Cargolux Hotel Committee

Hotels

DWC

As of the 1st of August, we moved to the InterContinental JBR. The hotel is located on the Marina side and should therefore give improved noise protection. Allocation of higher rooms, away from the noise as part of the contract but subject to availability should also mitigate this issue. The new location remains still within walking distance of the beach area. We value your feedback regarding this change.

CGK

Due to security concerns the company was forced react, resulting in another change of crew hotel moving again closer to the airport. Therefore, the Swissotel has been selected as the new crew hotel which started already on 1st of September. The hotel has been inspected and deemed suitable by the Hotel Committee. While it is difficult for us to leave the Shangri-La, we remain confident that the new hotel and the area around will be perceived positively. When the security situation allows, we will consider promoting a move back to the Shangri-La.

Catering

HKG

After a further delay we have a new Catering provider ex HKG since the 15th of September. The Catering Committee as well as available colleagues on layovers had been invited for a tasting. We appreciate to have been included into the menu selection and hope that you appreciate the changes. Needless to point out that as it is a new provider there might be some starting difficulties, therefore we need and appreciate your feedback.

Mug and cutlery

As of August the Cargolux branded cutlery set and mug has been available for collection. Each crew member can collect his/her set from the HQ reception desk or the Moxy Hotel Reception. So far 500 sets have been collected by our colleagues. Cleaning can be done with suitable cleaning wipes before and after use. These wipes have been supplied to all aircraft. We hope you enjoy your new set as it is supposed to reduce waste and to increase the overall experience.

Catering app

This project is still in progress and, according to Travel Services, is expected to go live in Q1 2026. We sincerely hope this will increase the overall catering experience.

Survey

The department of Travel Services launched their yearly catering and hotel survey. We would like to encourage all crew members to participate in this survey as this will give us a better overview of overall satisfaction. A dedicated part on hotels has been added this year. Deadline for completion is 10th of October.

We are pleased to share the latest developments from the Hotel Committee:

Catering:

Catering App Development:

The Catering App project is steadily progressing. A key challenge at present is integrating Etravel into the platform, which has introduced additional technical complexity. While we recognize the intent to enable broad participation, we continue to advocate for prioritizing crew members due to the high level of usage. Although not yet resolved, it is encouraging to see this issue receiving active attention.

Catering Tasting – July:

We are happy to be invited again for the upcoming Catering tasting at LUX Catering to give recommendations for the winter season. 

Additionally, it is now common practice for Committee members—or in their absence, flight crew members on layovers—to participate in tastings at outstations. This is a much-appreciated step toward incorporating crew feedback and improving the overall catering experience. 

A positive impact from this collaboration is very well observable.

Further stations for an upcoming Catering review are: XMN, HSV, DWC, SIN and ANC.

Aircraft Compartments:

A project will also commence in coming months to review the compartment structure in both, the 747-400 and 8F. The Catering team is currently looking at options to build in a box system, allowing caterer to place individual catering items into designated compartments. This will assist to reduce the usage of single use plastic and the extensive use of carton packaging.

Catering Audits:

You will see more often now that the team from Travel Services will come onboard arriving flights in LUX to evaluate the remaining load of catering and beverage to assess the situation from various uplift stations. Feel free to have a quick chat with them about your catering experience on your flight. This will help them to have firsthand feedback on the catering quality and improve the quality and variety during the menu reviews.

HKG:

The new catering provider has been confirmed and we expect service to commence as of AUG. This comes after the resolution of several internal roadblocks, primarily around data protection regulations and legal agreements. We appreciate everyone’s patience during this lengthy process.

Cutlery and mugs:

It was originally planned to provide crews with personalized cutlery and mug sets for both sustainability and comfort. Unfortunately, a printing error delayed delivery—while unintentionally entertaining, “Cargoluq” was not quite the branding we had in mind, except maybe as a „Collector’s edition“😉. A corrected version is on the way and will be delivered shortly. You will be informed about where and how to pick up your set in due time.

Hotels:

DWC:

Effective 01 August, crew accommodation will move to the InterContinental JBR. We hope that the location offers improved noise protection while staying in the lively and affluent JBR area and maintaining an adequate level of comfort for our crews.

