Coronavirus: Cathay Pacific aims to stop pilots from leaving overseas hotel rooms with one-time-use key
- Airline’s efforts to meet strict government measures include requesting records of time Cathay staff enter and leave hotel rooms, according to leaked email
- December 7 email sent by Cathay’s hotel supplier asked on carrier’s behalf for rooms with one-time access at JW Marriott in Dubai
Efforts by the city’s flagship airline to comply with strict government measures include requesting records of the time Cathay staff enter and leave their rooms, according to a leaked email the company’s hotel supplier sent to the JW Marriott in Dubai.
Hong Kong stepped up pressure on airlines last month to confine pilots to hotel rooms and limit their movements after three Cathay cockpit crew who were exempted from local quarantine returned from Frankfurt, Germany, and re-entered the community while infected with Covid-19.
In response to the leaked email, Cathay said: “We are exploring smart technology options to comply with the government requirements. We will ensure the option taken will be in full compliance with the data privacy requirements.”
Measures the government ordered last month included assigning on-site workers to monitor cargo crew at overseas hotels and stepping up independent auditing to ensure staff compliance to minimise infection risks.
The leaked email, dated December 7, was sent by Cathay’s hotel supplier Accommodations Plus International (API) and asked on behalf of the carrier for hotel rooms with one-time key access at the JW Marriott in Dubai.
Such a key would prevent flight crew from leaving their room after tapping or swiping it on the door once, with the card subsequently deactivated.
