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Coronavirus: Cathay Pacific asks all 27,000 employees to take turns on three weeks unpaid leave
The South China Morning Post ^ | February 5, 2020 | by Danny Lee

Posted on 02/05/2020 3:21:50 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

Cathay Pacific is asking all of its 27,000 employees to take three weeks of unpaid leave over the coming months, the company’s CEO told staff on Wednesday, as Hong Kong’s flagship carrier reels from the impact of the deadly coronavirus on air travel.

“I am appealing to each and every one of you to help,” said Augustus Tang Kin-wing in a taped video recording, adding the situation the company faced was “just as grave” as the global financial crisis of 2009.

“Preserving our cash is now key to protecting our business,” he said.

Cathay wants staff to take leave on a voluntary basis between March and June, and hopes all staff, including senior managers, will take part in the scheme.

Airlines have been rocked by the spread of the coronavirus, which started in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. It has played havoc with air travel, with travellers cancelling trips to affected destinations and border restrictions around the world on people who have recently visited mainland China.

A Cathay Pacific flight attendant, in his 30s, said the special leave scheme was reasonable, but also complained the airline had not supplied sufficient face masks to protect crews in-flight.

“When the airline does not even have enough masks, it’s not bad to let us go on leave,” he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: airline; aviation; china; coronavirus; virus

1 posted on 02/05/2020 3:21:50 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I’m surprised that there’s not an insurance product for this...


2 posted on 02/05/2020 3:23:51 AM PST by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Nice idea, but there’s no way 3 weeks will be enough.

This may burn itself out in six months, or it may not, but if Europe and the United States want to escape the worst, the engagement with China has to be over.

And since Canada is not restricting travel to or from China, and we have a 3000 mile undefended land border, I’m not sure we get out of this anyway.


3 posted on 02/05/2020 3:25:56 AM PST by Jim Noble (There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know)
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To: mewzilla
I’m surprised that there’s not an insurance product for this...

There is.

4 posted on 02/05/2020 3:29:33 AM PST by Veggie Todd (Voltaire: "Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool".)
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To: Veggie Todd

And insurers will go the way of AIG in 2008


5 posted on 02/05/2020 3:35:39 AM PST by silverleaf (Remember kids: You can vote your way into communism, but you have to shoot your way out!)
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To: silverleaf

For the few that offer it, yep.


6 posted on 02/05/2020 3:37:34 AM PST by Veggie Todd (Voltaire: "Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool".)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

We need to return to the pre-Nixon rules for China.


7 posted on 02/05/2020 4:08:11 AM PST by BuffaloJack ("Security does not exist in nature. Everything has risk." Henry Savage)
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To: BuffaloJack

Agreed .
Stop all flights now .
The place is infected


8 posted on 02/05/2020 4:50:58 AM PST by ncalburt (Gop DC Global)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

There might be a few renegade pilots and flight attendants that might take a permanent leave of vacation as soon as one of their planes land in another country, and they might never come back.


9 posted on 02/05/2020 5:01:58 AM PST by ReformedBeckite (1 of 3 I'm only allowing my self each day)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer; neverdem; ProtectOurFreedom; Mother Abigail; EBH; vetvetdoug; Smokin' Joe; ...
An entire airline self-guaranteeing? Not a bad idea.

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

10 posted on 02/05/2020 5:24:48 AM PST by null and void (The democrats just can't get over the fact that they lost an election they themselves rigged!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

My company sent a letter stating that any employees who have been to China recently are to stay home for two weeks


11 posted on 02/05/2020 5:42:06 AM PST by cyclotic (Democrats must be politically eviscerated, disemboweled and demolished.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Bkmk


12 posted on 02/05/2020 5:48:40 AM PST by sauropod (If women are upset at TrumpÂ’s naughty words, who bought 80 million copies of 50 Shades of Grey?)
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To: Jim Noble

China owns Canada. Lock, Stock and Barrel


13 posted on 02/05/2020 5:58:29 AM PST by Black Agnes
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To: cyclotic

My company sent a letter stating that any employees who have been to China recently are to stay home for two weeks.

Is that with pay?


14 posted on 02/05/2020 6:40:23 AM PST by hirn_man
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To: Black Agnes

We’re gonna need another wall.


15 posted on 02/05/2020 6:43:17 AM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Global tourism collapsing. Not good.

Domestic tourism will take up some of that.


16 posted on 02/05/2020 6:51:36 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Jim Noble

This will rapidly escalate with the airlines. First ask for “voluntary” consumption of vacation. Then mandatory use of vacation. Then layoffs. Then temporary mothballing of aircraft. Then bankruptcy.

I didn’t realize that Canada wasn’t following suit and shutting down China travel. That is bad news. Will US Customs now have to survey all travelers crossing the border to see if they’ve been to China and take the temperatures or everybody in the vehicle? That sounds bad, especially in and around Vancouver.


17 posted on 02/05/2020 6:57:57 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: ncalburt

Exactly. First, ground all planes for 10 days to make sure they’re not infected. Then stop all flights within 500 miles of any confirmed case.


18 posted on 02/05/2020 7:17:44 AM PST by bgill
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To: Veggie Todd
Doesn't sound like the airline purchased it...

Cathay Pacific asks all employees to take three weeks' unpaid leave Airline also cuts mainland China flights by 90% amid coronavirus outbreak

19 posted on 02/05/2020 7:22:33 AM PST by mewzilla (Break out the mustard seeds.)
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To: hirn_man

I’m sure it is.


20 posted on 02/05/2020 2:32:30 PM PST by cyclotic (Democrats must be politically eviscerated, disemboweled and demolished.)
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