Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific (Picture: Reuters)
Cathay Pacific Airways banned two passengers final week from future flights after a heated argument over seat-reclining etiquette throughout a flight from Hong Kong to London escalated into xenophobic slurs, in line with CNN.
A feminine passenger from mainland China posted a video on Chinese language social media app Xiaohongshu (Little Pink Guide), recounting how the lady sitting behind her complained about reclining her seat.âThe woman sitting behind me requested me to place my seat up as a result of it was blocking her husbandâs view of the TV. I politely declined, and she or he began stretching her toes onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like loopy,â the lady mentioned.
The problem has drawn consideration to the continued stress between individuals from mainland China and Hong Kong.
A flight attendant tried to calm the state of affairs by suggesting the lady elevate her seat however she refused. The state of affairs shortly escalated when the lady behind her realised she didn’t converse fluent Cantonese. âShe began throwing round some nasty feedback, calling me a âMainland womanâ and different derogatory stuff,â the passenger famous.
The tussle quickly caught the eye of different passengers who tried defend the lady. âYouâre sufficiently old â why are you bullying a younger woman?â one passenger mentioned in Mandarin, whereas others, talking in Cantonese, mentioned: âYouâre embarrassing us Hongkongers!â and âCease saying youâre from Hong Kong!â.
The flight attendant finally moved the lady to a special seat. âI felt it was absurdâwhat if nobody had backed me up? Would I’ve simply been left to cope with it alone?â the passenger requested, including that she anticipated Cathay Pacific to deal with such incidents higher.
In response, Cathay Pacific issued an apology for the âdisagreeable expertiseâ and confirmed the ban of each passengers concerned. The airline reiterated its zero-tolerance coverage for behaviour that violates aviation security or disrespects different clients.
This incident comes after the same controversy in Might 2023, the place Cathay Pacific dismissed three cabin crew members following allegations of discrimination in opposition to a mainland Chinese language passenger. Cathay CEO Ronald Lam has since dedicated to bettering service requirements throughout the airline.
A feminine passenger from mainland China posted a video on Chinese language social media app Xiaohongshu (Little Pink Guide), recounting how the lady sitting behind her complained about reclining her seat.âThe woman sitting behind me requested me to place my seat up as a result of it was blocking her husbandâs view of the TV. I politely declined, and she or he began stretching her toes onto my armrest, kicking my arm and cursing at me like loopy,â the lady mentioned.
The problem has drawn consideration to the continued stress between individuals from mainland China and Hong Kong.
A flight attendant tried to calm the state of affairs by suggesting the lady elevate her seat however she refused. The state of affairs shortly escalated when the lady behind her realised she didn’t converse fluent Cantonese. âShe began throwing round some nasty feedback, calling me a âMainland womanâ and different derogatory stuff,â the passenger famous.
The tussle quickly caught the eye of different passengers who tried defend the lady. âYouâre sufficiently old â why are you bullying a younger woman?â one passenger mentioned in Mandarin, whereas others, talking in Cantonese, mentioned: âYouâre embarrassing us Hongkongers!â and âCease saying youâre from Hong Kong!â.
The flight attendant finally moved the lady to a special seat. âI felt it was absurdâwhat if nobody had backed me up? Would I’ve simply been left to cope with it alone?â the passenger requested, including that she anticipated Cathay Pacific to deal with such incidents higher.
In response, Cathay Pacific issued an apology for the âdisagreeable expertiseâ and confirmed the ban of each passengers concerned. The airline reiterated its zero-tolerance coverage for behaviour that violates aviation security or disrespects different clients.
This incident comes after the same controversy in Might 2023, the place Cathay Pacific dismissed three cabin crew members following allegations of discrimination in opposition to a mainland Chinese language passenger. Cathay CEO Ronald Lam has since dedicated to bettering service requirements throughout the airline.