SARS may cause grounding of Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways is considering the complete grounding of its passenger services next month as fear of the deadly SARS virus keeps its planes largely empty.
A report of two deaths in China’s remote northern region of Inner Mongolia reinforced worries that the flu-like disease was spreading through the world’s most populous country.
Ten cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have been identified in the regional capital of Hohhot, Xinhua news agency said.
Chinese and World Health Organisation (WHO) officials were not immediately available for comment.
The disease has infected more than 3,000 people and killed more than 110 across the globe since it appeared in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong in November.
Analysts forecast a severe effect on some Asian economies, especially Hong Kong, where Cathay Pacific is suffering from a collapse in traffic.
“We forecast that the number of passengers could fall to less than 6,000 per day in May, in which case we will have to consider grounding the entire passenger fleet,” Nick Rhodes, Cathay’s director of flight operations, said in an internal memo.
“We are literally haemorrhaging cash, approximately $US3 million per day,” he said in the email, sighted by Reuters.
“The current strategy is simply to stem the bleeding and buy time.”
Cathay, Hong Kong’s largest airline and one of Asia’s biggest, said later it was not currently planning to ground its services.
WHO’s website has for the first time shown Japan among countries with reported probable cases of SARS.
The Japanese Government says it has dropped its policy of reporting only confirmed cases, Kyodo news agency reported.
The Government is also urging Japanese travellers to be careful on trips to Beijing.
Hong Kong and mainland Chinese health experts say they have confirmed that the virus in China was the same as the one in Hong Kong, debunking the assertion of some Chinese doctors that SARS came from a common microbe, chlamydia pneumoniae, a cause of pneumonia as well as sexually transmitted infections.
Like Hong Kong SARS sufferers, patients in China showed evidence of a new strain of coronavirus, best known as a cause of the common cold, the University of Hong Kong said.
By: mongu - 15th April 2003 at 21:48
Not that I’m trying to make fun of a bad situation, but…
Did you know SARS is also the South African Revenue Service? They are my professional enemy and I keep chuckling all day long these days…
By: mongu - 14th April 2003 at 22:46
One of our directors came back from HK on Monday. The HR lady sent round an email saying that he wasn’t contagious! I thought that was rather blunt – poor guy!
By: kev35 - 14th April 2003 at 22:31
Just had a look at the WHO site and they express concern about air travel. They also have two different sets of figures on the site. Cases are listed as being 2,781 and 3,169 with the total deaths put at 111 and 144. It also seems possible that as the virus has flu-like symptoms and is recoverable from spontaneously that there may be many more people who have had the virus and recovered without ever knowing it was SARS.
I wouldn’t fancy sitting next to someone with a cold on a flight from Hong Kong.
Regards,
kev35
By: Gaurav - 14th April 2003 at 21:01
Hey
I do think more people have it than we know
By: kev35 - 14th April 2003 at 19:58
Originally posted by Gaurav
If it wasn’t for the media, I would not have not known about SARS
I think that’s a significant point. I’ve a nasty feeling that there are a lot more victims of this than we are aware of. Not necessarily deaths, but numbers infected. Anybody have any idea what the WHO definitions of epidemiology are? If this virus is mutating, as has been suggested, perhaps stopping air travel from the most seriously affected areas of the world might be a good thing. Understandably hard on airlines that rely on operations in the worst affected areas but this virus seems to thrive in teeming communities and is readily spread by air travel.
Regards,
kev35
By: Gaurav - 14th April 2003 at 19:29
Originally posted by KabirT
but SARS doesent need media attention…it can make hype among people on its own.
If it wasn’t for the media, I would not have not known about SARS
By: mongu - 14th April 2003 at 19:00
Dragon Air, I suppose, though I assume they are equally badly affected by SARS.
There’s always the oneworld airlines, though not sure how much help they’d be.
By: MapleLeaf_330 - 14th April 2003 at 18:09
Does CX have a global partner it can lean on? I can’t think of any.
