Cathay Flights..

[boeingbus2002]

Can anyone tell me if Cathay have gone ahead with the complete suspension of all their flights for May due to SARS? Or have the changed this and only suspended a few flights?
Cheers

[topman999]

....Please tell me your kidding ??? CX is holding quite well relativly speaking given the facts surrounding SARS.

[JetDriverWannabe]

There have been loads or rumors about CX recently. The newest one is about firing 300 and no pay leave....I haven't been able to verifly te sources so i can't comment on the authenticity of it..

[Notso Fantastic]

Reality will sink in soon and things will get back to normal once we establish we have a very limited area infection:
The number of new infections in Hong Kong is very small. And it is smaller still if you account for cross-family infections and infections of health workers. Medical experts calculate that the number of unlisted carriers still out there on the streets must also be tiny. In theory, it could be a single individual.Any child with Hong Kong Form 5 level mathematics can tell you that for seven million people to wear masks on the street to protect themselves from a disease possibly carried by even a few dozen people is ludicrous. Yes, it is wise to wear a mask when you are working in a Sars hospital. But outside? Experts say no. Compare the statistics for other diseases. There are 200,000 cases of yellow fever a year, killing 30,000 people, with death rates in some areas hitting 50% of adult victims and 70% of child victims. The disease strikes mainly in South America and Africa. The W.H.O. does not advise people to avoid South America and Africa.

In the United States, deadly strains of influenza are sweeping through cities, killing 36,000 people a year. The W.H.O. does not advise people to avoid visiting the US. The number of people carrying Hepatitis C in China is counted in the millions. But that fact did not trigger a travel advisory against China. Bacterial meningitis hits 1.2 million people a year, killing 173,000 people, with most victims being in Africa. The W.H.O. does not advise people not to visit Africa. When you compare the 173,000 deaths of bacterial meningitis with the five Sars deaths in Vietnam, you start to realize that we need to get things in proportion. If there are seven Sars carriers left walking the streets of Hong Kong, there is literally a one-in-a-million chance of meeting one. Do the math.
Attrib: Nury Vittachi, Hong Kong 5th May 2003, (for the benefit of non-Hong-Kongers, Nury is a well known journalist who has worked for the South China Morning Post, The Far Eastern Economic Review and Asian Finance, plus other publications.

In short, SARS is incredibly low down on the scale of risks. There are some wonderful, never to be repeatd opportunities, for cheap vacations in Hong Kong. Wear glasses if you are really worried-chief transmission route now expeted to be rubbing eyes from contact with people you are literally not going to run into. You are more at risk walking up Streatham High Street from God knows what!

Things will come back to normal very quickly. It's Ebola and Lassa Fever we want to worry about. When that get out we will have the plague of the middle ages back!

[christep]

Why not go to the Cathay website for the latest status on their flights? It has a rolling seven-day timetable currently.
http://www.cathaypacific.com

For some data, analysis and commenst on the SARS hysteria try my site here: http://home.so-net.com.hk/~pns/

[1-stripper]

We only had 40 pax out of FRA to HKG on my flight.

[pintail]

Notso Fantastic,

Thank you for the informative and level headed post. The media has indeed taken hold of this one and made fear spread worse than the disease itself. Media reports that have compared aircraft to rats as disease spreaders - this is more than irresponsible journalism. There are no doubts that people are sick, but everyone needs to keep it in perspective, as your post indicates. Hopefully the legs on this story, and SARS run out quickly so Cathay (and people) can get back to good health.

Cheers

[Notso Fantastic]

Thankfully the public has a short memory! When SARS becomes 'yesterdays news' and mentions start running out, the pent up demand will come crashing back. It's only a matter of time........

[wilco77]

Hi guys just got inside information, cant say much but tommottorw will be a meeting at 1030hrs and there WILL BE A DECISION that 320 Cathay expat pilots will be layed off.
Capt's & F/O's. This is to just give u all a heads up!!

[Harbour Rat]

That is pretty punchy stuff Wilco77. Now that you have scared the living daylights out of a bunch of folk perhaps you would care to elaborate?

