Flight Attendants Reportedly Discriminating Against Customers

The crew was employed by Cathay Pacific.

Three cabin crew members for Cathay Pacific Airways, a carrier based in Hong Kong, were recently let go after a customer complained that they had been discriminating against passengers who did not speak English, a move that has been criticized by Chinese official publications.

The event happened on a Sunday trip from Chengdu in south-west China to Hong Kong, and the CEO of the airline, Ronald Lam, has apologized to the passenger and the community. He reaffirmed his firm's "zero tolerance" policy against significant violations of corporate regulations and standards.

The customer had reported on the web that some of the staff were rude to others who could not understand English or Cantonese, the local language in Hong Kong, leading to their dismissal. Someone sitting near the crew's break room heard them griping about the passengers. The customer said that there was not a single moment" throughout the trip when he was not disturbed or upset by the staff's behaviour. The narrative claims that the staff was especially rude to those who attempted to ask for assistance in English, mocking those who allegedly confused words.

In a viral audio record someone's voice can be heard saying, "If you cannot say blanket in English, you cannot have it". There was immediate laughing at the remark. The Associated Press was unable to confirm the authenticity of the recording on their own.

On Monday, Cathay Pacific apologized on the Chinese social media site Weibo for "the bad experience" travellers had on the trip, but this did not appease the outrage that had been sparked by the passenger's message.

 

Source: euronews.com