Exclusive | Cathay Pacific to lay off nearly 300 cabin crew in US, calling bases in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles ‘no longer viable’
- Move affects 286 staff and comes after airline grounded almost all passenger services and cut US flights to just two a week
- Hong Kong’s flag carrier will also furlough 129 pilots in Australia and 72 in Britain
Hong Kong’s flag carrier will also furlough 129 pilots in Australia and 72 in Britain with similar plans under consideration in the US and Canada for cockpit crew.
In a memo seen by the Post, 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 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 it would usually fly weekly to the US.
“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,” an airline spokeswoman said.
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.