@Arfur Dent
Why did he allow the bean counters and associated dickheads to take over the running (ruining) of this Once Great Airline?
Nah. Most companies don't last but a few generations. It's baked into the cake. Look through stock listings from the 1920s and see how many of those rode out the 20th century. Hardly any. Coca Cola is a statistical freak. Most companies are just the right person in the right place at the right time with the right idea and ride the trend. Cathay was such a thing. Developed a monopoly in a market right next to the largest dormant economy on the planet just when Hong Kong mattered to the commies, then rode that trend to its logical conclusion. Now for the first time in its existence they need real leadership, not just rent-seeking opportunists who talk a good game... and they've been found wanting.
Was obvious to anyone paying attention at all as since the early 2000s that CX had peaked and had commenced the long downward death spiral. All the "expansion" bs and shiny new jets was just putting lipstick on a pig. Everything ever since then has only confirmed this. The Herringbone seating catastrophe... cost us 40% of our core business class revenue base... the entire management team signed on to that garbage. Anyone ever sacked for that? Course not. The fuel hedging.... pfffff.... everyone knows the score on that.... and the hundreds of other large and small screw-ups. Being bean-counted to death over salt and pepper shakers while we dump billions in fuel over the South China Sea every day flying in circles because no one could see this coming... it's wilfull incompetence... and plenty of blame to go around for all... and on it goes....
Still, institutions die slow painful deaths. The brand could last another few decades and still churn out revenue for stakeholders... but it wont be pretty. Flying cattle cars for mainland peasants. Have fun with it. As an old platoon sergeant used to say... "This is as good as it ever gets."
How right he was.