Trafalgar,
That is probably the best post I have ever read on PPrune, over many years. Well done. Unfortunately the problems in CX are so endemically rooted within the warped Swire culture and arrogance, that I very much doubt that they have the ability to open their eyes and see things from a different angle. It is beyond them. There are many reasons obviously why CX has gone from being probably the best airline and airline job in the world, to where it is now, struggling to work out what to do next. As you say, it needs a major clean out in management and management style, starting from the very top and encompassing the obstructionist Crew Control system and job protectionism that is wide spread in the whole of Cathay City. Cathay needs a new and very competent CEO, such as Greg Foran, the gentleman recently appointed to run Air NZ and now has the unenviable job of winding it down to a shadow of its former self. As the former CEO of Wal-Mart in the USA, with over a million employees working with him, he would bring in fresh ideas and a totally new way of getting things done and making things happen. For this to happen, people like Merlin Swire, will need to step aside and let professionals, who know how to manage and what they are doing, with fresh ideas and who respects the importance and value of the employees.
I am not going to make a long reply, as you have raised most of the points and I hope you are enjoying your Retirement, as I am down here in NZ, although the Lockdown is wearing thin, but it is hopefully working. It is truly sad to see, as an outside observer now, the demise of a once great airline, which has come about due to incompetent and arrogant management at all levels. Things need to change, but I am not sure they are mature and brave enough to admit it and do what is necessary, before it is too late. Being based next door to the monster that is the mainland Chinese Government, certainly does not help their cause, however you have to deal with the hand you are dealt and our management lot aren't cutting it.
Best Regards to all.
PH