The work-to-rule campaign by Cathay Pacific flight attendants may disrupt holiday flights over the Lunar New Year, but will include some unexpected perks for passengers - like an offer of extra drinks.
Cabin crew taking part in the action are urged to be more generous with the drinks trolley and to 'proactively offer' drinks. They may also offer a second drink without being asked.
The guidelines for the work-to-rule were drawn up by the Flight Attendants' Union (FAU) and distributed to members.
FAU vice-chairwoman Becky Kwan Siu-wa said the goodwill measure would seek to compensate passengers for the disruption the work-to-rule might cause and to reverse some of the recent cutbacks in the airline's in-flight food and drinks.
Kwan said Cathay had gradually reduced its food-and-drink service since the 2003 Sars crisis and had been 'stingy' by not restoring the service when the economy picked up.
Flight attendants were instructed, for instance, not to open bottles of wine on drinks trolleys until passengers requested wine, she said. They had also started serving snacks rather than full meals on short-haul routes, such as those to Manila and Taiwan.
'Sometimes we feel embarrassed to give passengers so little. Now it's time to show passengers we do want to give them something more.'