Guest PilotsWife Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Does anyone have the latest news story on Cathay grounding their fleet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steam Driven Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Still talk of grounding the fleet due to the loss of US $3 million a day. Flights to/from LAX have been severely cut back with crews being extended in LA with no flight to operate home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Say Altitude Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Have a friend at CX - he showed me on their intranet site only a month and a half ago that they were planning 200+ new hires this year - not cadet/ab initio either. Wonder if that's all changed too?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flyersclub Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Cathay: No plans to ground fleet (13apr03) HONG KONG, China (CNN) --Cathay Pacific has responded to media reports that it is considering grounding its fleet from next month, saying it has no plans to cease operations. A leaked internal memo from Cathay Pacific's director of flight operations, Nick Rhodes, said passenger numbers "could fall to less than 6,000 per day in May, in which case we will have to consider grounding the entire passenger fleet." Cathay issued a statement on Saturday stating that the company has no plans to stop passenger flights. "There are absolutely no plans for Cathay Pacific to ground the passenger fleet," Tony Tyler, director of corporate development, told CNN. "All the memo intended to do was to communicate ... that times are difficult at the moment," he said. Cathay Pacific spokeswoman Rosita Ng told CNN the comments and forecasts were Rhodes' interpretations of a briefing conducted by chief executive David Turnbull. So far, Cathay Pacific has cancelled 42 percent of its flights due to travel fears created by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. Passenger levels have dropped from around 33,000 per day to between 10,000 to 13,000. Frequent flyer Government and airline officials are urgently trying to track down passengers who flew on board seven Lufthansa passenger jets with a Hong Kong man who has been diagnosed with SARS. On March 28, the 48-year-old Hong Kong resident boarded a Lufthansa flight and flew to Europe where he crisscrossed the continent and, authorities fear, possibly passed on SARS to other passengers. According to the government, his journey began with a flight from Hong Kong to Munich, Germany. He then flew on to Barcelona, Spain, where, on March 31, he began showing SARS symptoms, say health officials. He then flew to Frankfurt, Germany, followed by a trip to London, England, then back to Munich and on to Frankfurt before returning to Hong Kong. On April 8, he was hospitalized and two days later diagnosed with SARS. All the flights on his trip were with the German carrier Lufthansa. The World Health Organization insists there is no evidence SARS has led to mass contamination of an aircraft. But the agency advises travelers the disease has been spread to some people sitting within three rows of an infected person. As a result of SARS fears, many travelers are canceling trips. And other countries are worried travelers from Hong Kong are spreading SARS around the globe. To allay these concerns, the Hong Kong government will begin health screenings Monday that will include taking passengers' temperatures so that signs of fever can be detected. Some experts note the panic is reducing congestion at airports and forcing airlines to offer deep discounts. And with modern filtrations systems, the air may be cleaner than ever. "The air in the plane is extremely good. Compared to an office building, the air inside an airplane is probably 100 per cent cleaner and [of a] higher quality," says Jim Eckes of IndoSwiss Aviation. Still, many people will continue to stay at home as long as fears about SARS linger. In other developments: • The Singapore government has issued its first wrist tags to quarantined citizens. There are 558 people under home quarantine in Singapore. • The Hong Kong government has posted the names of buildings with confirmed SARS patients on its Department of Health Web site. • Malaysia has temporarily suspended travel restrictions it had recently imposed on Hong Kong residents. However, Hong Kong passport holders will be screened for signs of SARS on arrival in Malaysia. • The Xinhua official news agency has reported two deaths from SARS in China's Inner Mongolia region. These are the first cases in the region. • A new accusation against mainland China collapsed Thursday when the family of an American dying from a mysterious respiratory virus confirmed that they had requested he be moved from a mainland hospital to one in Hong Kong. (Family denies China moved patient) • The Roman Catholic church in Singapore has suspended confessions due to the SARS spread. The city-state confirmed 126 SARS cases and nine deaths. (Military call-up) -- CNN Correspondent Andrew Brown, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Labtec Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Cathay normally carries 60000 passengers per day. They are currently down to 25000/day. The media over there has whipped the population into hysterics. We are talking about a strain of pnuemonia that has killed 100 people world wide. They were old or weakened by some other condition that