Cathay Pacific to close last Canadian crew base in late 2Q20

Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong Int’l) will close its crew base at Vancouver Int’l from June 26, 2020, affecting a total of 149 staff, Business in Vancouver has reported citing an internal company communique. The decision was announced shortly after the airline ended its Vancouver-New York JFK flights. “The commercial viability of the Vancouver cabin crew base has been a concern to us for some time. Starting from early 2019, we have been engaging with your union – CUPE – to discuss the long term sustainability of the base. Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach any agreement,” General Manager Inflight Service Delivery Jeanette Mao wrote in an internal memo to its Canadian staff. “With the current business environment and changes to our operations globally and to Vancouver, the decision could not be postponed further,” she added.