Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Different levels of service for different ethnicities

I work with a small fund, and part of an even smaller HK office. Just relocated to HK trying to establish the HK office as a 4 man team; 3 of us are white (2 Americans, 1 Brit) and 1 Chinese from Beijing. We have not begun to hire any locals or any staff for that matter.

We have had to travel back to NYC about once a month for half a year now. I've been trying to be more active in the expat community so I've read about the "gwai" advantage, and how it applies to CX, but does anyone else think it is a Gwai disadvantage now? Perhaps I was a lowly SL and havent flown since being GO, but... My observation:

- They seem to think the "gwai's" are more likely to complain thus they stay out of our way. We've seen better service being directed to other local Cantonese speakers many times (because so many FA's are now from HK) and they seem less willing to help us out. Meal options to us were denied ("Sorry, none left") and I see them carrying the EXACT option that I wanted 3 minutes later to... you guessed it, someone who asked in Cantonese.

- "Mainland" Chinese get treated like sh*t, there's no way to get around it. I dont know how else to put it, maybe cause our mainland colleague barely speaks English or Cantonese (only Mandarin) but I can confirm this.

Anyone else have similar experiences in recent times, aka 2010 onwards? observations??? maybe I should change my name Chris Colby to Chris Chan, to thorw them off on the manifest!

I work with a small fund, and part of an even smaller HK office. Just relocated to HK trying to establish the HK office as a 4 man team; 3 of us are white (2 Americans, 1 Brit) and 1 Chinese from Beijing. We have not begun to hire any locals or any staff for that matter.

We have had to travel back to NYC about once a month for half a year now. I've been trying to be more active in the expat community so I've read about the "gwai" advantage, and how it applies to CX, but does anyone else think it is a Gwai disadvantage now? Perhaps I was a lowly SL and havent flown since being GO, but... My observation:

- They seem to think the "gwai's" are more likely to complain thus they stay out of our way. We've seen better service being directed to other local Cantonese speakers many times (because so many FA's are now from HK) and they seem less willing to help us out. Meal options to us were denied ("Sorry, none left") and I see them carrying the EXACT option that I wanted 3 minutes later to... you guessed it, someone who asked in Cantonese.

- "Mainland" Chinese get treated like sh*t, there's no way to get around it. I dont know how else to put it, maybe cause our mainland colleague barely speaks English or Cantonese (only Mandarin) but I can confirm this.

Anyone else have similar experiences in recent times, aka 2010 onwards? observations??? maybe I should change my name Chris Colby to Chris Chan, to thorw them off on the manifest!

Within HK there is the perception that white male travellers get far better treatment from female FA's than do locals. It's all about perception I spose.

Within HK there is the perception that white male travellers get far better treatment from female FA's than do locals. It's all about perception I spose.

Why is that? Hard for me to understand something I've heard more times than I've seen.

Try flying Philippine Airlines, they love "gwai's " very much....all their golden girls will fawn over you the entire flight....just kidding, although they do tend to like serving caucasians first.

I do noticed that for some CX FAs, they do like talking to Cantonese speakers but thats the same when I'm on a flight with a Filipino crew member, however it doesn't happen all the time. As for the meal option, perhaps the passenger was a DM, and they got his orders first, and only served it then? Not for anything but there was one time when an FA asked me what I wanted for lunch so she could set it aside, perhaps it was because a majority of those on the J cabin were op-ups.

As for mainland Chinese...well...sucks to be them actually...but they could be such a pain too, on a flight from SIN one time, they were standing and walking around while the plane was taxing, and they tend to be quite loud.

I am an American based in TLV and speak both Hebrew and English but find that when I speak English to travel service providers here - rental car counters, airline check-in etc. that I'm treated better (except in the security line where Hebrew gives a huge advantage). When TWA flew to TLV they were known for having surly flight attendants on that route as compared to El Al - I think they just didn't know how to deal with the Israelis.

Also Indian flight attendants in our experience always treat indian passengers badly-regardless of MPC status

Is that a can opener I hear?

Within HK there is the perception that white male travellers get far better treatment from female FA's than do locals. It's all about perception I spose.

I am HK Chinese. I have never felt any better treatment. From what I experienced before, CX is not so much racially-biased in any aspect.

Try BA for a day and you will immediately know racism is not yet dead in this world. For non-white and non-Indian people like me, it is always a complete lower-class experience on BA. Many times, I tried to return to my seat from bathroom and somehow the BA FAs would come and police the policy of 'going back to your cabin'. I need to show my J BP to prove I am a J passenger returning to my J seat after using the J bathroom. Never an apology for the annoyance.

