What’s new: The public shouldn’t overreact to an incident on a Cathay Pacific flight last week that led to a discrimination complaint, said Hong Kong Executive Council Convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee.
A passenger on a Cathay Pacific flight from Chengdu to Hong Kong complained in an online post last week that flight attendants made fun of mainland passengers for requesting a “carpet” instead of a blanket in English.
“If you cannot say blanket in English, you cannot have it,” a flight attendant said, according to a recording that circulated widely online. “Carpet is on the floor. Feel free if you want to lie on it.”
While discrimination is absolutely unacceptable, some people overreacted online, Ip said Sunday in a social media post. Some netizens called for Cathay Pacific’s controlling shareholder, Swire Group., to unload its interest in the Hong Kong airline.
“Mainland people and Hong Kong people are one family that need each other,” Ip said in her post. “We should understand and tolerate each other. Only in this way can we live in peace and enjoy better development of both the mainland and Hong Kong.”
The background: As posted, the incident triggered criticism on social media. Last Tuesday Cathay Pacific sacked three flight attendants who were involved, apologized to the public and pledged to conduct a comprehensive review of its service, staff training and mechanisms to improve quality of passenger service.
As service sector professionals of no matter what type, it is discrimination to mock customers for their origin, skin color or language, and under no circumstances should they laugh at customers, Hong Kong lawmaker Ip said.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the disrespectful words and deeds of Cathay Pacific flight attendants hurt Hong Kong and mainland Chinese people and undermined the city’s values of respect and courtesy.
Contact reporter Denise Jia (huijuanjia@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bob.simison@caixin.com)
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