Cathay Pacific recruiting from Mainland China in the wake of earlier passenger complaints

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific appears to be trying to improve relations with its cousins across the border by opening a recruiting drive to hire more Mainland Chinese. This follows an episode several months ago in which Cathay flight attendants were caught making fun on the English being spoken by a Chinese passenger. Media reports at the time said according to a Mandarin-speaking passenger taking a flight from Chengdu in Sichuan province to Hong Kong, three flight attendants made fun of customers’ English-language ability. In an online post with voice recording clips, the passenger quoted them as saying: “If you cannot say ‘blanket’, you cannot have it.” After initially saying it was launching an investigation, Cathay was forced to act swiftly. CEO Ronald Lam announced less than 48 hours after reports of the incident emerged, the three crew members had been fired as he vowed to lead a cross-departmental task force to improve the company’s culture of “customers first”. Cathay Pacific kicked off its latest recruitment event at the Qianhai International Talent Hub in Shenzhen, as the airline leverages its strengths as a Hong Kong-based carrier, the support from the Chinese Mainland and its global connectivity to build an ever-more diverse and inclusive team. The event represents a significant milestone for Cathay Pacific as it marks the first time the airline is recruiting cabin crew in the Chinese Mainland. With the increasing number of flights, business activities and frequent exchanges between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, as well as the growing number of Putonghua-speaking customers, Cathay Pacific believes this is the right time to launch this new recruitment initiative, reflecting the importance of the Chinese Mainland market. Speaking at the event, Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “As we continue our journey since the pandemic of rebuilding Cathay better than before, we are committed to supporting the 14th Five-Year Plan and integrating into the national development. Cathay Pacific has been enhancing connectivity between Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and the rest of the world by leveraging the advantages of its strategic base in Hong Kong together with the support received from the Chinese Mainland. We will continue to strengthen our presence in, and attract talent from, the Chinese Mainland in response to the increasing number of Putonghua-speaking customers, while building a diverse and inclusive Cathay family. The Cathay Group targets to recruit around 4,000 people in the Chinese Mainland by 2025.” Cathay Pacific has launched its “2023 Chinese Mainland Talent Recruitment Plan” with the target of recruiting 200-300 cabin crew in the Chinese Mainland this year and 1,000-2,000 by 2025. Hiring activities in the Chinese Mainland will be an ongoing feature of Cathay Pacific’s recruitment in future and the airline envisions that the Chinese Mainland will make up its largest cabin crew community outside of Hong Kong. Furthermore, the airline will provide even more job opportunities for talent from the Chinese Mainland in the form of cadet pilots, cabin crew, IT professionals, ground employees and customer service officers, helping to nurture aviation talent to support the development of the industry. The six-day recruitment event takes place from 25 to 30 August 2023 at the Qianhai International Talent Hub in Shenzhen. Candidates who pass the initial assessments will attend an on-site interview. Successful candidates will then receive comprehensive induction training and be based in Hong Kong. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]