Nothing to do with ethnicity as such, there is just a big distrust and dislike of Mainlanders in HK generally. I think in Singapore as well.

I am HK Chinese. I have never felt any better treatment. From what I experienced before, CX is not so much racially-biased in any aspect.

Try BA for a day and you will immediately know racism is not yet dead in this world. For non-white and non-Indian people like me, it is always a complete lower-class experience on BA. Many times, I tried to return to my seat from bathroom and somehow the BA FAs would come and police the policy of 'going back to your cabin'. I need to show my J BP to prove I am a J passenger returning to my J seat after using the J bathroom. Never an apology for the annoyance.

When we flew J YYZ-LHR on BA, when we got to the gate there were already a huge crowd gathering there, including several LARGE Indian families. The GAs repeatedly announced the boarding had not started yet for the general public, people please stand back to let first class and business class passengers board first... Most Chinese ethnicity folks did stand back a bit, the LARGE Indian families would not budge an inch... despite a GA actually went to talk to them, and they just pretended they did not know English.:rolleyes:

When we managed to get in front of the families blocking the boarding area, the BA GAs waived us to head back... not until I shoved our J BPs in front of their face...

Though sometimes I cannot blame the BA folks stereo-typing people based on the behaviors I have seen at YYZ.

We have had to travel back to NYC about once a month for half a year now. I've been trying to be more active in the expat community so I've read about the "gwai" advantage, and how it applies to CX, but does anyone else think it is a Gwai disadvantage now? Perhaps I was a lowly SL and havent flown since being GO, but...

In general, HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status. There can also be staff or family members of staff on the flight.

In general, HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status. There can also be staff or family members of staff on the flight.

Actually a lot of HK people just join a tour group or fly whatever is the cheapest. A lot of them don't even know what MPC is.

Nothing to do with ethnicity as such, there is just a big distrust and dislike of Mainlanders in HK generally. I think in Singapore as well.
Isn't "distrust and dislike for Mainlanders" sort of the/a poster child for ethnic discrimination?

Actually a lot of HK people just join a tour group or fly whatever is the cheapest. A lot of them don't even know what MPC is.
Sorry but you are wrong at least for my extended family. We do 75% of all our flying with CX / KA (well for me 100%). For tour group there's less control on which airline you fly, but most of them advertise the airline they are flying with a particular group so there is a factor in there.

There are other great airline out there in Hong Kong but your blanket statement is simply not true. Ask American Express and Citibank on how many hundred thousand of CX co-branded card you will have a basic idea on how many Hong Kong people actually holds MPC membership, even it is Green Member.

BTW I fail to see someone that doesn't live in Hong Kong, and doesn't fly mainly on Cathay Pacific to comment about Hong Kong and CX.

Sorry but you are wrong at least for my extended family. We do 75% of all our flying with CX / KA (well for me 100%). For tour group there's less control on which airline you fly, but most of them advertise the airline they are flying with a particular group so there is a factor in there.

There are other great airline out there in Hong Kong but your blanket statement is simply not true. Ask American Express and Citibank on how many hundred thousand of CX co-branded card you will have a basic idea on how many Hong Kong people actually holds MPC membership, even it is Green Member.

BTW I fail to see someone that doesn't live in Hong Kong, and doesn't fly mainly on Cathay Pacific to comment about Hong Kong and CX.

You can disagree if you want. But a blanket statement of "HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status" without any data backing it up is just the same. Most of my friends who live and grow up in HK does not even know what AM or MPC is. Not everyone is as obsess with FFPs or airlines as FTers are.

I work with a small fund, and part of an even smaller HK office. Just relocated to HK trying to establish the HK office as a 4 man team; 3 of us are white (2 Americans, 1 Brit) and 1 Chinese from Beijing. We have not begun to hire any locals or any staff for that matter.

We have had to travel back to NYC about once a month for half a year now. I've been trying to be more active in the expat community so I've read about the "gwai" advantage, and how it applies to CX, but does anyone else think it is a Gwai disadvantage now? Perhaps I was a lowly SL and havent flown since being GO, but... My observation:

- They seem to think the "gwai's" are more likely to complain thus they stay out of our way. We've seen better service being directed to other local Cantonese speakers many times (because so many FA's are now from HK) and they seem less willing to help us out. Meal options to us were denied ("Sorry, none left") and I see them carrying the EXACT option that I wanted 3 minutes later to... you guessed it, someone who asked in Cantonese.

- "Mainland" Chinese get treated like sh*t, there's no way to get around it. I dont know how else to put it, maybe cause our mainland colleague barely speaks English or Cantonese (only Mandarin) but I can confirm this.

Anyone else have similar experiences in recent times, aka 2010 onwards? observations??? maybe I should change my name Chris Colby to Chris Chan, to thorw them off on the manifest!