By: monster500 - 14th April 2003 at 01:21
Originally posted by mongu
Monster,I’m not trying to be flippant, although my style of writing can sometimes appear that way. All I meant was that CX can probably tough it out on the sorts of losses you mention, for quite a few months yet.
no offence was taken!
just letting you know that they have thought of groundiing due to the situation.
if the situation wasnt as bad then grouding the fleet would never have been raised, but it was and that speaks volumes.
By: mongu - 13th April 2003 at 18:34
Monster,
I’m not trying to be flippant, although my style of writing can sometimes appear that way. All I meant was that CX can probably tough it out on the sorts of losses you mention, for quite a few months yet.
By: KabirT - 13th April 2003 at 17:47
Originally posted by Gaurav
The media tend to hype up everything, and sometimes people are easily fooled by it. AND THIS GETS ON MY NERVES!!
but SARS doesent need media attention…it can make hype among people on its own.
By: Gaurav - 13th April 2003 at 17:43
Originally posted by skycruiser
I would also like to point out……media crap again. Lets scare everyone about this illness.
The media tend to hype up everything, and sometimes people are easily fooled by it. AND THIS GETS ON MY NERVES!!
By: KabirT - 13th April 2003 at 17:32
Originally posted by mongu
That’s the danger of putting all your eggs in one basket.Seriously, I think CX has a good cash pile though. They should cope for a while yet, until the hysteria dies down. Then it will be time for a media offensive and a big TV campaign all over the world!
Yes…i think CX will be well equiped in case of a situation.
By: monster500 - 13th April 2003 at 17:26
Originally posted by mongu
That’s the danger of putting all your eggs in one basket.Seriously, I think CX has a good cash pile though. They should cope for a while yet, until the hysteria dies down. Then it will be time for a media offensive and a big TV campaign all over the world!
do you have any idea of what i costs to run an airline?
they are losing nearly 200$million dollars a month. yes a month!
two months in a row would see it nearly $500million lost. not to mention that $5million a day could very soon be 7 or 10$ million dollars a day.
By: monster500 - 13th April 2003 at 17:23
Originally posted by mongu
SARS will be controlled, but I think they are just starting to realise it can’t be eliminated. It will be around permanantly, and that’s OK as long as the medical profession how to prevent and treat infection. The hysteria will die out soon enough. And then China should be made to pay 😡
it actually seems like the virus originated in HK SAR.
reports suggest it mutated in a housing block in HK.
By: mongu - 13th April 2003 at 17:22
That’s the danger of putting all your eggs in one basket.
Seriously, I think CX has a good cash pile though. They should cope for a while yet, until the hysteria dies down. Then it will be time for a media offensive and a big TV campaign all over the world!
By: monster500 - 13th April 2003 at 17:18
“We forecast that the number of passengers could fall to less than 6,000 per day in May, in which case we will have to consider grounding the entire passenger fleet,” Nick Rhodes, Cathay’s director of flight operations, said in an internal memo.
you cant run an airline on 6000 people per day.
cathay is in very serious trouble. the reason for this is purely because ppl are not willing to fly through HK.
thats why other Asian carriers have not been hit as hard.
By: mongu - 13th April 2003 at 17:17
SARS will be controlled, but I think they are just starting to realise it can’t be eliminated. It will be around permanantly, and that’s OK as long as the medical profession how to prevent and treat infection. The hysteria will die out soon enough. And then China should be made to pay 😡
By: KabirT - 13th April 2003 at 17:00
Plus u dont have to see only those routes which are effected and thsoe which are working….see the whole thing as a huge database….if some data does not arrive…all other datds get affected…..and if this continues for long…the database colapses.
By: KabirT - 13th April 2003 at 16:58
Originally posted by skycruiser
I would also like to point out……media crap again. Lets scare everyone about this illness.
its a bug worth of being afraid off.
Sign In
April 13, 2003 at 10:58 am