Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific sacks crew members accused of discriminating against non-English speakers

By KANIS LEUNG
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways has dismissed three cabin crew members after a passenger accused them of discriminating against non-English speakers, in a case that drew criticism from Chinese state media. Airline CEO Ronald Lam expressed his apologies to the passenger and the community over the incident, which occurred on a Sunday flight. He reiterated his company’s “zero tolerance” of any serious breach of its policies and code of conduct. The sacking came after the passenger complained in an online post that some crew members were disrespectful to passengers who did not speak English or Cantonese, the language widely spoken in Hong Kong. The person accused them of making fun of passengers’ English ability when they asked for blankets and other disrespectful behavior.