Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has increased services and has a new schedule on its radar for Perth in 2008.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has increased services and has a new schedule on its radar for Perth in 2008.
Speaking to Business Class while in Perth last week, Cathay Pacific’s regional general manager south west Pacific, Ivan Chu, said the airline’s operations from Perth to Hong Kong and beyond were a high priority.
“Studies are ongoing and we are looking at a range of options that could include additional services and a revised schedule,” Mr Chu said.
Currently, Cathay Pacific operates four times weekly with Airbus A330 jets, while Qantas, its oneworld alliance partner, operates three times weekly with Boeing 767s.
However, Mr Chu did not rule out operating daily services, pointing out that both Qantas and Cathay compete several times daily on the Sydney to Hong Kong and Melbourne to Hong Kong routes.
Mr Chu told Business Class the airline would receive five new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from September to December this year and five more next year, with these aircraft enabling the airline to release 747-400s for Sydney-Hong Kong services, thus making available more A330s for Perth services.
The airline is also keen to revise its timetable to better cater for connections into China, now that it has fully acquired Dragonair.
The much-anticipated change in shareholder structure among Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair and Air China announced in June 2006 by owners Swire Pacific, CNAC and CITIC Pacific has created the most powerful airline group in Asia.
Under the agreement, Dragonair became wholly owned by Cathay Pacific and Air China acquired a 17.5 per cent stake in Cathay, which in turn doubled its holding in Air China to 20 per cent. Swire remained the principal long-term shareholder in Cathay, while Dragonair continues to operate under its own brand but under Cathay management, while Cathay and Air China continue to develop closer ties.
The far-reaching deals ended several years of sparring between Cathay and Dragonair over access to the Chinese mainland. Cathay part-owned and managed Dragonair between 1990 and 1996, when the ownership structure changed with CNAC and Air China becoming involved and set the two on a competitive collision course.
Those difficulties manifested themselves in a range of problems, such as Cathay’s and Dragonair’s inability to offer competitive through fares into China.
Cathay now offers seamless connections with Dragonair through Hong Kong into 22 Chinese cities, with some cities, such as Shanghai, served 18 times a day.
The airline also now provides passengers through-fares to all Chinese destinations, replacing the higher sector fares.
The departure from Perth at 12.30pm precludes some same-day connections to China and North Asia, and the airline is looking at a range of alternatives to meet the demands from business.
Also, the airline is keen to offer seamless connections to China’s booming outbound tourist traffic.
And what makes Chinese tourists very special is not only the numbers, but their spending.
According to a report from Goldman Sachs, the amount spent by the average Chinese tourist is now slightly higher than that of the Japanese.
China is Australia’s fifth largest source market in terms of visitor spend, with Chinese visitors spending $1.35 billion on trips to Australia in 2004.
According to Global Refund, an international tax refund service, China recorded a growth of 41 per cent in tax-free retail spending from January to November 2005 compared with the same period in 2003.
According to China Daily, Shen Huirong, the director of the tourism promotion and international liaison department of CNTA, says China’s tourism sector will grow by 10 per cent each year.
Wei Xiao’an, a researcher with the Travel Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily that figures from the World Travel and Tourism Organisation indicated that, in 2020, China will be the world’s fourth-largest source of outbound tourists.
In 2005, 31 million Chinese travelled overseas, and last year that number is expected to be confirmed at 40 million, with Australia attracting less than 1 per cent, although that equates to 8 per cent of visitors to Australia.
Last year, Cathay Pacific celebrated its 60th year and was named airline of the year by Air Transport World.
The airline used the occasion of its 60th anniversary celebration in Hong Kong to unveil a radical upgrade of its first, business and economy class products.
New economy seats, set in a slight recline position that cannot be moved, aim to establish a new standard for the industry.
By pushing a button, passengers can move the seat cushion forward and the seatback cushion down, producing greater recline than conventional seats.
Passengers get more legroom because magazine holders have been moved from seatbacks to the front of the seat beneath travellers’ knees.
It also has added larger video screens for economy passengers and seats now feature shoulder belts for use during takeoff and landing.
In business class, Cathay has attempted to improve on Virgin Atlantic’s herringbone lie-flat bed concept by installing softer beds and 38 centimetre video screens for each seat.
First class was also upgraded and features the largest bed in airline service.
Roll-out of the new cabin features starts shortly and will be completed within 18 months.
