Starbucks becomes latest target of Hong Kong protester rage

HONG KONG - Starbucks has emerged as the latest brand to fall foul of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters after a family member of the local restaurant chain that owns the local franchise spoke out against demonstrators.

Multiple branches were covered with graffiti over the weekend as the city convulsed with some of the most intense clashes between hardcore protesters and riot police in weeks.

One cafe in the district of Wanchai was daubed with slogans saying "boycott" as well as insults to the police and Maxim's Caterers, a major Hong Kong restaurant chain that runs Starbucks outlets in the city.

The vandalism illustrates the huge pressures on international brands as Hong Kong is shaken by its worst political unrest in decades. 

Beijing is piling pressure on businesses to publicly condemn the protests. 

Those that do risk a protester backlash, but staying silent risks financial punishment on the mainland, a far more lucrative market.

The boycott campaign against Maxim's snowballed after Annie Wu, the daughter of Maxim's wealthy founder, delivered a speech earlier this month in which she condemned the protests and said Beijing's hardline stance against democracy advocates should be supported.

She was speaking at the UN's human rights council in Geneva alongside Pansy Ho, a billionaire casino magnate who made similar calls.

Their comments were seized on by protesters and portrayed as an example of how Hong Kong's wealthy elite are out of touch with public sentiment and in the pockets of Beijing.

Prominent democracy campaigner Joshua Wong was among those calling for a boycott of Starbucks since Wu's speech and more than 50,000 people have signed a petition asking the Seattle-headquartered company to sever ties with Maxim's. 

"We herein urge the Board of Directors to consider whether Maxim's truly represents the social values of Starbucks and terminate the franchise to Maxim's immediately," Wong wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Maxim's did not respond to requests for comment on Monday but it has previously issued statements distancing itself from Wu's comments and saying she is not employed by the company.

Other major brands have been rounded on by protesters, either for pro-Beijing comments made by owners or because the owners themselves are linked to the Communist Party in China.

Yoshinoya, a popular noodle chain, and Genki Sushi -- also owned by Maxim's -- have been repeatedly tagged with graffiti along with Bank of China branches.

Brands deemed to be sympathetic to protesters have also had a torrid time and faced boycotts on the mainland. 

Authorities in China tore into Cathay Pacific after staff joined protests, forcing the company to go through stricter regulatory checks.

The moves led to major staff changes on Cathay's board, including the resignation of its CEO, as well as multiple staff being fired for expressing pro-democracy sentiments, something some employees have described as a "purge".

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cathay investigates after crew oxygen bottles were found empty

BEIJING - Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways on Tuesday said it had launched an investigation after a dozen oxygen bottles used by cabin crew in emergencies were found empty, or partially empty, on 2 of its aircraft.

The discovery was made on the ground in routine inspections before a departure from Toronto, the carrier said, adding that of the 22 bottles carried onboard each jet, 5 were affected on one aircraft and 8 on the other.

"The portable oxygen bottles are for operational cabin crew use and permit crew to move around the cabin in the unlikely event of emergency aircraft depressurization," Cathay said in a statement.

"Both cabin crew and passengers have in-seat aircraft oxygen available at all times."

The airline said the depleted bottles were refilled and checked by engineers prior to departure.

The incident, which comes as the airline is under scrutiny from China's aviation regulator, caused a stir on Chinese social media, with many commentators accusing the airline of endangering flight safety.

Cathay has emerged as the highest-profile corporate target as Beijing looks to quell protests in Hong Kong, with the Chinese government demanding it suspend staff involved in a protest movement, citing flight safety concerns.

Pilots and cabin crew have described a "white terror" of political denunciations, sackings and phone searches by Chinese aviation officials.

The carrier's chief executive, Rupert Hogg, stepped down this month, and his replacement, Augustus Tang, told staff one of his priorities was to focus on safety and security. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Rupert Hogg resigns amid mounting Chinese scrutiny

HONG KONG  — Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways said CEO Rupert Hogg had resigned and named Augustus Tang as the new chief, following a week of scrutiny by the Chinese aviation regulator that has hurt its reputation in the mainland.

Tang was the head of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company, which like Cathay is managed by Swire Pacific Ltd.

The airline said Paul Loo had resigned as chief customer and commercial officer, to be replaced by Ronald Lam, head of its low-cost arm Hong Kong Express.

Cathay Chairman John Slosar said recent events had called into question Cathay's commitment to flight safety and security and put its reputation and brand under pressure.

"This is regrettable as we have always made safety and security our highest priority," he said in a statement. "We therefore think it is time to put a new management team in place who can reset confidence and lead the airline to new heights."

Hogg said these had been "challenging weeks" for the airline and it was right for Loo and him to take responsibility as leaders of the company.