[jtr]

Just to put wilco's post into perspective, another of his on another thread....



http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=83895&perpage=15&pagenumber=5

[Notso Fantastic]

Hey! This guy is really entertaining! He claims he's from Alaska, but he don't seem like no Eskimo to me! Obviously racism is perfectly acceptable if you do it against 'white wide-eyed Honkies'! Look at some of his gems, they are classic:

"twitchy yes the expats have no say in the union, but thats the way it should be. Expats dont deserve a say in any union in any country they are in, 'REMEMBER THEY ARE EXPATS'. Expats are in a company only for the money and lifestyle. It is the absolute wright of the local to deny the expat a wright in any say in the union.
Remember its the local's country and national company the expat is working in.
Otherwise if expats got they wanted the company would turn into what Cathay is. 'FULL OF DIRTY EXPATS AND WHITE BOYS ONLY'"

"
Look guys dont get too worked up about SARS. As long as u are in the west u will never get it. Only the Chinese in the west will get it.
This is a CIA american plot to deviate the worlds attention from the war so the world does not ask questions like

"HAT HAPPENED TO THOSE CHEMICAL WEAPONS THE AMERICANS WERE LOOKING FOR IN IRAQ, AND THE PROOF THEY SHOWED TO THE UN TO JUSTIFY ATTACKING IRAQ"

Its just a plot by CIA,just like they light up forest fires around the world to destroy asian economies as well as get cows mad to call it Mad cow disease so Europeans and the world only buys their beef!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"No dont worry jericho u just try and do what u have been doing before, just that these EK pilots thing they rule the airspace.
As the company gets bigger they think they are the only ones in the air, and only they can do what they feel like ignoring safetr and rules.

I have had many bad expeiences with EK. It use to be a well recognized company but now there are too many canadians and americans. They need to stay in their country and Lick George Bush's A_ _...
""""Oh I FORGOT THE AUSSIES TOO"""

AND LAST, BUT BY NO MEANS LEAST:
"i think the information minister was a great man. To have the courage to stand up for what he believes in.
Why does the world have to believe what the western press reportsNo matter how free the press is they are still one sided. He has the right to say what he wants.
To the americans and all you'll' american a_ _ lickers out there
dont believe all the things your leaders tell you. You'll' are the dumbest people on earth, and have been brainwashed so easily by your goverments."

MODERATORS- this racially prejudiced idiot is making some inflammatory and highly derogatory postings about people with a racial common feature. Can you please review this twerps attitudes and postings and decide if his 'outbursts' are acceptable?

Reviewing the pearls of wisdom that emanate from Wilco77, it is very entertaining. I have, however, reported this individual to the Moderators, and sent him a private message as follows:
"You are truly a racially prejudiced, frustrated, idiot. You are also obviously a very sad individual.

How do you justify your racialism? While the rest of the world tries to put it behind them, you have outpourings of hate and anti-white, anti-American feelings! Whatever happened to you my friend? Try and be happy and nice to people, and discuss things sensibly, not pour out this diet of hate and frustration you seem to revel in!"

[Jetdriver]

I can confirm that a complaint was received, and as a result this thread was reviewed.

I can confirm that wilco77 has caused some concern on other forums and is subject to scrutiny. As you will appreciate each forum moderator is assigned to deal with one or more forums. In addition the opportunity exists to raise points for discussion with other moderators and administrators on topics that affect the boards as a whole.

The result of my reviewing this thread is that the posting by wilco77 may or may not have any validity but it does not in isolation contravene any of the site rules. I did however feel that jtr's reply in quoting a post on another thread was unhelpful if perhaps understandable. That post was edited although the reference remains as it exists on another forum.

I will keep this thread under close review.

[Notso Fantastic]

Jet, fair enough. But this individual is suffering from the worst case of 'inverse racialism' I have ever seen. If I were to say some of the things he has been saying substituting racial stereotypes, I would be censored immediately, and rightly so. So sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander (weird UK expression meaning what's right for one thing is right for another). This type of overt racialism, directed in whatever direction,is unacceptable, and I would say in the archives of pprune, you do not want this individual's hateful rhetoric to become part of the record. He and his hatefulness should be publicly excised!

Now, perhaps Wilco77 would be so kind as to update us of the meeting he alleges was taking place at 10.30 on 12 May. I imagine that was about 7 hours ago in the Far East. Or was this a figment of his warped imagination?
(Wilco77, 11May, this thread)
"CATHAY LAYING OFF
Hi guys just got inside information, cant say much but tommottorw will be a meeting at 1030hrs and there WILL BE A DECISION that 320 Cathay expat pilots will be layed off.
Capt's & F/O's. This is to just give u all a heads up!!"