IAH:

A noticeable price increase at our current IAH accommodation has triggered a required market comparison. 

While cost assessments are underway, we are mindful of feedback indicating a strong crew preference for the Woodlands. A hotel inspection trip is being arranged to evaluate alternatives. We remain confident that our final recommendation will be well-aligned with crew needs.

HSV:

Following recent renovations at the Westin HSV, Travel Services has requested your feedback on the updated experience. Please share your impressions to help us assess whether the hotel continues to meet our standards for sutability and comfort.

DFW:

Due to extensive and unforeseen additional construction taking place at our current contracted crew hotel, the Westin Galleria, we moved back to the Renaissance hotel until further notice. We are aware of the fact that crew perception of the Westin was not ideal and consider recommending contracting the Renaissance hotel yet again.

NBO:

Our collegues from Cargolux Italia have kindly inspected the „Argyle Grand Hotel“ in Nairobi. The suitability was confirmed, the move commenced and it was agreed that the hotel will also be used for CV crew members having layovers in Nairobi.

The location of the „Argyle“ constitutes a compromise of not being an airport hotel while a move to the downtown area is still impossible due to security risks.

Travel:

MyIDtravel

We are happy to announce, that Air Serbia will be included into MyIDtravel as of the 20th of July.

For any additional feedback or to submit your reports, please contact us at cvhotels@alpl.lu.
With kind regards,

Your Hotel Committee

We would like to inform you of a change in the composition of the Hotel Committee (HC). After six years of dedicated service, Jonas Hindersin has stepped down from the committee. We sincerely thank him for his valuable contribution and commitment throughout the years!
 
At the same time, we are pleased to welcome the following colleagues who have recently joined the HC:
 
   •          Julie Gangolf
   •          Frederick Bruyninckx
   •          Luca D’Ambrosio
 
The current Hotel Committee members are:

   •          Ingo Schuster (Chairman)
   •          Tobias Woll
   •          Oliver Eichhorst
   •          Marcel Knapp
   •          Arnout Seynaeve
   •          Gerald Hulpiau
   •          Gil Jacobs
   •          Max Belloto (ICV)
   •          Julie Gangolf
   •          Frederick Bruyninckx
   •          Luca D’Ambrosio
 
Together we shall continue to ensure to safeguard and reasonably improve our Catering, Travelling and Accommodation conditions.
 
Hotels
We’ve received positive feedback on the recent changes in SEA – thank you! 
 
The transition in ORD has now begun. 
 
HSV: The renovations of the Westin are complete and we will move back to the regular Westin as of 01APR2025.
 
As always, your feedback via mail to cvhotels@alpl.lu is appreciated to help us further improve. 
 
Catering
Pilot representatives have again been invited for a tasting session ex LUX. Changes to hot meal options are being implemented – for example, the chicken burger has been removed due to negative feedback during the Catering survey. We are also introducing clearer meal categorization:

   •          Vegetarian
   •          Vegan Gluten-Free Non-Lactose
   •          Gluten-Free Non-Lactose

Please update your preferences in the system once these options become available per mail to cvcatering@cargolux.com. 
 
Unfortunately, the Catering App is still pending but we’ll keep poking.
 
Travel
Upon request of Travel Services, here‘s a friendly reminder: No person under the age of 18 is allowed to travel without supervision. Please note that operating or positioning crew may not act as supervisors.
 
We’re also happy to share that HKG Airlines has been added to myIDTravel. Thanks to Travel Services for making this happen.
 
Thank you for your ongoing support, wishing you safe travels and comfortable layovers.

As we bring 2024 to a close, it is a good  opportunity  to reflect on the progress and achievements we’ve made together in the Cargolux Hotel and Catering Committee. 

This year has been filled with hard work, fruitful discussions  and here are some highlights we are happy  to share:

Hotels

• We successfully renewed contracts in key stations: HKG, MEX, SGN, ICN, MIA, GYD, ASB and JFK.
• ATL: Transitioned to the JW Marriott Buckhead (at the mall) with positive feedback.
• HAN: Effective 1st JAN 2025  move to Intercontinental Westlake, a familiar and affluent area closer to downtown.
• ORD: Moving to the Sheraton Riverwalk (close to Magnificient mile) in March 2025, hopefully mitigating the numerous noise reports we received at the Omni Hotel.
• SEA: After decades at the Westin, it has been decided that a move to the Intercontinental in Bellevue is necessary for security reasons, effective 1st of March 2025
• Improvements were noted in LAX, where tweaks such as adding the choice between Avocado Toast and Omelette at breakfast have made a positive impact.

