concluded with dinner at the exclusive Royal Motor Yacht Club in Point Piper, where 11 long-service awards were presented to Australia and New Zealand sta¥ by General Manager South West Paci c Dane Cheng and Director Sales & Marketing James Barrington (below).

14

Maple Cheng, Assistant Manager Product

1. CX has just introduced stylish new sleeper suits in First Class. Do you think they are good enough to be worn on the street? I’d love it if there was ever a � ash mob with people wearing the suits in Central on a weekend.

2. As they are a Shanghai Tang design, are they good enough to beat the Shanghai pyjama ban? Hmmm ... interesting question.

3. What type of animal should appear on the match-ing slippers? A crane? I think they are elegant.

4. The CX amenity kits are practically collectors’ items now. Do you have a favourite from over the years? The upcoming collection is fan-tastic.

5. If you could only take one thing from any of the kits, what would it be? The toothbrush. It’s really multi-purpose when you think of it.

6. You’ve been doing ballet since you were three. Can you still fi t into your fi rst tutu? Maybe, if I starve for a month. Though I didn’t really wear my � rst tutu until much later.

7. You’re known for bring-ing your baking creations to work. Do you have a signa-ture cake? I make something new every time. I love experimenting and having willing testers.

8. What appears in your dream cookie? Chocolate is a must.

9. You were previously work-ing in Taiwan. What do you miss the most about living there? The people and the food.

10. What is the best thing about being back home?Quite simple – my family.

Oneminute with...

As marathon running becomes almost mainstream – a mere 42 kilo-metres! – many athletes are now looking for bigger kicks in terms of testing their endurance.

Four Hong Kong-based athletes – three of them CX pilots – will certainly be pushed to the limit when they take part in XPD Australia 2010 this month, covering 700km through the rainforests of North Queensland by foot, kayak and moun-tain bike.

Senior Captains Matt McLaughlin and Kurt Lynn and First O� cer Thierry Gloor will be joined by non-CX team member Dr Andy Thomson for the gruel-ling expedition race.

“It will be quite an adventure!” says Matt. “We have been told to expect 200km of trekking, 125km of kayaking, and 375km of mountain biking through terrain that’s teeming with salt-water crocodiles, snakes, and the world’s most poisonous jelly� sh.”

Fifty teams will begin the 10-day race on 17 May and they’ll set o� with just a booklet and a map.

“The only navigation device we can use is a compass and no accommodation is provided – we expect to be sleeping just three hours a night, out in the open,” says Matt.

Find out how our intrepid pilots fare in an upcoming issue of CX World.

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CX stalwarts say goodbye Three Cathay Paci� c veterans bid

farewell to the company this year after decades of ser-vice. The three men – Assistant

Manager In� ight Sales & Lo-gistics Diamond Yu, General

Manager Operations, HAS Sonny Wong and General Manager

China Airport Services Project Development, Victor Ho – have a combined total of 120 years of ser-

vice at CX.Diamond was farewelled by ISD

colleagues at a party at Lion Rock Cafe just before Easter.

“I started on 1 May 1972 as an of-� ce assistant and have worked my entire 38 years here in ISD,” he says.

Diamond was a popular � gure in the department but he modestly put it down to having a memorable name.

“I remember that during my � rst interview the section head asked if I would mind changing my name. I simply smiled but thought it was a rather strange request. Only af-ter I started did I � nd out his name was Silver and he thought it would

SAYING GOODBYE: (Clockwise from top) Tony Tyler with Victor Ho (left) and Sonny Wong (right); ISD staff gather to farewell Diamond Yu; and Diamond is presented with photographic memories of his time at CX by Manager Infl ight Services Development & Standards Pom Warakorn Komutanont.

ADVENTURE SEEKERS: (from left) Andy, Thierry, Kurt and Matt get in training for their Queensland slog.

be strange to have a Silver and Diamond on the same team!” he laughs.

“But I am glad I kept my name because people remember it and I never got confused with anyone else,” he says, adding he knows hun-dreds of crew by name.

“I feel at home on board every � ight. When I � y long haul I never have a chance to sit down because I am in the galley the whole time chatting to the crew,” Diamond says.

Sonny joined in March 1970 as a Tra� c O� cer at Kai Tak airport.

“I’ve held di� erent posts either at the airport or in the Airports Depart-ment, and was also posted to over-seas airports,” he says.

Sonny was in Vietnam from 1990-1996 and in London from 2003-2006.

“Working in outports is a great ex-

perience, especially at the setting-up stage. I happened to be Airport Services Manager at Ho Chi Minh City just as the city was opening up to foreign travellers,” Sonny says.

Victor will be retiring later this year after 42 years at CX.

“I joined CX in September in 1968 as a Tra� c O� cer at Kai Tak,” he says. He has worked through various air-port positions since then.

“I’ll remember the many, many challenges the air-line and the team have endured and come through, from the Asian � -nancial crisis, to SARS and the airport

move from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok,” Victor says. “Through it all the ‘can do’ spirit of CX sta� got us through.”

