Cathay Pacific is going to sack nearly 300 cabin crew in United States

Friday, April 17, 2020

Cathay Pacific to sack nearly 300 cabin crew in US, calling bases in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles ‘no longer viable’. Cathay Pacific is to sack almost 300 of its staff in the United States and close its cabin crew bases there, in its biggest cutback of employees during the coronavirus or COVID 19 pandemic.

The airline told staff on Friday it had to make tough decisions amid the worsening economic impact, and employing US-based flight attendants was “no longer viable”. Cathay Airlines has virtually grounded all passenger services, operating 3 per cent of its schedule in April and May, with just two flights a week to Los Angeles instead of the about 120 flights it would usually fly weekly.

An airline spokeswoman said that as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which has virtually halted global travel, Cathay Pacific has made the difficult decision to close its US cabin crew bases.

The move affects 286 staff working across bases in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and follows the closure of its Vancouver base in March, affecting 147 jobs, and Toronto the previous year when another 120 people lost their jobs.

Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents Cathay crews in the US said that they are devastated. These flight attendants are cherished members of their union.

They will be working to achieve severance and continued health care for as long as possible. And we will work to support them in every way they can.

In recent years, the airline has not replaced cabin crew who left their roles, leading to a decline in headcount.

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