Cathay Pacific to increase mandarin services, cabin crew on Chinese mainland flights

(ECNS) -- Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. will widen the use of Mandarin on flights and recruit more cabin crew from the Chinese mainland, its CEO Ronald Lam said on Monday.

According to the CEO, the airline will deploy more cabin crew speaking mandarin on flights shuttling from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Chinese mainland. Starting from August, broadcast in mandarin will serve all flights between HKSAR and the Chinese mainland.

Cabin crew name cards will indicate  their language proficiency, including mandarin and other Asian languages, with those who can speak more than one Asian language eligible for a monthly allowance, said Lam.

The airline plans to start recruiting cabin crew from the Chinese mainland in July, further expanding its mandarin service team, he said, adding that all improvements will enter effect within a few months.

Cathay Pacific sacked three flight attendants for disparaging passengers who didn’t speak English in May. The incident fueled widespread online debate.