Hogg's resignation was first announced by Chinese state television CCTV.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Hong Kong airport suspends flight check-ins: authority

HONG KONG - Flight check-in services have been suspended at Hong Kong's international airport, the airport authority said on Tuesday, citing disruptions caused by anti-government protests.

Increasingly violent protests have plunged the Asian financial hub into its most serious political crisis in decades, posing a challenge to the central government in Beijing.

The Airport Authority (AA) halted all flights to and from the airport on Monday, and flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways said on Tuesday it had suspended all check-ins.

"Terminal operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted as a result of the public assembly at the airport today," the AA said, adding that check-in service for departing flights has been suspended since 4:30 pm local time.

In a separate statement, Cathay Pacific said: "There is potential for further flight disruptions at short notice."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cathay Pacific shares slump after China cracks down on staff protests

BEIJING/HONG KONG - Shares in Cathay Pacific Airways fell more than 4 percent to close to a 10-year low on Monday after the Hong Kong flag carrier became caught in crosswinds between Beijing and pro-democracy groups in the Asian financial hub.

Increasingly violent protests since June have plunged Hong Kong into its most serious crisis in decades and are one of the biggest popular challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.

Cathay became embroiled on Friday when China's civil aviation regulator demanded the airline suspend personnel who engaged in or supported illegal protests in Hong Kong from staffing flights into its airspace, citing safety concerns.

The airline moved fast to comply with the demand from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), suspending a pilot arrested during anti-government protests in Hong Kong and firing two airport employees citing misconduct on Saturday.

It also said it would bar "overly radical" staff from crewing flights to the mainland, and analysts said the tighter oversight, along with the impact the protests could have on traffic, could affect the airline's bottom line.

"Not only is this likely to affect direct China flights, but also flights to Europe and, to a lesser extent, to the US, given that they fly over China airspace," Jefferies analyst Andrew Lee said.

Passenger traffic in mainland China, Europe and North America accounted for over 50 percent of all Cathay's traffic in the first half of this year, according to Jefferies data.

Cathay's shares tumbled to HK$9.82 on Monday morning, their lowest since October 2018 and near levels not seen since the 2009 financial crisis.

STAFFING QUESTION

Cathay's largest shareholder is Swire Pacific Ltd, with a 45 percent stake, followed by China's flagship carrier, Air China Ltd which owns 30 percent, according to the airline's latest annual report.

The company, which in March reported its first profit in 3 years, has seen a decline in forward bookings for travel to Hong Kong due to the protests.

It was not immediately clear how the regulator's directive would affect flight staffing. Cathay CEO Rupert Hogg told staff the company would report to the CAAC by Thursday on how it would improve flight safety, according to a copy of a letter seen by Reuters.

Cathay did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Hong Kong Cabin Crew Federation, a union representing airline employees, has criticized the regulator.

In a statement on Saturday, it said the CAAC should have "respected Hong Kong people's rights and freedoms" on the basis of the "one country, two systems" principle, which guarantees the former British colony a high degree of autonomy from Beijing.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cathay to comply with China rules over Hong Kong protests

HONG KONG - Cathay Pacific said Saturday it will comply with new rules from China banning staff who support Hong Kong's protesters from working on flights to the mainland or through its airspace.

The Hong Kong carrier also confirmed it had suspended a pilot charged with rioting and fired two ground staff for misconduct apparently related to the protest movement that has engulfed the city.

China's aviation regulator on Friday had ordered the airline to hand over identifying information for staff on mainland-bound flights starting Sunday.

It warned that staff deemed to support Hong Kong's "illegal protests" were banned from flights landing in mainland China or traveling through its airspace.

CEO Rupert Hogg said in a message to employees on Saturday that the carrier was obliged to comply with the new rules set out by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

"Cathay Pacific Group's operations in mainland China are key to our business. In addition to flying in and out of mainland China, a large number of our routes both to Europe and to the USA also fly through mainland China airspace," Hogg wrote.

"We are therefore legally required to follow CAAC regulations and, as is the case with any notices issued by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction over us, we must and will comply."

Cathay appears to have become a target of Beijing's ire after some of its crew joined protests and media reported one of its pilots had been charged with rioting.

Pro-democracy protesters have staged two months of increasingly violent protests in the semi-autonomous financial hub, which Beijing has viewed as a challenge to its control.

The carrier's chairman John Slosar earlier this week defended his staff's right to freedom of thought, saying "we certainly wouldn't dream of telling them what they have to think about something".

But Hogg cautioned staff about their behavior.

"Though people may share different views, it is essential that we all respect each other, our customers and members of the public," he wrote.

"We have zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior that affects the safe operation of our flights and the service experience we provide to our customers."

Cathay separately confirmed to reporters that it had suspended at the end of July a pilot who has been accused of rioting after allegedly participating in the Hong Kong protests.