Catering
In general we appreciate the fact that our Hotel Committee had the chance to expand on the Catering topic, getting involved and having opportunities for recommendations.

The recent catering survey showed an improvement in catering satisfaction from 6.8 to 8.0. The next survey is planned for summer 2025 and will continue annually thereafter.

Ultimately we are convinced that the start of the envisaged Catering App would currently be the best solution to improve the experience while reducing waste (and costs). We are cautiously optimistic that delays  due to prioritized IT projects can be resolved.

Some of the current developements are:

• LUX: Pilots will now receive individual 300g sliced fruit boxes, instead of one common box to share. The new salads so far have been received very well, according to the first feedbacks received. Progress is being made with reusable cutlery and mugs, which have been approved by Excom. Crews will receive their first set complimentary. We will look into solutions to add those items preferably into the Crew Uniform Shop, should a replacement become necessary.
• HKG:  Meetings with a potential new catering supplier are still work in progress and are planned to take place now in Q1 of 2025.  

Collaborative Efforts
We jointly managed to further improve our work relationship with Travel Services, where Peter and Jannick showed lots of understanding for our needs and successfully forwarded and represented our inputs at higher levels. 

We managed to find acceptable solutions through honesty, transparency and consideration. 
We appreciate the fact that joint agreements are sought at all times.

We are also grateful for your, our members, continued input and support. This helps us to phrase the right recommendations and a positive feedback motivates us as well.

As we look ahead to 2025, we remain committed to enhancing the experience for all of you.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a successful year 2025 ahead!

In this short update we particularly have one very important topic.

After more than 5 years of service in the Hotel Committee our dear friend and colleague Jochen Ehrenfeld decided to leave Cargolux and as such also our Hotel Committee. 

Although we understand and support Jochen‘s right for pursuit of happiness we are sad to have to let him go. For sure we’ll miss our teamwork, occasional passionate discussions and his persistent strive to keep our Dropbox files nice and tidy.

All the best Jochen! We‘ll stay in touch!

We would also like to officially welcome Oliver Eichhorst as a new member of the Hotel Committee who joined us in June and already had the chance to support us by performing several hotel inspections. 

Current HC composition:

• Ingo Schuster (Chairman)
• Tobias Woll
• Jonas Hindersin
• Marcel Knapp
• Gil Jacobs
• Arnout Seynaeve
• Gerald Hulpiau
• Oliver Eichhorst
• Max Bellotto (ICV)
   

We remain committed to ensuring that adequate accommodation continues to be provided.

If you encounter any deficiencies or want to give other feedback, please file a Voyage Report and consider sending a copy to cvhotels@alpl.lu.

Despite announcing that there won’t be a Hotel Committee Members Update in August, we are pleased to share some good news:

For SIN, we will move back to the Pan Pacific Hotel. 
For DFW, we will move to the Westin Galleria Hotel.

Both contracts will commence in September, and we sincerely hope these changes are well-received.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Travel Services and Jannick in particular, for their dedicated efforts in reestablishing a working relationship with the Pan Pacific Hotel following the unfortunate cancellation of our contract last year.

As usual, please provide your feedback and forward your reports to cvhotels@alpl.lu.

We are pleased to provide you with the latest update from the Hotel Committee.

JFK

In order to follow the Procurement and Hotel Policy we have reviewed five hotel options in Manhattan for our stays in JFK. After careful consideration and discussions with the company, it was decided to continue staying at the Intercontinental near Times Square. This decision ensures continuity and comfort for our crew members.

There are currently some more requirements for tenders upcoming, like DFW and ORD. Further stations like NLU, GDL and SEA will follow. We would like to emphasize the fact that even when there are no communicated hotel changes it doesn’t mean that your Hotel Committee doesn’t put effort and work into our mutual objective to ensure suitable accommodation.

