FRA Staff "re-organisation"

[anxiao]

I was sad to hear that around 50 CX staff at FRA have been laid off, sacked, transferred to lesser duties and generally stiffed over. They were one of the shining stars in effective, friendly and efficient outstation operation and I feel privileged to have worked along side them.

Hang the best, "Pour encourage les autres," was the British navy way. It seems to have percolated through to CX management.

Go well guys, there is a better life after Cathay.

[Bangaluru]

I was sad to hear that around 50 CX staff at FRA have been laid off, sacked, transferred to lesser duties and generally stiffed over. They were one of the shining stars in effective, friendly and efficient outstation operation and I feel privileged to have worked along side them.

Hang the best, "Pour encourage les autres," was the British navy way. It seems to have percolated through to CX management.

Go well guys, there is a better life after Cathay.
They've slashed ground staff numbers and salaries worldwide in a completely arbitrary manner. The implication that there was any planning except for,"How do we save the most on salaries?" is giving our "leadership" far too much credit.

[mr did]

Outsourcing: the wet dream of consultants everywhere, and company directors too insecure to make their own decisions. Cost savings on paper, but the complete loss of control of the product and eventual brand destruction. Sounds like CX doesn't it?

Standing by to see if these replacement handling companies are as brilliant as our new outsourced IT department.

[unitedabx]

Outsourcing: the wet dream of consultants everywhere, and company directors too insecure to make their own decisions. Cost savings on paper, but the complete loss of control of the product and eventual brand destruction. Sounds like CX doesn't it?

Standing by to see if these replacement handling companies are as brilliant as our new outsourced IT department.

DNATA "says no".

[Flex88]

They are doing the same in YVR. Everyone has been given notice, not sure of date but soon.

Switching to "Rent An Agent X Golden Rich International Co. Ltd." cheap cheap check in company , none of those pesky salaries, no benefits, no moans n groans, cheap cheap cheap...

Part of "Time to Win" I assume however I guarantee CX spreadsheet types will win - NOT their paying customers !

Appears whatever Swire muppet "leader" in charge of "Customer Satisfaction", or whatever they call it these days, has truly rolled over (as usual) for that big year end bonus to pay for their Chateau in Italy..

#Sad.

#CXit

[dhoonk]

YYZ to follow, if not already.

Think of all the money they would save in subsidised employee parking!

[main_dog]

FCO had the same sad fate, only two of the CX guys left now.

Next time there’s an AOG/WX/strike goatf#k I pity those two, trying to deal with 350 angry pax all by themselves while the “rent-a-ground-staff” react with a shrug or disappear. But of course the inevitable decline in CX customer service is more than offset by the co$t $aving$, that’s the only thing that determines the managers’ bonuses you know!

[unitedabx]

FCO had the same sad fate, only two of the CX guys left now.

Next time there’s an AOG/WX/strike goatf#k I pity those two, trying to deal with 350 angry pax all by themselves while the “rent-a-ground-staff” react with a shrug or disappear. But of course the inevitable decline in CX customer service is more than offset by the co$t $aving$, that’s the only thing that determines the managers’ bonuses you know!


Totally agree. These outsourced agents couldn't give a toss about CX. Tomorrow they will don the uniform of another third rate airline and pretend to work for them. They have no loyalty to CX, why should they. Take LHR for example once the jewel in the crown of the CX metwork now reduced to being manned by teenagers at check-in and boarding gate and apprentice engineers waiting for their call up to VS and BA. Third party outsourced service repping doesn't work. tried 10 years ago by the majors, they soon returned to home grown talent not "the hired help".

Lets see the bright spark who dreamt this up try to apply it to Hong Kong. Outsource buses, enginnering, housing, catering, cleaning ...... Oh wait they did that already ( all to Swire companies of course ) and look at the mess those departments are in. Not enough HAS buses, towbars that snap,inedible airline food and slave labour cleaning staff.

[dragon man]

Totally agree. These outsourced agents couldn't give a toss about CX. Tomorrow they will don the uniform of another third rate airline and pretend to work for them. They have no loyalty to CX, why should they. Take LHR for example once the jewel in the crown of the CX metwork now reduced to being manned by teenagers at check-in and boarding gate and apprentice engineers waiting for their call up to VS and BA. Third party outsourced service repping doesn't work. tried 10 years ago by the majors, they soon returned to home grown talent not "the hired help".