compromised their immune systems. Ever notice the media never describes the age and characteristics of those that died? If they did no one would buy their papers or watch their newscasts. This isn't news. More people died last week in car crashes in North America and Asia than the entire number of SARS deaths. The media ought to be held accountable for this trumped up hysteria they have created. Journalists en masse ought to be given a good keel hauling. Cathay has asked pilots to take leaves, they have said that wage cuts may be necessary and if that doesn't work the Airline is talking about layoffs. What a mess. Labtec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest YVRCREEP Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 I completely agree with you Labtec. According to the CDC, 63,548 people die from "regular" pneumonia annually in the US alone! The irresponsibility in journalism right now is astounding. The press should be held accountable for misleading the general populace. The leading terrorist organization now is CNN. The only news source I half trust now is CBC. They did a special on SARS the other night, saw it in Winnipeg. Stated that the mortality rate for SARS is less than 3%. Furthermore, the most likely victims in this category are the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, ie. AIDS, cancer etc. Also, another thing the mainstream press does'nt tell you is that with most cases of SARS, people recover at home with little medical intervention! It's really disheartening to watch our careers going into a deep stall and see this kind of absolute stupidity grind us all even more. Makes me want to go up to everyone I see with a mask on and snap it on their face! Anyways, there's always beer!! Cheers, (zipped)CREEP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neo Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 I believe you gentlemen may have missed some important points around this issue. The agency driving much of the concern around this epidemic is the WHO, not the media. The WHO are not alarmist. They do not issue health warnings lightly, and they are strongly concerned about the consequences of the _spread_ of this disease. While we all hate the consequences for our industry, if you make a mistake with something like this, you cannot put the horses back in the barn. I don't see evidence of the media whipping anything into a frenzy. I see them reporting on a serious health concern. The numbers of people worldwide who have died from this virus is small, but the percentage of people who are infected and then die is significant. Furthermore, the numbers of cases and deaths have been kept small in large part because health authorities are working overtime to contain the spread of the disease. If they didn't do that, then the number of victims could escalate geometrically. I don't think anyone wants to see that. It's a cruel situation for an airline industry that is so badly rocked by other factors, but I can't fault the health authorities for doing what they're supposed to do, nor can I fault the media for reporting on those efforts. neo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest George Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 RR When is the last time you saw the Ontario Medical Officer for Public Safety (something like that) go on TV and give his condolences to someone who died from the common flu??? Give me a break. Compare the BC and Ontario repsonses to this disease. BC has had how many cases? Last year in BC about 1400 people died from the flu. Very few because their doctors were aware of the disease and quarentined quickly. The Toronto doctors &%$@! up. The original family that was infected came to the hospital, sat around for several hours, unmasked etc. waiting for xrays. Then they were sent home and came back and sat around again for several hours, unmasked before the hospital decided that they were ill....... 10% of people who are infected with the flu virus die. 3-4% of people who are infected with the SARS virus die. You tell me that this isn't a media hype story??? You bet it is and it is fueled by the general population's anxiety anout a bioterror attack... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest George Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 RR When is the last time you saw the Ontario Medical Officer for Public Safety (something like that) go on TV and give his condolences to someone who died from the common flu??? Give me a break. Compare the BC and Ontario repsonses to this disease. BC has had how many cases? Very few because their doctors were aware of the disease and quarentined quickly. The Toronto doctors &%$@! up. The original family that was infected came to the hospital, sat around for several hours, unmasked etc. waiting for xrays. Then they were sent home and came back and sat around again for several hours, unmasked before the hospital decided that they were ill....... 10% of people who are infected with the flu virus die. Last year in BC about 1400 people died from the flu. 3-4% of people who are infected with the SARS virus die. You tell me that this isn't a media hype story??? You bet it is and it is fueled by the general population's anxiety anout a bioterror attack... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest M. McRae Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 I understand that passengers boarding international flights from YYZ are being screened so as to prevent the spread of SARs from YYZ to international points. If that is indeed considered to be a threat to the health of those who reside in foreign climes, what about the risk to those in the rest of Canada. What you say, NO DOMESTIC FLIGHT SCREENING? Either someone is dropping the ball or there is no real threat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEFCON Posted April 14, 2003 Share Posted April 14, 2003 Clearly you're not a "labtec". As of now precious little is known of this bug. Should it prove to be highly mutagenic you may well find yourself wishing that draconian steps had been taken to prevent its spread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Labtec Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 A buddy of mine had his sister in Toronto for the week. When she left for Trinidad she was quarantined for 10 days just because she was in YYZ! You tell me this isn't trumped up hooey. If you're old and weak and get sick you will die from this. If you have an underlying condition that compromises your immune system you may die from this. The chances of the average person succumbing to the effects of SARS and dying is limited. What virus doesn't kill off the sick and the weak? 100 DEATHS WORLDWIDE!!!! The chance of you getting killed on your drive to work is greater. 13 people in Canada have died. I'll bet 13 people died in Car accients this week are you going to stop driving? These accidents are indiscriminate and can kill young people as well as old people are you not going to drive as a result? It's all about perspective and the media have none. The biggest single creater of carnage in our society has been the automobile and you wouldn't think of giving up your Beemer. You have to analyze the signifigance of the threat and I just don't believe it's that significant. The media need to sell papers and that's the bottom line. Labtec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PilotsWife Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 Just heard on the news that a group of students had their trip cancelled by the Government of Malaysia, as they are not accepting Canadians at this time. Someone should show them the stats above! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dockjock Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 So neo says ...the percentage of people who are infected and then die is significant. But YVRCREEP quotes the CBC saying ...the mortality rate for SARS is less than 3% [of those infected]. I'm going with the media frenzy theory. I live in Toronto and don't have the disease. My wife attends (medical) school across the street from a hospital in Toronto and she doesn't have it. I don't know anyone or know someone who knows someone else who has it. I departed YYZ as a passenger to the USA last week and wasn't screened outbound or back inbound. Point of fact, the list of those in Toronto who died was in the Star last week and I there was only one (1) person under age 70 who died from SARS (out of 11) and he was the son of one of the other victims. I'm not advocating being cavalier about SARS, but as usual the media make a mountain out of a mole hill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goonybird Posted April 15, 2003 Share Posted April 15, 2003 Gentlemen, This is not media hype. Here in HKG another nine people died of SARS yesterday. Included in the nine were three woman aged 32-37 and a 45 year old man, none of these people had prior health problems. Also included in the nine was a 34 pregnant woman, the doctors were able to save the baby through Caesarean section and do not yet know if the baby has SARS. Locally, 1232 people have been infected in a month, so far 56 have died. It is strongly believed that the Chinese government is either lying or unaware of the total infections and deaths in mainland China. The outbreak began in soutern China in Nov. it is now being reported in all areas of China through a recently set up, SARS surveilence system. I'll ask you, if Hong Kong has seen 1232 infections in a month, do you think that China has only had 1400 since Nov? If one man can spread it to Hong Kong and cause this kind of damage what would happen if hundreds of infected people were walking the streets? With regards to the affect it is having on CX's operation, yesterday 48% of flights were cancelled. The remaining flights had a load factor of 34%! Most passengers are donning face masks, most F/A's are as well. WE have two full crews that have been ordered by health authorities to "stay at home" after working a flight that was carrying an infected person. So far one flight attendant and one flight engineer have the illnes, though it is believed they contracted it outside the workplace. I may very well be one of the ones to help out the company and take voluntary unpaid leave. I have some work to do in the yard, some painting to do, the warf needs fixing. Heck all that labour sounds better than isolating myself in the crew hotel every time I'm in HKG, or spending a month of the summer in a hospital bed on a respirator! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HardRock Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 I think Goonybird's right...Too unnerving working with all these masked co-workers. I'm taking leave, and heading south for awhile. Time to get the hell out of Dodge 'till all the dust settles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.