Victor and Sonny were guests at a special luncheon hosted by Chief Executive Tony Tyler on 16 April where colleagues past and present attended or sent messages of good-will.

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FUN IN THE SUN: Crew take time out to enjoy a relaxing day on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

WEDDING BELLES: The BOM team at the wedding of

Financial Services Supervisor Veena Ganesan (centre).

TRUE COLOURS: The Delhi Cargo Team celebrated

the colourful festival of Holi in vibrant shades.

FOND FAREWELL: The Narita team says goodbye to Masanori Shimizu (centre) who worked for 39 years with CX.

TOP NIGHT: Staff preparing for a travel agent award event at the Gallery Café in Colombo.

HAPPY GATHERING: Reunion party for some of the

Premium Service Ambassadors.

TONNES TO DO: Freighters rarely visit Manila, so when

CX8095 dropped by the cargo team got very excited.

Being featured on the Meet the Team minisite has gained Flight At-tendant Doris Wong at least one fan for life.

Five-and-a-half-year-old Theo Maxeiner saw her picture on the site and decided she was his favourite. Pretty soon drawings of a CX plane and a letter from him found its way to Doris from Theo’s home in Frankfurt.

“I had just � nished a long � ight so I was a bit tired, and then I saw a large envelope in my mailbox,” Doris says.

“Inside was the letter and pictures he had drawn. I was so touched I almost cried. It really means something this little boy took the time to write to me, “she adds.

“I like to see all the crew and people who work for Cathay and to hear their stories,” Theo wrote in his letter. “I like Doris’s smile and I liked her story so much that I made a drawing for her.”

Theo added he loves airlines so much he has even built a small model of Hong Kong airport in his home com-

plete with planes, terminal and landing strips. “I love � ying, aeroplanes and airports, and

Cathay Paci� c is my favourite airline. I think the sta� and crew are always very friendly, the food is always yummy and the activity pack is very cool,” he wrote.

Mini-fan moves Doris to tears

To enter, visit the online quiz entry form on the CX World site. The deadline is noon on Friday, 4 June.

The QuizThe winner of our � rst prize this month will receive a 60-minute Aroma Fusion Massage at Quan Spa at the SkyCity Marriott in Hong Kong.

Located on the mezzanine level of the hotel, the spa houses seven treatment rooms, a dedicated Vichy

Shower, which is a Quan Spa signature, and a range of body scrubs and massages. A private Re� exology Lounge o� ers the option of a personal treatment experience or can be booked by visitors wanting to enjoy treatments together in a quieter atmosphere.

The Aroma Fusion Massage uses the healing powers of essential oils with di� erent blends being used depending on the time of day.

Find out more at www.marriott.com

Shower, which is a Quan Spa signature, and a range of body scrubs and massages. A private Re� exology Lounge o� ers the option of

FREIGHT MATES: LAX’s Margaretha Laseen meets her alter ego during the Hong Kong Sevens.

BACK TOGETHER: A reunion for 60 former Kai Tak Cargo staff who worked at CX in the 1960s-70s.

DROPPING BY: Rupert Hogg visited the BOM Cargo

team on his fi rst trip to India since taking over as

Director Cargo.

The second prize winner will receive a two-piece Vinum – Riesling Grand Cru – sparkling wine set from Riedel Crystal.

The glass is designed for serving dry aromatic white wines below 14% alcohol, with medium body and high acidity such as Riesling and Gryner Velrliner.

Riedel Crystal started in 1756 in Bohemia and has been a family-owned business for 11 generations. It is regarded as a leading international crystal brand.

In 1958, Professor Claus Josef Riedel discovered that the shape and size of a wine glass can alter an individual’s

perception of alcoholic beverages and became the � rst person to design the shape of the glass speci� cally according to the character of the wine.

Go to www.riedel.com for more information.

small model of Hong Kong airport in his home com-plete with planes, terminal and landing strips.

“I love � ying, aeroplanes and airports, and Cathay Paci� c is my favourite airline. I think the sta� and crew are always very friendly, the food is always yummy and the activity pack is very cool,” he wrote.

JUNIOR SUPPORTER: Doris shows the pictures Theo drew for her.

perception of alcoholic beverages and became the � rst person to design the

16

Journey intothe west

SHOW US YOUR TIPS!CX World welcomes sta� travel tips from across the network – email us at CCD#SCT

Travel bites

■ Seoul delight The Somerset Palace Seoul is

o� ering Cathay Paci� c sta� a special o� er of 130,000 Korean

won for a serviced studio apartment. Located in downtown Seoul in the

Gangbuk district, Somerset Palace is in the heart of the city’s diplomatic, business and � nancial districts and o� ers both garden and city views.

The apartments come equipped with designer furnishings, fully � tted kitchen, washer, dryer and home entertainment system.