It also said two airport ground staff had been fired, without specifying why, but local media reported that they were accused of leaking the travel details of a Hong Kong police soccer team that was traveling to the mainland.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

China orders Cathay Pacific suspend staff backing Hong Kong protests

HONG KONG/BEIJING—China's aviation regulator on Friday demanded Cathay Pacific Airways suspend personnel who have engaged in illegal protests in Hong Kong from staffing flights into its airspace from August 10.

Hong Kong has been embroiled in increasingly violent anti-government street protests for the past two months, which a top Chinese official described this week as the greatest crisis since its return from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

Last week, a Cathay pilot was among over 40 people charged with rioting for allegedly taking part in violent clashes with the police near Beijing's main representative office in the city.

On Friday night, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said that Cathay crew who have engaged in the protests pose a threat to aviation safety in mainland China, according to a statement on its website.

The aviation authority ordered Cathay to provide identification information for its crew on mainland-bound flights.

Crew members that have not gained the authority's approval will not be allowed into its airspace, including on flights bound for other destinations.

The airline has also been ordered to draw up proposals to strengthen safety and security, said the statement.

In response, a Cathay Pacific spokesperson said: "We have received the directive and are studying it very carefully. We are treating it seriously and are following up accordingly."

"The safety of our passengers is always the top priority of Cathay Pacific. There is zero tolerance for any inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour that may affect aviation safety. We deal with these incidents very seriously."

Cathay said in a statement on Thursday it respects "everyone's right to express themselves in a peaceful and respectful manner," while insisting it "recognises that Hong Kong SAR is a part of China".

"We do not condone any activities that jeopardise the stability of Hong Kong, or any actions that may affect aviation safety," said the company.

Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam on Friday urged an end to the violence, claiming that the protests are dragging on the city's economy.

Hong Kong-listed Cathay is 45% owned by Swire Pacific and 22.7% held by Air China , according to Refinitiv Eikon.

The airline has been Hong Kong's flag carrier since the colonial era. Swire Pacific's parent, John Swire & Sons Ltd, is a UK-based conglomerate with businesses ranging from property to transportation.

(Reporting by Noah Sin, Donny Kwok, Twinnie Siu, Tom Westbrook and Lina Juarawee in HONG KONG, Stella Qiu in BEIJING and Brenda Goh in SHANGHAI; Additional reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; editing by Jason Neely and Jan Harvey)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cathay Pacific reschedules flights for Papal visit

MANILA – Cathay Pacific announced on Wednesday that it is rescheduling several flights to give way to the visit of Pope Francis from January 15 to 19.

The airline said the following flights for Thursday (January 15), Saturday (January 17), and Monday (January 19) are rescheduled:

January 15 (Thursday)

CX918, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1755-2010, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1500-1715
CX902, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1955-2205, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1510-1720
CX919, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1440-1645, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1055-1300
CX903, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1635-1845, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1135-1345

January 17 (Saturday)

CX912, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 0845-1055 - New Flight No. CX2912, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 0640-0840
CX918, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1755-2010, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1900-2115
CX902,Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1955-2205, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 2110-2320
CX903, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1635-1845, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1750-2000

January 19 (Monday)

CX906, Manila to Hong Kong - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 1100-1320, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 1155-1415
CX907, Hong Kong to Manila - Original Schedule (ETD-ETA) 0750-0950, Rescheduled to (ETD-ETA) 0300-0500

Only one flight — CX912 Manila to Hong Kong — scheduled for Monday is cancelled.

Cathay Pacific is reminding passengers to be at the airport at least 3 hours prior to flight departure to ensure on-time arrival at the airport, particularly on the following dates due to road closures:

January 15 (3 p.m.-7 p.m.) - Sales Avenue-Andrews Avenue-Domestic Road
January 19 (7 a.m.-10 a.m.) - Sales Avenue-Andrews Avenue-Domestic Road

The airline said passengers may contact Cathay Pacific's Reservation Hotline at (02) 757-0888 for further inquiries and clarifications.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Welcome home, Megan Young

MANILA -- Miss World 2013 Megan Young has arrived home.

The 23-year-old actress returned to the Philippines on Thursday afternoon via Cathay Pacific flight CX 919, weeks after she was crowned the first-ever Filipino winner of Miss World in Bali, Indonesia.



Young, who will be based in London for the duration of her one-year reign, went straight to her homecoming press conference at Solaire Resort & Casino in Paranaque City.

She will also take part in the NBA Global Games at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Thursday night. Young will do the ceremonial toss in the NBA pre-season game between the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets.

On Friday, Young's historic Miss World win will be celebrated with a motorcade that will pass through parts of Makati City, culminating with a program at the SM Mall of Asia.

Young is also set to visit Malacanang, the Senate, Congress and her hometown in Olongapo in the coming days. The beauty queen will also make several guest appearances on TV programs starting Saturday.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com