Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific returns to profit in first half on hedging gainsAugust 5th, 2009 Cathay returns to profit on fuel hedging gainsHONG KONG — Cathay Pacific Airlines Ltd. said Wednesday it returned to profitability in the first half, rebounding from its biggest-loss ever last year — thanks to gains on its jet fuel contracts.
7 slightly injured when Qantas flight hits turbulence over Malaysian BorneoJune 22nd, 2009 7 slightly injured as Qantas plane hits turbulencePERTH, Australia — A Qantas plane hit turbulence and suddenly lost altitude over Malaysia, throwing terrified passengers around the cabin and leaving seven people injured, the airline said Monday. The Airbus A330 with 219 passengers and crew aboard was flying from Hong Kong to the Australian west coast city of Perth overnight when it struck "severe turbulence" over Malaysian Borneo, Qantas said in a statement.
New Zealand minister self-quarantines amid swine flu scare; Australia urges food stockpilingMay 1st, 2009 NZ minister self-quarantines amid swine flu scareWELLINGTON, New Zealand — A New Zealand government minister went into self-imposed isolation Friday after coming down with flu symptoms, as Australian health officials recommended people stockpile food in case a swine flu pandemic forces them to stay at home. Governments and the public across the Asia-Pacific were jittery as they tried to prevent — but also prepare for — an outbreak of the disease in the region, where only New Zealand has reported confirmed cases almost a week after the virus started its global spread from Mexico.
Asia remains free of confirmed swine flu; New Zealand lowers its probably infection countApril 30th, 2009 Asia still swine flu-free; New Zealand lowers tollSINGAPORE — Singapore announced Thursday that anyone arriving from Mexico would be put under automatic quarantine, as New Zealand wound back its number of suspected infections. Singapore Health Minister Khaw Boohn Wan said travelers from Mexico, from which the disease has quickly spread, will be forced into weeklong quarantine in their homes or hotels regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Cathay Pacific Airways says 70 percent of staff have already joined unpaid leave schemeApril 24th, 2009 Cathay: 70 pct of staff join unpaid leave schemeHONG KONG — Cathay Pacific Airways said Friday about 70 percent of its staff have agreed to take unpaid leave to help Asia's third-largest carrier weather a slump in global travel demand. The Hong Kong flagship airline is asking all of its 17,000 employees, including top management, to take unpaid leave ranging from one to four weeks in the next 12 months, with the most senior staff shouldering the largest deductions.
Passenger claims having used plane crew bunk to have sexApril 19th, 2009 HONG KONG - Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific Sunday said it was investigating claims that a couple travelling First Class from Toronto used the crew rest area in a Boeing 777 to have sex. A purser allegedly invited the couple to use the off-limits area to have sex when he saw them getting intimate in their seats that fold out into beds in the new-style First Class cabin.
20,000 Hong Kong airline staff asked to take unpaid leaveApril 17th, 2009 HONG KONG - Hong Kong's leading airlines Cathay Pacific and Dragonair Friday invited nearly 20,000 employees to take between one and four weeks of unpaid leave as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures. Flight frequencies or seat capacity would be reduced on flights to Mumbai, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, and Dubai, Cathay Pacific announced.
Cathay Pacific to fly daily from Delhi to BangkokMarch 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With Thailand exempting the tourist visa fee for three months from Thursday, Hong Kong's flagship carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has announced the launch of a daily non-stop flight from here to Bangkok from March 30. 'Bangkok is not new to us.
Hong Kong flier in YouTube temper tantrum gets apology, upgradeMarch 5th, 2009 HONG KONG - A Chinese woman passenger whose temper tantrum when she missed a flight from Hong Kong was watched by five million YouTube viewers has been given an apology and a free upgrade, the airline said Thursday. An airline employee who filmed the middle-aged woman throwing herself on the floor in a three-minute screaming fit when she arrived at the boarding gate too late to board a flight to San Francisco has also been disciplined, Cathay Pacific said.
500,000 see video of hysterical Hong Kong air passengerFebruary 15th, 2009 HONG KONG - A video of a middle-aged passenger throwing herself to the floor in a hysterical fit when she misses her flight has been watched by nearly 500,000 people Monday after being posted online. The three-minute video - which appears to have been surreptitiously shot with a mobile phone by a member of the airline ground staff - became an Internet sensation after being posted on the video-sharing website YouTube last week.
Hyderabad to host aviation conference next monthFebruary 7th, 2009 HYDERABAD - The seventh Routes Asia 2009, a premier event for the airlines and airports, will be held here March 29-31. GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) is hosting the event aimed at sustaining and developing air services.
One big question remains: What will Michelle wear?January 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While political junkies worry about Barack Obama's policies and plans, fashionistas are obsessed with another weighty matter: What will Michelle Obama wear to the bevy of inauguration balls Tuesday?
The incoming first lady has already drawn admirers for her sophisticated but low-key style that mixes ready-to-wear pieces from such US shopping mall favourites as Banana Republic and J Crew with young designers and Chicagoans, like Maria Pinto. At a height of about 1.79 metres, Obama is one of the tallest first ladies ever, and favours simple sheaths.
Cathay Pacific loses $13 mn case with cabin crewJanuary 12th, 2009 HONG KONG - Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific was Tuesday facing a potential 13 million US dollar payout to its cabin crew after losing a court case over unpaid holiday pay. Three flight attendants won a test case at a Labour Tribunal hearing which said they were entitled to a total of 14,000 US dollars in additional holiday pay from 2002 to 2008.
Drunk man jumps into sea, rescuedJanuary 12th, 2009 SYDNEY - An Australian cruise ship in the South Pacific Tuesday had to turn a full circle to pick up a drunken passenger who jumped overboard after an all-night party. It took the 70,000-tonne Pacific Dawn 45 minutes to return to the point where the 22-year-old Sydney man was seen by crew leaping from the deck.
Columbia shuttle crew died within seconds: NASA reportDecember 30th, 2008 WASHINGTON - The astronauts, including India-born Kalpana Chawla, who died in the 2003 disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia as it returned to Earth had just seconds to respond before becoming incapacitated, an in-depth report on the tragedy has said. The 400-page report released Tuesday by NASA was aimed at gleaning lessons for crew survival from the tragedy that killed Columbia's seven-member crew.
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