Regularly experience this since i moved to Asia, and not just on airlines either. Stereotyping is alive and well in Asia and sometimes it works in your favour, sometimes it doesnt. For whatever reason, cultural/ethnic prejudice is far more prevalent in Asia than some other parts of the world and whilst eye opening at first, i dont think theres much point getting worked up over it anymore. Just be thankful you're not mainland Chinese :D

As a side note - i havent noticed CX cabin crew to be picky in who they give better service to, just as BA cant be accused of 'racism'.

Actually a lot of HK people just join a tour group or fly whatever is the cheapest. A lot of them don't even know what MPC is.

your point being?
im sure many ppl around the world doesnt know what FFP is anyway. but many are MPC GR in hk.

I dont think that as an Ambassador on FT, this is the sort of content to post in order to padpost your account.

ANYWAY, back on topic, i can assure you CX as a company do not have a policy to racially provide you better service.
BUT, some individual FA may decide to do one or the other. I've had SE Asian FAs giving me preferential treatment on 1 way or the other (+ve and -ve) However, I don't have enough sample to talk about "Chinese" FAs. but in general i dont "see" them giving preferential treatment - but if you're talking about FAs being "shy" and dont actively go after english speaking pax, i'm sure CX is not the only airline tht have this problem. I was on JL and there was only 1 FA who served me the whole flight, even when she was on the other side of the cabin. I dont think JL was trying to isolate pax with FAs but just that many others didnt want to speak in english...

You can disagree if you want. But a blanket statement of "HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status" without any data backing it up is just the same. Most of my friends who live and grow up in HK does not even know what AM or MPC is. Not everyone is as obsess with FFPs or airlines as FTers are.

just remember anyone who have had a CX branded card is a mPC member. many ppl are also ignorant so they dont even know tiananmen square massacre happened.
you cannot say many HK ppl only pick the cheapest airline and join package either. cuz now they've learnt that they'll get shot in the head or get run over by busses.

Just be thankful you're not mainland Chinese :D


Just be thankful you're a chinese who has an excellent command of English :) It does help when traveling internationally...

Whichever perception you have, vote with your feet. You are the customer!
There are so many choices flying ex HKG.
Years ago commuting between family and work, I tried to avoid CX with those English speaking Asian crews, and I flew QF instead. Those QF oldies treated everyone the same - sh*t.
Forget CX, try UA

You know what? CX crew do discriminate. They discriminate against passengers that give them nothing back. They discriminate against passengers who don't give them a motivation to serve. They discriminate against passengers who treat them badly.

I smile to the people who serve me, am always pleasant, give them compliments and thank yous and guess what....I get good service in return.

You know what? CX crew do discriminate. They discriminate against passengers that give them nothing back. They discriminate against passengers who don't give them a motivation to serve. They discriminate against passengers who treat them badly.

I smile to the people who serve me, am always pleasant, give them compliments and thank yous and guess what....I get good service in return.

+1!!
if one goes to any place with ideas of racism and various other discriminations, they tend to over react and convert every action even if kind as racist!!

Cathay Loves chinese, they know they need chinese to survive longterm

You know what? CX crew do discriminate. They discriminate against passengers that give them nothing back. They discriminate against passengers who don't give them a motivation to serve. They discriminate against passengers who treat them badly.

I smile to the people who serve me, am always pleasant, give them compliments and thank yous and guess what....I get good service in return.

Ditto! ^^^

...
- "Mainland" Chinese get treated like sh*t, there's no way to get around it. I dont know how else to put it, maybe cause our mainland colleague barely speaks English or Cantonese (only Mandarin) but I can confirm this.

...

I don't know about Mainland Chinese in HK, but one of my sister's friends from school whose family migrated from Mainland China to Canada in the late 1990s decided to legally change their names from their Mainland Chinese Hanyu Pinyin spelling to a Cantonese phonetic spelling (and used English names as their given names [with the Chinese name hidden as their "middle names") once they got their Canadian citizenship.

Eg. "Mali Zhang" became "Mary M.L. Chang"

In addition to learning English, they even learned to speak Cantonese which was popular with the Chinese in Canada during that time.

In addition to learning English, they even learned to speak Cantonese which was popular with the Chinese in Canada during that time.

Haven't been to Canada in a long time - but last I heard, it still is very predominantly Cantonese speakers / HKers there.

Also, it appears to me that it is easier to tell people apart (HK vs Mainland) than many people realize, especially those who deal with both groups of people often (those in the service industry, like CX FA's).

your point being?
im sure many ppl around the world doesnt know what FFP is anyway. but many are MPC GR in hk.

