Cathay Pacific 2009 Annual Report Download - page 9

2009 in Review
Fleet development
We took delivery of five new Boeing 777-300ER
“Extended Range” passenger aircraft in 2009,
taking the total to 14 at the end of the year. Two
more were delivered in January and February 2010,
leaving 14 of the aircraft type still on firm order for
delivery by 2013.
We signed an agreement with BOC Aviation for the
sale and leaseback of six of our new Boeing 777-
300ER aircraft, starting with the delivery of our 12th
of the aircraft type in October.
Two Dragonair Airbus A330-300 aircraft were
returned in June when their leases expired.
Another leased Airbus A330-300 was returned in
January 2010.
Two leased Airbus A320-200s will join the Dragonair
fleet in 2010. One Airbus A320-200 was returned in
December when its lease expired.
The sixth and final Boeing 747-400ERF “Extended
Range Freighter” was delivered to Cathay Pacific in
April, helping to boost the overall operational
efficiency of the freighter fleet.
We retired five Boeing 747-200F “Classic” freighters
in 2009, bringing to an end the fleet’s 27 year
history at Cathay Pacific. The last Dragonair Classic
left in January 2009 and the last Cathay Pacific
Classic departed in July.
We parked five of our Boeing 747-400BCF “Boeing
Converted Freighter” aircraft at Victorville in
California. Two have since been brought back
into service.
We also parked a total of five passenger aircraft –
four Airbus A340-300s and one Boeing 747-400 – in
2009 to help manage capacity and costs during the
downturn. Another Boeing 747-400 went into the
desert in March 2010.
Cathay Pacific has a total of 10 Boeing 747-8F
advanced freighters on order. Delivery was
originally due to commence in late 2009 but will
now begin in 2011 as a result of a delay in the
manufacturing programme.
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Dragonair is currently not operating any freighters
though it continues to sell cargo space in passenger
aircraft bellies under the Dragonair Cargo brand.
Pioneer in technology
We introduced a new, more sophisticated
Internet booking system with features such as a
fare calendar to all countries in which Cathay
Pacific operates.
In December we launched a new redemption
booking system featuring an “Award Calendar”
to advise users of redemption availability on
various dates.
The Self-Print Boarding Pass facility has proved very
popular with passengers and is now available for
flights to and from 33 destinations. The facility was
also introduced for transit passengers at Hong Kong
International Airport (“HKIA”) in September.
Cathay Pacific made greater inroads in the social
networking area, increasing its presence on
Facebook and launching Twitter feeds. The airline
has a YouTube channel and has launched a blog to
promote the airline’s brand, people and services.
The introduction of the new Manage My Booking
facility in April enabled passengers to retrieve their
latest booking information online, and update their
personal information. Besides, more self-service
functions such as Online Special Meal Request,
Special Service Requests and Advanced Seat
Reservation with an Interactive Seatmap were
added later in the year. Online information on inflight
entertainment, destination and travel advisories
have also been enriched.
We extended the notiFLY flight messaging service
to all passengers with contact details in their
booking record.
The number of Common Use Self-Service Check-in
terminals was increased at HKIA for Cathay Pacific
and Dragonair passengers. There are now 50
terminals available in the check-in aisles used by the
two carriers.
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Cathay Pacific Airways Limited Annual Report 2009 7