A signage for Cathay Pacific Airways at the departures hall of Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, on March 8, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
Cathay Pacific Airways, the largest airline in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, suspended on Tuesday the flight attendants accused in an online post of discrimination against non-English speaking passengers.
The airline said in a statement that it has noted the unpleasant experience of some passengers on flight CX987 from Chengdu to the HKSAR and apologized for it.
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 on Sunday
"We have suspended the flight attendants concerned and launched an internal investigation," the airline said, adding that any "inappropriate words and deeds" that violated its rules and professional ethics would be dealt with seriously once confirmed.
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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 on Sunday.
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.
The writer speculated that the concerned passenger was trying to get a blanket using known English words but was laughed at by the attendants who "can only speak English."
The writer also mentioned another passenger was answered abruptly when inquiring about how to fill out the landing card.
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In the post, the writer said it was upsetting that the attendants were so malicious to passengers who couldn't speak English or Cantonese and that they lacked even basic respect to passengers. The writer reported the behavior to the chief steward before leaving the plane and would also make a formal complaint about it.
With Reuters inputs