I dont think that as an Ambassador on FT, this is the sort of content to post in order to padpost your account.


I was just disagreeing with cxfan1960's generalization of HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status.

Haven't been to Canada in a long time - but last I heard, it still is very predominantly Cantonese speakers / HKers there.

Also, it appears to me that it is easier to tell people apart (HK vs Mainland) than many people realize, especially those who deal with both groups of people often (those in the service industry, like CX FA's).

Agreed. Im actually English, not Chinese, and it's still very easy to tell the difference and the animosity between the two.

You know what? CX crew do discriminate. They discriminate against passengers that give them nothing back. They discriminate against passengers who don't give them a motivation to serve. They discriminate against passengers who treat them badly.

I smile to the people who serve me, am always pleasant, give them compliments and thank yous and guess what....I get good service in return.

Ditto.
Basically if you treat them nicely, they will treat you the same way.
Man, they are just human beings, they have emotions as well; FAs as far as I can see they are not afraid of talking to people of different races, but they are afraid of people who are troublesome.

I have seen a Hong Kong couple who are particularly troublesome (keep pressing the ring button, keep asking for instant noodles and different requests), thinking themselves are privileged because they were in J class. FAs would want to avoid them - no matter your races. However, the same group of FAs can still keep their smiles and served me drinks- I believed they deserved some compliments and I did write a compliment card for them.

Talking about racial differences, CX will not be on my list - but likely another OneWorld Airline would be on the top.

You know what? CX crew do discriminate. They discriminate against passengers that give them nothing back. They discriminate against passengers who don't give them a motivation to serve. They discriminate against passengers who treat them badly.

I smile to the people who serve me, am always pleasant, give them compliments and thank yous and guess what....I get good service in return.

Thank you! I'm sure that's how most CX FAs are up front.
some (white black green yellow you name it) love to have a DYKWIA attitude and they will get a WDGAF attitude back.

I was just disagreeing with cxfan1960's generalization of HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status.

then i disagree with your disagreement because many ppl are MPC memebers and they dont realize it because they hold CX AMEX.

Thank you! I'm sure that's how most CX FAs are up front.
some (white black green yellow you name it) love to have a DYKWIA attitude and they will get a WDGAF attitude back.



then i disagree with your disagreement because many ppl are MPC memebers and they dont realize it because they hold CX AMEX.

I believed Citibank has thrown a mass promotion campaign while they were allied with CX in the past, and many were invited to join MPC at that moment.

I believed Citibank has thrown a mass promotion campaign while they were allied with CX in the past, and many were invited to join MPC at that moment.

But only those who wants to earn miles signed up, not everyone would prefer miles over reward points for example. And do MPC GRs really get preferential treatments onboard? The only "special" treatment I am aware of is they were welcomed onboard in the announcement.

But only those who wants to earn miles signed up, not everyone would prefer miles over reward points for example. And do MPC GRs really get preferential treatments onboard? The only "special" treatment I am aware of is they were welcomed onboard in the announcement.

I am not a big fan of CX, but as a GR - I have got op-ups; A few times ISM did try to locate me and shake my hands even I am not on special meal while I was in Y.

I am not a big fan of CX, but as a GR - I have got op-ups; A few times ISM did try to locate me and shake my hands even I am not on special meal while I was in Y.

Did you have some kind of long history of flying with CX or is a VIP of some kind? It sounds odd that they would do it for all MPC GRs. If there are as many MPC GRs as some FTers suggested (which I don't think it's the case relative to the total HKG population size), it would take almost forever for the ISM to finish this. Has she mixed you up with some higher tier MPC members? :p

For flights that you got hand shakes from the ISM, did you notice whether she did that to other passengers as well? And was that a lot of passengers that received handshakes too?

Did you have some kind of long history of flying with CX or is a VIP of some kind? It sounds odd that they would do it for all MPC GRs. If there are as many MPC GRs as some FTers suggested (which I don't think it's the case relative to the total HKG population size), it would take almost forever for the ISM to finish this. Has she mixed you up with some higher tier MPC members? :p

For flights that you got hand shakes from the ISM, did you notice whether she did that to other passengers as well? And was that a lot of passengers that received handshakes too?

Nah, but I was a SL years before. However, recently I have spending excessively on credit cards, then I flew on award tickets more than revenue ones. You might say I am just lucky for the op-ups, and things go more strange while they tried to upgrade me while I was holding a T-class award ticket.
I got my first upgrade on award ticket noticed by the ISM (after I found out my seat got sat by others). I gave the ISM the most strange look while I got the upgrade first time on award ticket, she joked "Mr.__ , if you really want your econ class seat back, we can help you out."

