HONG KONG - Cathay Pacific Airways has apologised after a passenger accused its flight attendants of discriminating against non-English speakers in an online post that went viral on Chinese social media.

The airline on Tuesday said the experience of passengers travelling on Flight CX987 from the south-western Chinese city of Chengdu to Hong Kong caused “widespread concern”, and said it sincerely apologised.

“We have suspended the flight attendants concerned and launched an internal investigation,” Cathay Pacific said, adding that any “inappropriate words and deeds” that violate its rules and professional ethics would be dealt with seriously once confirmed.

A passenger on the flight from Chengdu to Hong Kong wrote in an online post that flight attendants complained among themselves about passengers in English and Cantonese.

The flight attendants allegedly made fun of those who seemed to be asking for a carpet instead of a blanket in English. “If you cannot say blanket in English, you cannot have it... Carpet is on the floor, feel free if you want to lie on it,” an attendant said, according to a recording that was circulated online.

Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the clip, which triggered criticism on social media.

Hong Kong’s flagship carrier has been trying to rebuild itself as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. It was badly hit by coronavirus-related flight cancellations, border closures and strict quarantine measures for crew, resulting in drastic headcount cuts since 2020.

China’s state-owned People’s Daily said in an online commentary that it was shocked by the incident against Mandarin-speaking passengers and criticised Cathay’s corporate culture for “worshipping foreigners and respecting Hong Kong people”, but looking down on mainlanders. 

“Cathay Pacific can’t just apologise every time, but should rectify heavily, establish rules and regulations, and stop the unhealthy trend from the root,” it said. 

The newspaper went on to say that the level of Mandarin in Hong Kong is improving by “leaps and bounds”. 

“In Hong Kong, the reverse trend of worshipping English and looking down on Mandarin is bound to disappear.” REUTERS