Travelers walk by others waiting at the departures hall as aircraft operated by Cathay Pacific Airways are taxing at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong on February 10 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
HONG KONG – Secretary for Transport and Logistics Lam Sai-hung on Wednesday demanded that Cathay Pacific improve its services immediately after three of its cabin crewmembers were accused of discrimination against non-English speaking passengers.
In a statement, Lam noted that Cathay has terminated the crewmembers involved in the incident onboard flight CX987 from Chengdu to Hong Kong on Sunday but added that the airline should conduct a comprehensive review.
The alleged discrimination was posted on social media on Monday. The writer, who is fluent in Mandarin, English and Cantonese, described in the post how the flight attendants kept complaining in English and Cantonese about passengers who didn't speak English well
"I am very distressed by the inappropriate comments made by some of the Cathay Pacific cabin crew members. The incident is a serious breach of Hong Kong's reputation for service excellence, long-standing values and ethical standards,” Lam said.
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“I have expressed my deep concern to Cathay Pacific and demanded the management to improve their services immediately.”
Lam said Cathay should reexamine its service flow, staff training, and relevant mechanisms to improve service quality.
“I hope that the review will be completed as soon as possible and that fundamental improvements will be made to the company's mechanisms and staff attitudes, in order to live up to Hong Kong's reputation as an international aviation hub and a welcoming city," Lam said.
The alleged discrimination was posted on social media on Monday. The writer, who is fluent in Mandarin, English and Cantonese, described in the post how the flight attendants kept complaining in English and Cantonese about passengers who didn't speak English well when taking flight CX987.
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Seated in the back row, the writer overheard conversations like "If you cannot say blanket, you cannot have it" and "The carpet is on the floor". A voice recording of the incident was shared by the writer in another post.