For the ISM cases, I was on shuttle flights (450/451) or shorthaul flights like 400/401. I believed the ISM were shaking hands with MPCs, as they were saying something like "Mr. ___, welcome on board, it is great to have you to fly with us again". And then FA would come along and confirm others with special meal arrangements.

Nah, but I was a SL years before. However, recently I have spending excessively on credit cards, then I flew on award tickets more than revenue ones. You might say I am just lucky for the op-ups, and things go more strange while they tried to upgrade me while I was holding a T-class award ticket.
I got my first upgrade on award ticket noticed by the ISM (after I found out my seat got sat by others). I gave the ISM the most strange look while I got the upgrade first time on award ticket, she joked "Mr.__ , if you really want your econ class seat back, we can help you out."

For the ISM cases, I was on shuttle flights (450/451) or shorthaul flights like 400/401. I believed the ISM were shaking hands with MPCs, as they were saying something like "Mr. ___, welcome on board, it is great to have you to fly with us again". And then FA would come along and confirm others with special meal arrangements.
So it wasn't MPC GR special treatment onboard then since you were SL at that time :p It will be quite interesting if MPC GRs get this kind of special treatment. But OP was a SL, he probably should have been treated better than the GRs and non-MPC and non-ow elites.

then i disagree with your disagreement because many ppl are MPC memebers and they dont realize it because they hold CX AMEX.


I believed Citibank has thrown a mass promotion campaign while they were allied with CX in the past, and many were invited to join MPC at that moment.

This board cracks me up! Just as you can't read an Economist.com article nowadays without seeing some wumao nationalist going on about how great the Chinese government is, it seems that you can't read a Flyertalk CX board article nowadays without someone mentioning credit card tie-ups :D

I believed Citibank has thrown a mass promotion campaign while they were allied with CX in the past, and many were invited to join MPC at that moment.

But only those who wants to earn miles signed up, not everyone would prefer miles over reward points for example. And do MPC GRs really get preferential treatments onboard? The only "special" treatment I am aware of is they were welcomed onboard in the announcement.

nah its more like you're given an MPC account whether you want it or not (unless you opt out)

at least i can use the priority desks if i wished

So it wasn't MPC GR special treatment onboard then since you were SL at that time :p It will be quite interesting if MPC GRs get this kind of special treatment. But OP was a SL, he probably should have been treated better than the GRs and non-MPC and non-ow elites.

Ah, I messed you up with my Chi-lish.
I was in the status of GR while I receive these special treatments; To make things more weird, I never received anything special while I was SL unless I opted for special meal - the ISM might come around and confirm my meal code. And no, no opt-ups either for the period - even asked deliberately at gate.

nah its more like you're given an MPC account whether you want it or not (unless you opt out)

at least i can use the priority desks if i wished

Priority desks isn't a special treatment given onboard though.

Ah, I messed you up with my Chi-lish.
I was in the status of GR while I receive these special treatments; To make things more weird, I never received anything special while I was SL unless I opted for special meal - the ISM might come around and confirm my meal code. And no, no opt-ups either for the period - even asked deliberately at gate.

That is so weird then. MPC GR getting personalized ISM greetings :eek: But then theoretically OP would have given at least the same if not better treatments than the MPC GRs on the same flight unless most of the Cantonese speaking passengers have MPC GO or above. Is JFK really that elite heavy?

I was just disagreeing with cxfan1960's generalization of HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status.

I do not disagree with you. I was merely stating that many HK CX flyers have MPC status, but I did not mean a majority do.

Priority desks isn't a special treatment given onboard though.

and? but it is a special treatment given to MPC member nevertheless, and was given to any ethnicity that applied to any CX-sponsored credit cards. and i've seen pax of some certain ethnicity to be turned away when requested. However I never tried figuring out if said pax was turned away based on the lack of status or on ethnicity.

As for mainlanders, I can tell you why animosity exist. It's their habits. I've seen it in Hong Kong, I've seen it in US (an increase of mainland immigrants). Their habits is just not Western acceptable. Spitting, littering, general lack of respect for queues etc.

In Hong Kong, there's seems to be a competition for resources. Just read an article recently about how mainlander pregnant women would cross the border to deliver in HK hospitals due to superior medical facilities. This leaves HK women with longer waits etc.

Does every mainlander exhibit such traits? No, but enough do. Just the other day, I was driving in a NYC chinese neighborhood (predominately mainlanders) yielding as I was making a turn to a fairly good-looking woman crossing with her male companion speaking Mandarin. While crossing, she decides to hack one up and spit right in the middle off the crosswalk. She just looked at me as if nothing happened. Any positive impressions I had of her disappear right then and there.

