Flight cancellations break Cathay pledge

Cathay Pacific yesterday canceled more than 20 flights, nearly twice more than the average promised, as the transport secretary ordered the flag carrier to maintain good communication with staff to ensure stable and reliable services to passengers.

A total of 21 Cathay flights were canceled yesterday, including 10 outbound flights. They included flights to Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Vancouver, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Seoul.

Cathay will further cancel at least 12 flights set to depart from Hong Kong and 10 flights scheduled to land in the city today, according to the Airport Authority website.

Despite pledging normal operations during the Lunar New Year holiday, the airline will cancel an average of 12 flights per day until the end of next month. This follows sudden cancellations during the Christmas and New Year holiday peak season in what the airline said was due to seasonal illness by crew.

Secretary Lam Sai-hung expressed "great concern" to Cathay's senior management, according to the Transport and Logistics Bureau.

"Cathay Pacific will cancel some of its flights in January and February to ensure there is sufficient manpower for the rest of the flights. Lam has requested the airline to inform affected passengers about the arrangement after flight consolidation as soon as possible," the bureau said.

The airline should provide support and assistance to passengers, including helping them to get on another flight, to minimize the impact on travelers, it added.

As the aviation sector is resuming normality and local airlines are increasing their capacity following the pandemic, airlines also have the responsibility to properly make flight schedules and manpower arrangements, the bureau pointed out.

Lam required Cathay Pacific to review its flight schedule and manpower arrangement, it added. The bureau also said it will continue to pay attention to Cathay's performance and requested the Civil Aviation Department to closely monitor the airline's arrangements.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Council has received four complaints against Cathay due to flight cancellation and said the sudden changes of flights will disturb travelers' plans and cause financial damages.

The council said airlines should make sure they have sufficient manpower and complete the refund as soon as possible, while travelers should check their emails and the airlines' website to find out the latest updates on their flights.

Executive Council member and chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong Gary Chan Hak-kan has seen his Cathay flight to Xiamen canceled.

Chan said in a Facebook post yesterday that he is scheduled to attend a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference meeting in Xiamen, Fujian province, this week but his flight was suddenly canceled so now he has to travel by high-speed rail.

"I understand it will take some time for the aviation sector to recruit staff due to the impact of the pandemic. But I inevitably distrust the airline since I have paid a higher price for the plane ticket during the holiday but there are frequent flight cancellations," he said.

Normally, it only takes passengers 1 1/2 hours to fly from Hong Kong to Xiamen, but travelers taking the express train would spend three to four hours on the trip.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Cathay Pacific chief executive Ronald Lam Siu-por said the airline has "taken measures" to ensure normal operations for the peak Lunar New Year season that begins early next month.

To achieve that, the airline will consolidate six flight pairs daily for the remainder of January and February, resulting in an average of 12 daily flight cancellations.