Lets see the bright spark who dreamt this up try to apply it to Hong Kong. Outsource buses, enginnering, housing, catering, cleaning ...... Oh wait they did that already ( all to Swire companies of course ) and look at the mess those departments are in. Not enough HAS buses, towbars that snap,inedible airline food and slave labour cleaning staff.

Sounds just like Qantas. $26 an hour for full time casuals , no sick leave or holidays. They hate management and the company. Catering sold to Dnata and staff with just under 20 years discarded. For those lucky to get another full time job with Qantas back to year 1 money and bottom of the list for staff travel.

[cxorcist]

So CX is in last place in the race to the bottom. That can’t be a good thing for the future of the airline.

Meanwhile, some unnamed Swire entity is swimming in $3B+ US from the CX balance sheet due to four years of the worst fuel hedging by any airline ever.

Well done geniuses on the CX board of directors and on the 9th floor!!! :D :ugh:

[mngmt mole]

Yes, I at first thought, "who would be idiotic enough to have made such an epic blunder". Then, the more I thought about it, and based on over 25 yrs of dealing with the Swire's, I concluded that in fact it was most likely a way to strip profit out of the airline, so as to not have to pay any profit sharing (or 13th month to Captains). I have no doubt that eventually the facts will come out, and it will indeed show that the money was simply transferred from the left pocket to the right. That's what people of this moral persuasion do. It should also be noted that these same people will mess with your careers in the same way, year after year. That is why anyone who has any other options should and most likely will be leaving for other employers. How many reasons do you really need?

[cxorcist]

Yes, I at first thought, "who would be idiotic enough to have made such an epic blunder". Then, the more I thought about it, and based on over 25 yrs of dealing with the Swire's, I concluded that in fact it was most likely a way to strip profit out of the airline, so as to not have to pay any profit sharing (or 13th month to Captains). I have no doubt that eventually the facts will come out, and it will indeed show that the money was simply transferred from the left pocket to the right. That's what people of this moral persuasion do. It should also be noted that these same people will mess with your careers in the same way, year after year. That is why anyone who has any other options should and most likely will be leaving for other employers. How many reasons do you really need?

And then blame it on staff, specifically pilots, and pretend like they’re the problem.

[Freehills]

FRA was/ is also the freighter hub for the EU, the regional cargo team was there.

[unitedabx]

As a CX shareholder I have to say that I am struggling to work out why they would need more than 50 people at an outport which has one flight per day... there can't be more than 10 in customer facing roles (check-in, lounge, local sales office).

Perhaps as a shareholder you should know that CX operates freighters thru FRA too.

[TurningFinalRWY36]

And they probably handle a few flights from other airlines.......probably should research the company you invest in......

[Progress Wanchai]

It’s safe to assume that anyone buying CX shares instead of Swire Pacific shares has done zero research.

As for mngmt mole, thinking the movement of money out of Swire minority holdings into Swire majority holdings is due to staffing costs is completely overestimating your self worth or importance. The 13th month fiasco of 2017 was a power play, it meant nothing to Swire economically. And we got played.
Until we understand that we’re less than pawns in the game we’ll never maximize our personal returns.
Always remember, the game is going to outlive our mortal lives. They’re in a longer game than we are.

[Air Profit]

PW, I feel MM's synopsis is bang on. It is highly unlikely that a "blunder" like the fuel hedging fiasco was simply due to incompetence. Due to the epic scale of the hedge, it is likely that there was a more considered strategy involved, as MM alludes to (they probably intended a "small" loss for a few years to justify cuts to staff...but it ran away from them).

The 13th month was certainly a power play, in spite of RH's pathetic and insulting "explanation". Just another nail in their own corporate coffin, as spiteful moves like that really only convince the more junior pilots that there is no future here.

(ps, many of us simply took a PRA for a month during the year anyway, so how did that work out for you Rupert?)

[Fliegenmong]

"For those lucky to get another full time job with Qantas"

It IS only the 12th of February....but possibly 2019s greatest Oxymoron!!!.....especially when you describe their treatment after almost 20 years!....