As for mainlanders, I can tell you why animosity exist. It's their habits. I've seen it in Hong Kong, I've seen it in US (an increase of mainland immigrants). Their habits is just not Western acceptable. Spitting, littering, general lack of respect for queues etc.

In Hong Kong, there's seems to be a competition for resources. Just read an article recently about how mainlander pregnant women would cross the border to deliver in HK hospitals due to superior medical facilities. This leaves HK women with longer waits etc.

Does every mainlander exhibit such traits? No, but enough do. Just the other day, I was driving in a NYC chinese neighborhood (predominately mainlanders) yielding as I was making a turn to a fairly good-looking woman crossing with her male companion speaking Mandarin. While crossing, she decides to hack one up and spit right in the middle off the crosswalk. She just looked at me as if nothing happened. Any positive impressions I had of her disappear right then and there.

thanks for putting in a very systematic "analysis"...

In Hong Kong, there's seems to be a competition for resources. Just read an article recently about how mainlander pregnant women would cross the border to deliver in HK hospitals due to superior medical facilities. This leaves HK women with longer waits etc.


This is not just because of the superior medical facilities. This is because the babies born in HKG would then gain the "permanent residency" status - although that is still up to debate and interpretation of the "Basic Laws" but there is already a court-ruled precedent to grant the status to a teenager that was born years ago in HKG and then lived between China and HKG while growing up...

The tactic these pregnant women employed is downright scary - harmful to themselves and their babies, as well as draining the emergency medical services of HKG public hospitals, police and medics stationed at the borders...

This is not just because of the superior medical facilities. This is because the babies born in HKG would then gain the "permanent residency" status - although that is still up to debate and interpretation of the "Basic Laws" but there is already a court-ruled precedent to grant the status to a teenager that was born years ago in HKG and then lived between China and HKG while growing up...

The tactic these pregnant women employed is downright scary - harmful to themselves and their babies, as well as draining the emergency medical services of HKG public hospitals, police and medics stationed at the borders...

Oh yeah..forgot about that part too...RoA status.

Try BA for a day and you will immediately know racism is not yet dead in this world. For non-white and non-Indian people like me, it is always a complete lower-class experience on BA. Many times, I tried to return to my seat from bathroom and somehow the BA FAs would come and police the policy of 'going back to your cabin'. I need to show my J BP to prove I am a J passenger returning to my J seat after using the J bathroom. Never an apology for the annoyance.

WOW... I have never been branded a racist before... Nice to see you like to tar 12,000 people with the same brush... :td:

You know what? CX crew do discriminate. They discriminate against passengers that give them nothing back. They discriminate against passengers who don't give them a motivation to serve. They discriminate against passengers who treat them badly.

I smile to the people who serve me, am always pleasant, give them compliments and thank yous and guess what....I get good service in return.

+1^

I think its how one act as a passenger more than which ethnicity you belong to. I've seen a lot of rude passengers in premium cabins and there are times when I want to stand up and shut them up myself.

During a flight when I had a chance to chat up with the ISM and some of the crew in the forward galley, the ISM told me that she has been telling her girls to know when to stand up for themselves. She says that generally they will have to try to be as nice and polite to passengers but there are some passengers who are just plain obnoxious and rude so they need to know how to defend themselves.

As for mainlanders, I can tell you why animosity exist. It's their habits. I've seen it in Hong Kong, I've seen it in US (an increase of mainland immigrants). Their habits is just not Western acceptable. Spitting, littering, general lack of respect for queues etc.

In Hong Kong, there's seems to be a competition for resources. Just read an article recently about how mainlander pregnant women would cross the border to deliver in HK hospitals due to superior medical facilities. This leaves HK women with longer waits etc.

Does every mainlander exhibit such traits? No, but enough do. Just the other day, I was driving in a NYC chinese neighborhood (predominately mainlanders) yielding as I was making a turn to a fairly good-looking woman crossing with her male companion speaking Mandarin. While crossing, she decides to hack one up and spit right in the middle off the crosswalk. She just looked at me as if nothing happened. Any positive impressions I had of her disappear right then and there.

I dont think you can attempt to validate your prejudice - Hong Kong Chinese are just as bad as the mainlanders in other ways.

I dont think you can attempt to validate your prejudice - Hong Kong Chinese are just as bad as the mainlanders in other ways.

please explain.

*waiting for a 10000 word thesis*


WOW... I have never been branded a racist before... Nice to see you like to tar 12,000 people with the same brush... :td:
Tho I've never met BBB, i'm sure I've met BAgents who are defo helpful rather than racist...

