The Cathay scandal is not an excuse for patriotic chest-beating

Three Cathay Pacific flight attendants made fun of a mainland customer’s English ability on a flight from Chengdu to Hong Kong. Their conversation was recorded by another traveller and went viral on social media. The company investigated, apologised four times in three days and fired the employees involved.

Hong Kong’s chief executive has expressed his anger and disappointment over the scandal, while the Equal Opportunities Commission chairman Ricky Chu Man-kin has warned that the crew’s conduct could constitute indirect discrimination under the Race Discrimination Ordinance.

Legislator Michael Luk Chung-hung of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions even called it a continuation of the 2019 social unrest, a kind of

“soft resistance” against the government. Taking advantage of the incident in this way to score points for political grandstanding is reckless and can harm Hong Kong-mainland relations more than the incident itself has.

Mocking customers is certainly unprofessional, disrespectful and unbecoming in any service industry. The Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants’ Union has blamed the incident on staff shortages, low pay and low morale. The airline did the right thing to terminate their contracts.

However, such incidents are just the result of poor management and misbehaving employees who have been rightly penalised. Politicians should refrain from puffing up their patriotic chests and politicising a minor scandal for media attention and political gain.

Luk’s melodramatic rhetoric not only exacerbates cross-border tensions but also jeopardises Cathay’s reputation as the city’s flag carrier, damaging Hong Kong’s reputation as an aviation hub. How does condemning one of our most important local brands help rebuild our tourism industry? Some politicians appear to care more about displaying their patriotism than doing the right thing for our city.

Our politicians’ overreaction only gives mainlanders the impression that Hong Kong is a racist, unwelcoming and unfriendly city. How does exaggerating our differences help Hong Kong’s integration into the nation’s development?

Let’s move on. Instead of pointing fingers, the government should tell our mainland guests that such behaviour is unacceptable but just an isolated case. Cathay Pacific meanwhile should provide better training, enhance staff welfare and improve management to once again provide the high levels of customer care for which it has been renowned.

Christopher Ip, North Point