Some Dragonair cabin crew had to work more hours last month because of unusually bad weather and delayed flights. But the airline hopes to start working out ways to improve its staff roster next month.
Inflight services general manager Cecilia Leung said 41 cabin crew, or 3.3 per cent of the carrier's flight attendants, worked 'carry-on duties' in July involving additional hours they were not originally rostered for but which were within Civil Aviation Department guidelines.
There were no cases of such duties in the first six months of this year or in July last year, Leung said. 'We don't want to see any carry-on duties. Our target is zero,' she said.
Following concern from cabin crew over the disruption caused by such duties, Dragonair has offered to compensate staff for working these additional hours. For every hour of carry-on duty, cabin crew are paid five times the fixed hourly allowance they get for working their normal rostered schedule. The allowance is on top of their basic salary.
The airline does not consider carry-on duties to be overtime work, since the additional hours are within the maximum number allowed under Civil Aviation Department guidelines. Overtime is paid when cabin crew work more than 76 hours a month.
Early this month, more than 100 flight attendants vented their frustrations over long working hours and their employment conditions. Winnie Poon, chairwoman of the Dragon Airlines Flight Attendants Association, said it did not matter how much the airline offered in compensation because its definition of carry-on duties meant few flight attendants were able to enjoy it.