Cathay to boost number of standby pilots for holiday

Cathay Pacific chief Ronald Lam Siu-por said the airline will increase the number of standby pilots during the Lunar New Year holiday as he admitted it underestimated the impact of the peak flu season on manpower.

Hong Kong's flagship carrier yesterday canceled 20 flights, 10 departing and 10 arriving, including those to and from Beijing, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore.

Apologizing for the flight cuts, Lam said it is to ensure normal operations for the upcoming holiday period.

"We hope to operate smoothly during the rest of January and February, especially during the travel peak amid the Lunar New Year holiday between February 7 and 18, by further increasing the number of standby pilots," he said.

"During the peak, no flights have been canceled so far. We have canceled an average of 12 flights per day so that the rest of the flights can operate smoothly in the two months."

He apologized to all travelers affected by flight disruptions, saying the airline had underestimated the number of standby pilots it needed.

"The roster in December was decided in mid-November, but it was not until Christmas that we realized the number of standby pilots we have was not enough to offset the pilots taking sick leave during the influenza peak," he said.

"Upon discovering the problem at the end of December, we reviewed the situation in January. But since the roster for the month has already been made, the same problem still extends to January."

He said the airline had informed passengers about flight cancellations on short notice initially, causing inconvenience, but the situation has improved. Lam added: "Our team deployed more manpower, especially customer service staff, to respond to passengers' calls and WhatsApp messages, so that we could reply to their inquiries as soon as possible and help them catch another flight."

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung said the cancellations have hugely impacted passengers.

"Cathay has done a poor job in both communication and offering follow-up measures to affected passengers, especially those with urgent needs. I have urged senior management of the airline to improve in these aspects," he said.

Transport authorities and the Civil Aviation Department will discuss regarding manpower and flight arrangement in the future, he added.

"As a major company, Cathay has the responsibility to provide stable and reliable services," Lam Sai-hung said.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com