Leaning on its SARS experience, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd has slashed flights, asked staff to take unpaid leave and is re-assessing its fleet as it battles an epidemic and a crisis of morale after pro-democracy protests. Cathay used a similar playbook during previous shocks, including the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic and the global financial crisis, both of which it rebounded from relatively quickly. This time, though, Cathay was already dealing with an internal crisis before the virus hit.
