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Connor Mycroft

Jack Deng

Laura Westbrook

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways cancelled another 21 flights on Monday, almost double the expected average announced a day earlier in its plan to ensure normal operations for the Lunar New Year holiday period, with the government expressing “grave concerns” over the scheme.
A check of Hong Kong International Airport’s website showed the airline cancelled 11 inbound and 10 outbound flights.
Cathay scrapped at least 10 departing and nine arriving flights on Sunday, with the cancellations on both days exceeding the carrier’s pledge and prompting worries from travellers.
A Post check of Cathay’s Tuesday flights showed another 22 cancellations.

Cathay on Sunday said it planned to cut an average of 12 flights a day until the end of February, assuring affected passengers they would be offered convenient alternative flying times or a refund.
Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung on Monday said he had expressed his “grave concerns” to Cathay’s senior management about the plan, and called on the airline to “carefully review flight allocation and manpower arrangements, maintain good communication with employees, and ensure that it provides stable and reliable services to passengers”.
He said Cathay should notify affected passengers “as soon as possible” and “provide appropriate support” such as transferring them to its other flights, or even those of other airlines.
Hong Kong’s Cathay cuts flights to ease Lunar New Year holiday strain
The cuts follow a wave of cancellations by the carrier over the Christmas and New Year holidays, when its operations were stretched due to a shortage of experienced pilots for passenger flights.
Some who faced cancellations on Monday expressed frustration with the abrupt change to their travel plans.
Affected routes included Singapore, Dubai, Beijing, Seoul, Bangkok and Vancouver.
Lachlan Lau, a Hongkonger in his 40s who works in the textiles industry, said he was notified by a text message that his flight back to Hong Kong from Ho Chi Minh City on January 12 had been cancelled.

But Lau said that rather than contacting him to make arrangements that would suit his schedule, the carrier just rebooked him on a flight the next day instead.
“It doesn’t work for me,” Lau said. “I need to fly back on Friday. It will be super chaotic to move my appointments.”
Lau, a Diamond, or top tier, member of Cathay’s customer loyalty programme, said he flew with the airline owing to its “highest quality of service”, but added that recently he felt it had been “struggling” to maintain its reputation.
“Punctuality is the key for business travellers like myself,” he said. “If they continue to fail, I cannot see the reason I have to stick with them.”
Hong Kong’s Cathay vows to avoid repeat of cancellations, as pilots hit hour limit
Freddy Yip Hing-ning, president of the Hong Kong Travel Agent Owners Association, said Cathay’s recent cancellations had inconvenienced the industry, with firms having to rebook or change travel dates for clients.
“If they are short of crew, Cathay should not announce the schedule. Once they put the schedule in the system, passengers or the travel agency start to book,” he said.
“When they cancel, it will upset the whole trip for businesspeople or for those on holiday. That is no good.”
However, Law Cheung-kwok, senior adviser at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Aviation Research and Policy Centre, noted that most of the cancellations were on regional routes with multiple flights per day, such as to Taiwan, Bangkok, Beijing and Singapore.
The airline should have been able to transfer affected passengers to flights on the same day, he added.


Paul Weatherilt, chairman of the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, which represents Cathay pilots, said the crew shortage was a consequence of layoffs during the airline’s restructuring plan in October 2020, when it axed 5,300 jobs locally and closed regional arm Cathay Dragon in a bid to survive the pandemic.
It extended cost-cutting contracts to all remaining staff. Hundreds of pilots subsequently resigned during the pandemic, with many pointing to reduced pay and service conditions under the new contract.
“I think the simplest explanation is that they are trying to run a 70 per cent pre-pandemic schedule, but have found that they don’t have enough pilots to achieve this,” he said, pointing to the carrier having 52 per cent of the captains and first officers that it had in pre-pandemic times.
Hong Kong’s Cathay told to find out how woman reportedly boarded plane without pass
According to the association, Cathay had 2,532 pilots as of last month, compared with 3,885 in the fourth quarter of 2019, a decrease of nearly 35 per cent.
Cathay told the Post last week that it has been “turning on all the taps to recruit people to support our rebuilding journey” and insisted it was on track to reach its rebuilding target.
It planned to hire around 5,000 people this year, a Cathay spokesman said previously, adding that nearly 2,000 former employees have returned to the group.
Cathay and its budget carrier HK Express aim to fully restore pre-pandemic passenger capacity by the end of 2024.


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Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific cancels another 21 flights, almost double daily average announced in plan to ease Lunar New Year strain

Cathay Pacific planes at Hong Kong International Airport. The Transport and Logistics Bureau says it has grave concerns about the airline’s flight cancellation plan. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Cancelled Cathay Pacific flights are shown on the departures board at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Edmond So

A Cathay Pacific check-in counter at Hong Kong International Airport. Some residents have expressed worries their travel plans will be thrown into disarray. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific cuts flights until February to ease Lunar New Year holiday strain

Cathay Pacific planes at Hong Kong International Airport. Some pilots have told the Post that flight cancellations may persist due to the shortage of experienced cockpit crew. Photo: Sam Tsang

Cathay Pacific says many cockpit crew have reached their limit of 900 flying hours per year. Photo: Dickson Lee

The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association says that a lack of manpower stemming from jobs cuts amid the pandemic has hampered Cathay’s operations. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific vows to avoid repeat of recent flight cancellations, even as many pilots reach hour limit amid staff shortage concerns

Cathay Pacific pilots. Cockpit crew tell the Post that the problem of flight cancellations might persist because of the shortage of experienced staff. Photo: Dickson Lee

A departures board at Hong Kong’s airport. Cathay says a “small number of flights” have been cancelled, after “higher than anticipated pilot absence caused by seasonal illness on certain days in December”. Photo: Dickson Lee

Passengers line up for Cathay flights. The carrier faces increased competition for experienced pilots, analysts say. Photo: Dickson Lee

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Hong Kong

Transport

Airport website shows airline cut 21 flights on Monday, with Cathay exceeding pledged cancellation cap for a second day
Airline earlier said it planned to cut average of 12 flights a day until end of February to ensure normal operations for Lunar New Year holiday


Airport website shows airline cut 21 flights, with Cathay exceeding pledged cancellation cap for a second day.
