I’ve used that trick for the last year or so but I’m getting tired of it now. 
2 Likes
Some drama at Hong Kong International Airport this weekend:
Guy
Great! Flying tomorrow with Cathay to the UK.
The UK routes seem to be doing well. If you have such privileges, do stop by the Pier lounge while in transit.
Guy
2 Likes
It seems that Cathay avoid Russian Airspace these days, unlike the other Chinese Airlines who continue to overfly. FR24 shows then passing south of Russia, both East and Westbound.
Avoiding Russian Airspace particularly impacts the ultra-longhaul routes: HKG-JFK, for example.
For various reasons, Cathay has been painfully slow in rebuilding its routes to North America. And combined with deep freeze relations between China and the United States, and the current paucity of flights connecting the two, demand has been way exceeding supply, with a predictable effect on prices for folks heading in that direction.
Guy
1 Like
I take my comment back - as CX831 from JFK to HKG is flying over Russia as I type this - others must have been on a different route due to winds.
1 Like
Of potential interest to Cathay Pacific fans: after a long COVID-era haitus, their dedicated lounge at TPE is finally scheduled to reopen on August 9. Speaking for myself only, Cathay’s substitute lounge at TPE (the underwhelming yet extremely crowded Plaza Premium in Terminal 1) will not be missed.
Guy
3 Likes
How is the lounge in TPE?
I usually fly Eva but I’m with one world now due to being mostly in the UK with British Airways. I have Gold or One World Emerald so that’s the lounge I would use.
I can’t say the food would be excellent in the CX TPE lounge, but it would be—hands down—the best oneworld lounge available, especially in terms of space. Access is in Terminal 1, but even if you check in in Terminal 2 you could (if you’re willing to walk quite a ways) access it.
Guy
1 Like
I’ve only flow FinnAir once, and found everything about it disappointing… the lounge, the hard product (in business), the food… don’t remember the wine. And that was a HEL-JFK flight, which I would’ve expected to be one of their better flights, but maybe not…
1 Like
I thought the lounge (non schengen /International) one was nice
here was menu late last year (I will be late this month, should have access and if I have time will post new photos)
drinks
My dish, cooked to order sit down table service(I choose a quick one, as did not have much time)
the domestic/schengen lounge is more simple, may have been the one you went to? Its mostly busy, and been there a lot so sometimes just I skip it
2 Likes
FinnAir business lounge, non-schengen.
had a pleasant experience some time ago on my HKG-MXP-NGO via HEL. The long legs travelled on their comfort+ seats (kinda premium) and managed to even get some decent sleep.
Can’t comment on the lounge since I didn’t access it, but HEL is a small and nice airport, albeit food stupidly expensive (but that’s Finland in general).
2 Likes
A deep dive into the shift in company culture at Cathay Pacific Airways. It’s not a happy read.
Guy
christ, this hurts a lot. used to love CX back in the day in HK, always happy memories when flying back to Italy or somewhere in Asia.
My last flight with CX was to HK for a brief stop for work, felt like flying HK airlines or HK express… very sad.
1 Like
If any forumosans are scheduled to fly on Cathay Pacific this month or next month, be aware that the airline has announced plans to cancel / merge an average of 12 flights per day affecting flights in and out of Taipei and Kaohsiung among other destinations. They are trying to be proactive here to avoid last-minute cancellations which bedevilled would-be travellers at the end of December. Watch out!
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific cuts flights in January, February to ease Lunar New Year holiday strain on operations
- •Airline seeks to reassure passengers after calling off almost 70 flights during Christmas and New Year over ‘higher-than-expected pilot absences’
- •As of 8pm, at least 10 departing and nine arriving flights cancelled, with affected destinations including Taipei, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Shanghai and Dubai.
By Emily Hung
Published: 11:46am, 7 January 2024
Summary
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways announced on Sunday it would cut 12 flights per day on average until February to ensure normal operations during the Lunar New Year travel rush, trimming service for the second time in the space of a few weeks.
The carrier planned to merge some daily flights to the same destination and promised to help affected passengers find convenient alternative flying times or give them a refund. But some residents with Cathay tickets said they were now worried their costly holiday plans would be thrown into disarray.
As of 8pm, at least 10 departing and nine arriving flights had been cancelled, with affected destinations including Taipei, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Shanghai and Dubai.
“We have taken measures to ensure Cathay Pacific’s flights will operate normally for the coming Chinese New Year travel peak,” group CEO Ronald Lam Siu-por said. “Hong Kong people travelling out and visitors coming to Hong Kong can be reassured that their travel will go ahead as planned.”
Cathay Pacific says many cockpit crew have reached their limit of 900 flying hours per year. Photo: Dickson Lee
The group said it had also reviewed flight schedules and increased pilot standby levels.
The airline sought to reassure passengers after calling off almost 70 flights during the Christmas and New Year holidays citing “higher-than-expected pilot absences caused by seasonal illness”.