I believe the mods may have to step in here a bit since it's getting a bit off hand, with some individual categorically commenting on a Mod's comment - that would make mods hard to work on things (or would it?)?!?!?!

I dont think you can attempt to validate your prejudice - Hong Kong Chinese are just as bad as the mainlanders in other ways.

In terms of queuing up and what not, people who grew up here in the 80's and 90's can tell you it is different. Maybe it is the new generation that the problem lies? Perhaps. But I've always said, it is impossible to attempt to ignore the behavioral and cultural differences that exist. We see this not only in Hong Kong, but in Singapore and Taiwan. The increasing number of Mainlanders in foreign countries are boosting their economies, but the cultural conflicts that are starting to creep up now are undeniable.

please explain.

*waiting for a 10000 word thesis*

There are HKers who are equally bad and rude, no surprise there. Which culture doesn't have these bad apples? But is there an abnormally high number of "bad apples" who just so happen to be the LV wearing (I know, I know, stereotyping again) Mainlanders? Yes, there seems to be. Again, these are just experiences from living here, and it is what I've seen. It's hard to be able to differentiate observations from pure "racist statements".

Is that a can opener I hear?

Mmm! Them worms shor' look tasty!

please explain.

*waiting for a 10000 word thesis*



I think i'll not bother. All cultures have their bad traits, my own included, and im not on a frequent flyer board to get jumped on because i interrupted the slating of mainlanders..

...the babies born in HKG would then gain the "permanent residency" status...In America, they're called Anchor Babies. Some of us are distressed about it; others see future voters...

I can understand why HKers are worried - in '05 my 1st trip to Beijing and Shanghai was an eye opener - mainlanders who had a little money (not affluent by any means) walked around like they owned the city and could boss anyone around. This wasn't a one off event; this was the norm. Sad and scary. I've gone back at least twice every year since - can only say it's getting worse, not better.

As a Caucasian (and OW elite) I get treated very well by the CX staff. But I also go out of my way to treat the staff with respect - I fully realize how blessed I am to have an executive position and never had to work in the service industry. To the OP: I think you need to a) get your Chinese co-worker to work on his English ASAP - it is the International Business Language after all; b) tell him to smile and be very humble. He'll be ok.

I dont think you can attempt to validate your prejudice - Hong Kong Chinese are just as bad as the mainlanders in other ways.

Ditto. A lot of HKers speak/yell as loud as Mainlanders when onboard or in a different country. Some HKers are very "high profile" in some ways and I do find those behaviours rude and annoying.

In America, they're called Anchor Babies. Some of us are distressed about it; others see future voters...


The Latino population is exploding for sure, once every few years news reports (read: forecasts) come up regarding how within x amount of years, the Latino population will be equal to the Caucasian population.

I've heard this joke more than once: Mexicans love to live in California because it is a great place to live and very close to the United States!

Try BA for a day and you will immediately know racism is not yet dead in this world. For non-white and non-Indian people like me, it is always a complete lower-class experience on BA. Many times, I tried to return to my seat from bathroom and somehow the BA FAs would come and police the policy of 'going back to your cabin'. I need to show my J BP to prove I am a J passenger returning to my J seat after using the J bathroom. Never an apology for the annoyance.

did you offer the FA your passport to match the name + photo with the boarding pass?

if i were you i would go "May i kindly offer you my passport to double check my ID do match the boarding pass?"

and at the end "apology accepted and thank you very much (for doing your job)" (in this case the FA did not offer one).

roll my eyes!! (after the FA walked away).:mad:

generally speaking if you are nice to the FAs, they would be nice to you. dont forget "please" and "thank you" and the occasional eye contact.

speaking good english (so the FA can understand you) + well dressed (tidy and clean) + well behaved = you should have no problem with (most) airlines.

i have seen many many rude pax in premium cabin and yes do want to slap them! (white or asian travel on white/western or asian airlines)

perhaps sitting in the front row may help you not seeing any other pax getting the "special treatment" :p

I was just disagreeing with cxfan1960's generalization of HK people fly a lot on CX/KA and many have MPC status.

Well - let's lay out everything and see.

If you said many HKers are AM members, it will be true.

But for MPC, it may be a doubt:

1. HKers will not pay USD$50 unless it is worthy.
2. Personally, I don't think the annual fee for AMEX CX HK will be waived in on-going basis by meeting spending as it is rare for airlines card annual fee to be waived. So how many people become MPC GR because of that card? Not too many. (AFAIK - they will prefer DBS Black Card instead for more miles).
3. Most people who get MPC (historically) are the true frequent flyers.

Haven't been to Canada in a long time - but last I heard, it still is very predominantly Cantonese speakers / HKers there.

You will have to thank CX for that.

