Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. has sacked three flight attendants after an inquiry found crew members disparaging passengers who didn’t speak English.
The company terminated the three crew members just hours after initiating the probe over allegations of discrimination.
Cathay Pacific Airways chief executive officer Ronald Lam apologized to the affected passengers and vowed “zero tolerance” for violations of company rules and standards, the company statement said on Tuesday.
A passenger on the Sunday flight 987 from Chengdu to Hong Kong recorded audio of an attendant allegedly saying that if people couldn’t say “blanket” in English, they shouldn’t be able to have one. The comments are followed by laughter in the background.
Hong Kong authorities have expressed “deep concern” to the airline.
“The incident is a serious breach of Hong Kong’s reputation for service excellence, long-standing values and ethical standards,” Lam Sai-Hung, transport and logistics secretary, said in a statement. Cathay said earlier it had contacted passengers to investigate the incident.
The airline will ensure all employees respect passengers from all backgrounds and provide professional services in a uniform way, Cathay said in the statement.
Lam will lead a review meant to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Hong Kong government urged Cathay to complete its review as soon as possible and to make fundamental improvements to the company’s mechanisms and staff attitudes, according to the statement.
Shares of Cathay Pacific Airways rose 0.7% on Tuesday in Hong Kong.
(With inputs from agencies)
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