Editorial | Cathay on the right path to repairing its battered reputation
- It is encouraging that the airline has measures in the pipeline to ensure no repeat of the discrimination encountered by Mandarin-speaking passengers last month, but much work remains
A scandal that engulfed Cathay Pacific last month, when three cabin crew members were accused of mocking Mandarin-speaking passengers on a flight from mainland China, led to promises of change.
The airline swiftly sacked the staff involved and offered multiple apologies. It pledged to step up training and improve its customer service. All of this needs to be done.
It is, therefore, encouraging to see a raft of new measures in the pipeline intended to ensure there is no repeat of the discrimination encountered on the flight from Chengdu.
Cathay Pacific will start recruiting cabin crew from mainland China next month. It will be the first time this has been done since the closure of sister airline Cathay Dragon in 2020.
The number of Mandarin-speaking flight attendants will be increased. There will be Mandarin announcements on mainland flights and monthly allowances for staff who speak more than one Asian language, to encourage the acquisition of greater linguistic ability.
These are sensible steps as Cathay Pacific passengers and staff mostly speak English, Cantonese or Mandarin. Ensuring Mandarin-speaking staff are available will help improve communication and should lead to improvements in the quality of the service provided.