Most of us are not just citizens of the countries we are from, but also global citizens of the wider world. Hence, many use English as a lingua franca to communicate across borders.
However, there are also people whose grasp of English is not as good as others. A recent incident onboard a Cathay Pacific flight highlighted what not to do when one encounters someone who is not as fluent in English.
Some flight attendants allegedly made fun of a passenger who confused a blanket with a carpet — the passenger was evidently not a native English speaker.
When word of the incident got back to the airline company, they terminated the attendants and issued an apology.
According to a report by The Straits Times (ST), the incident occurred on board Cathay Pacific flight CX987 from Chengdu to Hong Kong on Sunday (21 May).
Recently, an audio recording capturing the disturbing exchange between the attendants and the passengers has been circulating on social media.
The passenger had apparently asked for a “carpet” when they were actually asking for a “blanket”.
In the recording, a flight attendant said in response, “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.”
Laughter then ensued, presumably from other members of the cabin crew.
Cathay Pacific Airways chief executive Ronald Lam shared that the airlines have since terminated the three attendants involved in the incident.
They were reportedly sacked mere hours after an investigation into the allegations of discrimination commenced.
Source: Cathay Pacific on Facebook
He also apologised for what happened, highlighting that they do not tolerate such serious violations of company rules and ethics.
Additionally, Mr Lam will lead a cross-departmental working group to hold a thorough review of their service quality. These include aspects such as service processes and staff training.
“Most importantly, we must ensure that all Cathay Pacific staff respect passengers from different backgrounds and cultures and provide professional and consistent service in all areas served,” he said.
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Featured image adapted from Cathay Pacific on Facebook.
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