Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways will reward employees for their support during the pandemic years.
In the September payroll, eligible employees will get up to six weeks of extra pay.
“The extreme circumstances Cathay faced during the pandemic were unlike anything any other carrier experienced. We recorded losses totaling approximately HK$33.7 billion [$4.3 billion] over three years of the pandemic and the reality is that we are only part way along our journey to rebuild Cathay,” Cathay Pacific chief executive, Ronald Lam, said in a media statement on 14 July.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was the most challenging period in our history, but with the tremendous support from our people, customers and other stakeholders, we are moving further and further away from those difficult days with each week that passes.
“It has always been our culture to thank our people for the commitment and support they have shown. To this end, I am pleased to announce a Special Appreciation Reward for those who have been with us through the pandemic of up to six weeks of eligible pay, which will be paid in the September payroll.”
All employees who joined the Cathay Group on or before 31 December 2022 will receive two weeks of eligible pay, and those who also participated in a Special Leave Scheme or equivalent during 2020 to 2022 and have been continuously employed since then will be eligible for an additional four weeks of eligible pay.
The Cathay Group adds that it will also introduce a new profit-sharing scheme applicable to the years 2023-2025. More details will be shared with employees next month.
The last few months have been good for Cathay. The Hong Kong flag carrier continued to progressively increase its passenger flight capacity and added more frequencies to destinations in the US, South Asia and Japan.
Cathay recently said that the current peak summer season looked particularly promising as many students were expected to return to Hong Kong after their terms abroad finished.
On rebuilding its network, Cathay will bring back the seasonal Christchurch service from December 2023 through to end-February 2024, following the earlier announcement of service resumption to Johannesburg and Chicago from August and October 2023, respectively.