CGK

Due to the upcoming elections, the current Orange Security Level would normally mandate an airport hotel. Despite of this fact, the company agreed to a move to a better hotel, considering the excellent security measures in place. Starting August, we will be staying at the Shangri-La. Please remain aware of security concerns and exercise caution during your stay. We are confident that the move is well received.

Catering

HKG 

We have received several reports regarding the lack of variety and quality issues with the catering in Hong Kong. A tasting session with a local provider is envisaged after the summer to offer a different variety of dishes and find some alternatives. Until then, it is the objective to limit uplifts ex HKG when feasible. As a temporary measure we will utilize catering from NRT, HAN and SGN, which have all been appreciated so far.

CGO

Due to a high number of occurrences of low catering quality ex CGO it was decided for the time being to try to avoid uplifts at CGO whenever possible. Instead, uplifts are planned to occur in GYD and ASB, respecting storage limitations. Please note in that context that GYD catering has already been improved as well. 

More stations are under review and will be tackled step by step.

Travel Services

We are pleased to announce that more airlines have been added to MyID Travel. We extend our gratitude to the Travel Services team for their dedication and efforts.

What else to expect

Uber Business is planned to become available in LUX for crews on duty.

Reusable cutlery and branded coffee mugs will be purchased and distributed to all flight crew members to reduce waste and unnecessary catering costs.

Please note, there will be no members update in August. We look forward to continuing our work in September serving the pilot community to ensure adequate accommodation and more catering improvements.

As always, please send copies of your Voyage Reports to cvhotels@alpl.lu.

The Hotel Committee would like to share the following information:

General
In the last CPO update, Travel Services as well as the Hotel Committee were thanked for their efforts and collaboration, which was well received. 

We would like to take the opportunity to also express our appreciation for the cooperation and efforts undertaken by Travel Services and CPO to ensure adequate accommodation is provided and catering standards are improved.

Furthermore we see improvements and efforts undertaken in respect to our travel rights. DWC has lifted most of their restrictions allowing us to travel to and through Dubai now. Unfortunately, for the time being the CAO restriction still applies. Also, flights between DWC and China and to the US are not possible. In addition to that, Travel Services is also working on improving My-ID travel. The latest improvement was to also allow Travel Partners. Further details can be found on the Cargolux Intranet page.

Having a mutual understanding of each other’s needs and a transparent process to find viable solutions contributes to a trustful and efficient relationship. As we see this as a success story we hope to be able to expand this way of collaboration to other areas within the company for the benefit of all of us. 

Breakfast in the US
We are aware of the fact that having an adequate breakfast can be a challenge in various stations in the US. We apologize for the inconvenience and rest assured that we try to resolve the deficiencies as soon as they surface with the help of travel services. Unfortunately some hotels keep changing their procedures without notice which makes it important that you notify us via a copy of your filed Voyage Report whenever you experience such a deficiency.

LAX
So far we received mainly positive feedback on the move to Marina del Rey, however, one justified aspect of criticism was an insufficient quality of the breakfast buffet. We are happy to inform you that as of now you should receive a breakfast voucher, which, in addition to the provided buffet, entitles you to have an Omelette, one fresh Orange Juice and a fruit bowl. We hope that this helps to mitigate the reported short comming.

UBER green
As already published in the CPO update from 10APR2024 it was requested to use „UBER green“. The Hotel Committee would like to promote the idea and encourage you to use it whenever the potential additional waiting times are acceptable to you.

Although it might seem exaggerated, sustainability is an increasing requirement and as the percentage of carbon free transfers is registered, it comes with a positive impact.

We also made an enquiry regarding potential insufficient accident insurance by Uber. We received the response that Cargolux has it’s own accident insurance for employees on duty thus providing the full coverage.

Meanwhile please provide us with feedback and copies of your reports to cvcatering@alpl.lu and cvhotels@alpl.lu.

We would like to share some updates on:

Catering
We are happy to announce that Cargolux Senior Management has approved the purchase of a Catering App! This App will allow us to individually order meals and set preferences before flights. Once implemented we will start to use it ex LUX.