Guests also have access to a gym, sauna rooms, business centre and rooftop swim-ming pool.

More information on Travel Desk.

■ Divine dim sum The beauti-fully restored Fullerton Hotel is of-fering one of the best dim sum deals in Singapore.

Every weekend at the Jade res-taurant you can enjoy a great Chinese brunch with all-you-can-eat dim sum, appetisers, soups and main courses – all served at your table.

The food is top notch, the surroundings are relaxed and elegant – and the best bit of all is that it costs just S$28 per person.

Reservations on (65) 6733-8388.

■ Music fl ows in Bath A major event in the UK’s musical calendar, the Bath International Music Festival will be held from 26 May-6 June.

Visitors can enjoy every type of music from classical to jazz to world music, with concerts featuring world-famous performers alongside up-and-coming artists from 30 di� erent countries.

Weekends are devoted to highlighting di� erent musi-cal themes.

Go to www.bathmusicfest.org.uk for more details.

This month’s photo shows the sun setting over a valley at the Villars-Gryon Ski region in Switzerland and was taken by Second O£ cer Toby Moon.

“After an amazing day of skiing at picturesque Villars-sur-ollon, I was returning to our chalet and was greeted by this incredible scene as I came down the mountain,” Toby says.

Toby says the cloud cover at the time was extremely low and nestled into the valley.

“The 4,000m glaciers towered over the cloud-covered village as the sun was retiring behind the mountains. The cloud level was so uniform and thick, it almost looked like it was the § oor of the valley. The contrast between this and the cool, clear view of the mountains made for a great photo opportunity,” he says.

“I used a Panasonic Lumix with a Leica lens, and I wish I had better equipment with me. But, as you can see, these little point-and-shoot cameras are not so bad!” Toby adds.

Every month, CX World invites all CX sta� to tell unusual, interesting or just downright quirky tales of travel moments around the world.

Sponsored by In§ ight Sales, the lucky sender of the main story receives HK$500 worth of in§ ight sales products of their choice from the ever-changing collection of over 260 items on o� er (excluding liquor and cigarettes).

Go shopping at www.cathaypaci� c.com/dutyfree

sender of the main story receives HK$500 worth of in§ ight sales products of their choice from

(excluding liquor and

www.cathaypaci� c.

Snap happy

ANCIENT SIGHTS: The desert pass of Mingsha Hill (top), the impenetrable fortress of Jia Yu Guan (above right) and Cassandra taking a leisurely ride through Gao Chang.

Reservations & Ticketing Sales Offi cer Penang Cassandra Chuah took a trip along the legendary Silk RoadThe Silk Road is one of the oldest trade routes in the world linking Europe and the Mediter-ranean region to East Asia. I started my journey from Xian, the former capital of the Han Dynasty, and visited the ancient city wall, the Big Wild Goose pagoda built in 652AD during the Tang Dynasty and of course the great terracotta army of Emper-or Qin Shi Huang.

Leaving the armies behind, I moved on to the ancient fort town of Jia Yu Guan. The fort was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1372 and marks the end of the Western Great Wall.

The fortress walls are very thick, made mostly of mud and straw, and amazingly are still standing strong after centuries in the ex-

treme desert weather. One of the “quality-control measures” used

at the time was to hire men to shoot arrows at the walls to ensure there were no holes and the arrows were not able to penetrate.

The next stop was the city of Dun Huang, an important trading and cultural centre along the Silk Road about 1,300 years ago, similar in importance to modern-day Beijing.

I took a camel ride through the Mingsha Hill Desert which has sand in � ve colours.

This ancient desert pass was built during the Han Dynasty as the only passage from China to the west, and was also used as a military post.

One of the highlights of Dun Huang is the

HK$500 for a travel tale!

Magao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, which were built on the eastern cli� of Mingsha Hill.

The Grottoes are a well-preserved treasure-house of Buddhist art, consisting of 735 caves and approximately 3,000 painted statues.

The journey continued through the Gobi Desert to the city of Turpan which is famous for producing the sweetest grapes and raisins in China. September and October is harvest sea-son so I managed to taste 10 di� erent kinds of grapes and various sizes and colours.

I took a donkey ride to the ancient city of Gao Chang, visiting the ruins of a temple where it’s said Master Xuan Zang taught in 628AD on his way to India to obtain the Buddhist scriptures. This entire city was burnt down during a war in thhe 14th century.

My journey ended in Urumuqi and the last stop was the scenic Heaven Lake. Located about 110 kilometres outside of the city, the lake is surrounded by pine and cypress trees and � elds of wild� owers.

Shopping at the bazaar in Urumuqi is like be-ing in the Middle East – Arabic writing is on ev-ery sign and vendors sell a mixture of hand-wo-ven carpets, nuts, mirrors, animal furs, teapots and belly-dancing costumes.

On my � ight home I looked down over the vast Taklamakan desert and felt a deep appre-ciation for the accomplishments of the ancient Silk Road traders.