Airline of the year.
Reuters/AAP Agencies
It was wheels up, and bottoms up, in the Hong Kong headquarters of Cathay Pacific Airways today, as the local carrier was declared winner in the tightly contested race for line honours in this years 7th bi-monthly award for best International Carrier-Of-The-Week.
Heralded throughout the global airline industry as the must have piece of trophy silverware, the small but uniquely pressed moulded acrylic airplane replica is highly coveted, and airlines and their keepers pull no punches in making sure they add it to their collection of plaques, posters, and coffee cup coasters, proudly proclaiming them the winners in the bi-monthly awards.
Top executives were on hand in Farnborough this week to accept the award, and Cathay Pacific's second in charge of Inter-European departmental memos, German born Ivan Prieze was tapped to enter the winners circle and claim the goblet.
Their was, however, more than a moment of disquiet and a few gasps and whispers when Mr Prieze was not to be found, and a replacement goblet-getter sought. Deputy leader of telex and typing-pool, Czech national Izista Krapp was seen preening herself in readiness. But to polite applause and looks of genuine relief the flustered and somewhat ruddy faced second-in-charge pushed through the throng of 15 and onto the stage.
“I vun prize” the exuberant Mr Prieze beamed as he help aloft the acrylic replica. “Zis is dream of mine for many years as little boy.”
In halting English the German native lavished praise on Cathay Pacific for managing to squeeze out the hotly favoured Middle-Eastern carriers. Mr Preize was also keen to acknowledge the inputs of the 65 groups that collectively make up these bi-monthly awards, chief among them Skytrax, IATA, NTSB, FDA, Interpol, numerous BVI & Seychelles holding company's, and the newly minted POP, or Passengers on Pills – so named by its founders in recognition of the tireless work that passengers do in filling out the numerous “How-Was-Our-Service-Last-Half-Hour” survey slips.
“I just like to sank ze many departments that togezzer allow for zis magnificent trophy. It has been a hard road for us to get to zis position. The rate of technological change has at times been too much for us to handle, but togezzer we have worked hard and made it happen.” When quizzed on his tardiness in accepting the award, the second-in-charge of Inter-European departmental memos explained that he had not received the memo.
Posing for the media after the acceptance speech, the 14 strong delegation representing the Hong Kong carrier were seen proudly ogling the acrylic airplane, all keen to line up and have their happy moment photographed. Dutch backpacker Huuza Goos, who apparently took a wrong turn enroute to an Israeli Kabutz and ended up at Farnborough was charged with the task of media & photos. Using the latest iPhone 5S and some tech savvy, the 21 year old Goos was said to have done a sound job.
Official business over, the Cathay grouping went busily to work drafting faxes, scheduling telexes, and calling various international operators to place calls back to HQ in Hong Kong to share the good news.
Mr Goos, who together with the Cathay delegation made up the 15 strong throng went about uploading the images to Facebook, and pinning to Pinterest, and was "liked" straight away. The young Ms Krapp declined to elaborate.
Impressed by this hitherto unknown technology the Cathay contingent inquired as to where they might be able to get some colour photo copies.
Across the way in a seperate marquee Skytrax owners, Russians Ivana Dropov & Wadasili Djoke were spotted counting their takings with the aid of 5 currency counting machines. An ominous looking black Mercedes C-Class hovered outside, and with counting done, the media shy Skytrax owners were last seen being whisked away in the general direction of Dusselfdorf.
Join us next week in Dusseldorf as we wait expectantly for the winners of that weeks tally of votes in the International Carrier-Of-The-Week.
Reuters/AAP Agencies
Last edited by monster330; 17th Jul 2014 at 05:27.