Travel writer James Hong Ming-sang said his flight from Taipei to Osaka was cancelled on Sunday morning due a “flight rescheduling”, adding he was sceptical of the airline’s promises.
Hong said the airline notified him of the cancellation of the 11.15am flight soon after he arrived at the airport in Taipei at 8.30am, he said.
He said he was asked to board another flight on Monday or fly to Osaka from Seoul on Sunday, a route that would have increased his travel time from six hours and 15 minutes to about 12 hours.
He instead decided to spend NT$9,000 (HK$2,270) on another flight ticket, which was about 30 to 40 per cent more costly than his original one, he said.
[
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific cancels another 28 flights, blaming pilot illness
1 Jan 2024
](https://archive.md/o/fXA4H/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3246919/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-cancels-another-28-flights-carrier-blaming-higher-expected-pilot-absence)
Eva Kan, an administrative worker in her 40s, said she was planning to go on a one-week ski trip to Japan with her husband and friend over the Lunar New Year holiday, and was now worried about her flight being cancelled.
“Even though Cathay guarantees it will maintain normal operation over that period, it’s not easy for the company to boost the manpower in just a few weeks’ time,” she said. “We already paid HK$15,000 [US$1,920] per head for the trip … the cost would be huge if our flight is disrupted.”
She added that she would buy travel insurance to cover the extra cost in case their flight was affected.
Law Cheung-kwok, senior adviser at the Aviation Research and Policy Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Cathay’s arrangement was the “best short-term solution” the airline could adopt to ease the manpower strain during peak season as it was impossible to immediately buy more aircraft and hire additional crew members.
“But the measure will undeniably bring some inconvenience to passengers, especially those with an inflexible travel plan,” he said.
Andrew Yuen Chi-lok, a senior lecturer at the centre, said routes with multiple daily flights, including Bangkok, Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai should be given a higher priority for merging “so passengers only need to wait an hour or two” for the flight.
“In the mid-term period, the airline will need to explore other solutions, including deploying larger capacity aircraft, and in the long run, boost the manpower supply of aircrew members,” he said.
[
Hong Kong’s Cathay vows to avoid repeat of cancellations, as pilots hit hour limit
31 Dec 2023
](https://archive.md/o/fXA4H/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3246764/hong-kongs-cathay-pacific-vows-avoid-repeat-recent-flight-cancellations-even-many-pilots-reach-hour)
Asked whether the company had set an unrealistic target to resume its flight capacity, Yuen said Hong Kong was already lagging compared with neighbouring cities, noting Cathay faced some uncontrollable factors, including employee seasonal illnesses.
A Cathay pilot who spoke on condition of anonymity said the cancellations were caused by flight crew shortage.
He said the company had searched for a pilot rostered off to fly to Singapore on Sunday morning but was unsuccessful and hundreds of passengers were moved to another flight that departed almost four hours later, he added.
“This is going on all the time now … on the Singapore route it has been common as of late, [and on] other destinations too,” he said.
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
According to the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association, Cathay had 2,532 pilots as of last month, compared with 3,885 in the fourth quarter of 2019, a nearly 35 per cent decrease.
Association chairman Paul Weatherilt said the company had set itself “unrealistic targets” of resuming flight capacity.
“There’s no real ability for the system to absorb these changes, they knock on and end up cancelling more than just one flight,” he said.
The company earlier said it aimed to return to pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity by the end of 2024.
[
How did woman reportedly get on Hong Kong-bound Cathay plane without boarding pass?
3 Jan 2024
](https://archive.md/o/fXA4H/https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3247088/beyond-comprehension-woman-got-cathay-pacific-hong-kong-flight-tokyo-reportedly-without-boarding)
Cathay’s operations were stretched over the Christmas and New Year holidays when it added 8 per cent more daily flights, according to an internal memo seen earlier by the Post. Many pilots had worked hard throughout the year and were reaching their limit of 900 flying hours per year, according to the memo
Some pilots earlier told the Post that flight cancellations might persist due to the shortage of experienced cockpit crew, expressing concerns about possible safety issues triggered by fatigue.
But the airline on Sunday said it had learned from recent experiences and, in addition to the short-term measures implemented, would make the necessary changes to ensure future operational stability. It also reiterated its commitment to providing customers with more flight choices.
Guy
1 Like
Today’s cancellations (initiated by Cathay Pacific):
Tomorrow’s cancellations (again initiated by Cathay Pacific):
These sorts of cancellations will continue, apparently, into February.
Guy
1 Like
Lack of customers I would assume?
No. They ramped up their schedule but failed to account for pilot illnesses, pilots hitting their hour limits, and other personnel shortages. This led to many cancelled flights over the Christmas holidays. They are proactively initiating cancellations now to avoid more last minute cancellations and I would imagine more angry customers.
Guy
1 Like