We were also able to change the catering provider in CGO to increase food quality. Catering was tested and reviewed in LUX resulting in bigger hot meals with different variety. The lids on the hot meals can be used in our ovens and are heat certified. They are made of a biodegradable material and not plastic. We hope that you perceive those changes as an improvement and if you feel to send us your feedback, please include the meal no. in the Voyage Report.

The current onboard catering expiry time of 18 hours triggered some unnecessary catering uplifts on stations with poor food quality. We therefore try to extend the limit to 24 hours after certain conditions are met.

We were also able to convince the company to replace the unpopular bamboo cutlery sets. They will be replaced as soon as the items are out of stock.

Last but not least, we are negotiating with TPE, NRT and GYD station to improve catering quality with more to come. 

In general, we are very happy to have improved the dialogue with our colleagues in the Travel Services Department.  

Hotels
LAX 
Unfortunately, we are facing a change to our well-liked Hotel in Redondo Beach. The new corporate management of the Sonesta has significantly increased the rate for a contract extension/continuation proposal. An attempt for a dialogue and a compromise with the Sonesta hotel management remained unsuccessful.  We were therefore forced to start a new tender process for new hotels starting from of 1^st Jan 2025. 

We surveyed more than 30 hotels, did 5 on-side inspections and recommended to move to the Courtyard Marriott in Marina Del Rey, which we find a very suitable alternative.

Beginning 01MAY 2024, the Courtyard Marina Del Rey confirmed to host us as our new crew hotel including the following benefits exclusively for Cargolux:

• 20% off outlets (excluding bottles of wine)
• Complimentary bike rentals
• 50% discount on Kayaks & SUPs.
• A „water-taxi-shuttle-service“ in the vicinity for 2 USD p.p.,
• A shuttle bus in the vicinity, available via an app and complimentary.

Considering these extensive benefits plus the location we are optimistic that you will appreciate the new hotel and its location in walking distance to Venice Beach.

TPE 
With a similar situation as in LAX, the Hotel Committee had to perform a tender process in TPE, also resulting in a move: As of the 01JUN2024 the Shangri La Hotel is planned to accommodate us. While the direct area around is not as lively as what we are used to in the Grand Hyatt, it is only 20 minutes walking distance away from the familiar area around the Taipei 101. 

CGK 
It is planned to recommence layovers in Jakarta and the Hotel Committee is in a dialogue with Travel Services Department about the hotel selection. The previous Mercure crew hotel was not received very well and therefore we will inform you as soon we have additional info.

In the meantime, we continue to ask you to provide us with feedback and copies of your reports to cvcatering@alpl.lu and cvhotels@alpl.lu.

We would like to share the latest Hotel Committee developments:

Catering
We are happy to let you know that the Hotel Committee adopted the tasks of the temporarily vacant Catering Committee. As our company counterparts organizing the catering are the same colleagues who do Travel and Hotel Procurement it was decided that it makes sense to keep a short communication line on the Pilot Representatives side as well. We are confident to be able to participate in improving the current catering situation in terms of quality and waste in synergy with cost efficiency. 

You can reach us via e-mail to: cvcatering@alpl.lu

Hotel Committee composition
After many years of service in the Hotel Committee, George Karambilas decided to step down as the Hotel Committee chairman. The rest of the Hotel Committee would like to thank George for his dedication in the committee work, his knowledge and experience in the diversified internal and external tasks required as a Hotel Committee member and last but not least for his patience with us. 

Furthermore, we are happy to announce that, in our effort to strengthen our relationship with our colleagues from Cargolux Italia, Massimilano (Max) Bellotto from ICV joined the Hotel Committee. Max will help us in our Committee work to ensure that adequate accommodation is continuously provided.

Current members working on the Hotel and Catering Committee and serving to ensure we all enjoy a suitable accommodation enroute are:

Ingo Schuster (Chairman)
Jochen Ehrenfeld
Tobias Woll
Jonas Hindersin
Marcel Knapp
Arnout Seynaeve
Gil Jacobs
Gerald Hulpiau
Max Bellotto

If you want to get in touch with us on any related hotel and accommodation issues or you’d like to share copies of your Voyage Reports you can do so via cvhotels@alpl.lu

The Hotel Committee wishes you Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!