Agreed. Im actually English, not Chinese, and it's still very easy to tell the difference and the animosity between the two.

You mean British's British (British Citizen) or British from Hong Kong (British National (Overseas)). Almost half of the Hong Kong population is British (nationality not ethnicity).

please explain.

*waiting for a 10000 word thesis*

In Simplified or Traditional Chinese :D:D:D ?

Well - let's lay out everything and see.

If you said many HKers are AM members, it will be true.

But for MPC, it may be a doubt:

1. HKers will not pay USD$50 unless it is worthy.
2. Personally, I don't think the annual fee for AMEX CX HK will be waived in on-going basis by meeting spending as it is rare for airlines card annual fee to be waived. So how many people become MPC GR because of that card? Not too many. (AFAIK - they will prefer DBS Black Card instead for more miles).
3. Most people who get MPC (historically) are the true frequent flyers.


1. Just my 2 cents, but both Now-defunt Citi CX Card and CX Amex provide free MPC member, and both card requires compulsory Asiamiles account, and both card have a big note saying "Waiving USD 50 sign-up fee for MPC Account"

If you ask me how many people really pay that USD 50 out of their pocket, I will say absolute minimum.

2. A warm reminder is that the 4 sector requirement for MPC GR is never really carried out hence everyone that sign-up for MPC won't be bump down to Asiamiles until MPC change it, hence your renewal "issue" is irrelevant

3. As mention at Point (1) and (2), not necessary true. BTW my aunt who is loyal to CX, only travel on Award ticket because she did too many expense for her company, and only being a MPC GR (just like some of our friends here).

Is she loyal to CX? Yes, only because it's free :P

We are going wayyyyy OT

oh.i totally did pay 50USD for MPC. back when there's no such opportunity to get free MPC membership - like pre-broadband.

of course, as time goes by this subset of member gets totally diluted by the rest. Say, my sis only paid because my dad recklessly decided to do so, and my mum got MPO SL comped directly.

Well - let's lay out everything and see.

If you said many HKers are AM members, it will be true.

But for MPC, it may be a doubt:

1. HKers will not pay USD$50 unless it is worthy.
2. Personally, I don't think the annual fee for AMEX CX HK will be waived in on-going basis by meeting spending as it is rare for airlines card annual fee to be waived. So how many people become MPC GR because of that card? Not too many. (AFAIK - they will prefer DBS Black Card instead for more miles).
3. Most people who get MPC (historically) are the true frequent flyers.

You will have to thank CX for that.

You mean British's British (British Citizen) or British from Hong Kong (British National (Overseas)). Almost half of the Hong Kong population is British (nationality not ethnicity).
Chris and I have at some point responded to those. but 1 to add. all the devaluations (of all sorts) de-loyalized me. I'm now stargold and actively look to burn UA/NH/SQ miles on * or BA miles on short asia trips.
I still fly CX predominately because of schedule (and having heaps of asiamiles). (they are the only airline that has HKG-KIX/NRT as a red eye, and offers twice as many flights as the japanese carriers in total).

as to CX AMEX fee waiver, many ppl who have a higher AMEX will have CX AMEX annual fee waived. or if it's canxed due to inability to meet min spending targets, MPC account would still stay active. I bet LESS people pay this A/F than HKers pay 50USD for MPC.


In Simplified or Traditional Chinese :D:D:D ?
I only understand 1 but not the other. if you got the wrong language you'll have to redo the thesis;)

WOW... I have never been branded a racist before... Nice to see you like to tar 12,000 people with the same brush... :td:

I am sorry I do not mean to imply every single BA employee is behaving like that.

My post is telling the experience that made me feel I was being prejudiced against. One of the common cognitive distortion many people have is over-generalization.

BA is still my preferred airline to Europe considering its significantly cheaper J fare than CX's.

My post is telling the experience that made me feel I was being prejudiced against. One of the common cognitive distortion many people have is over-generalization.

It is the reality - every person has his or her own pride and prejudice.

In HKG, we called that "ugly face". In the rest of the world, we called that racist.

That's not much we can really do except we treat all the employees nicely. The rest will depends on our own fate or if you have a "nice face" or not...:D:D:D

did you offer the FA your passport to match the name + photo with the boarding pass?

if i were you i would go "May i kindly offer you my passport to double check my ID do match the boarding pass?"

and at the end "apology accepted and thank you very much (for doing your job)" (in this case the FA did not offer one).

roll my eyes!! (after the FA walked away).:mad:

Don't be surprised. Every passenger has his or her passport checked against the BP at the boarding gate in thousands of airports in the world. Mine was already checked.

I think I deserve an apology because of the contexts and the way they police the BP checking to me. I felt the same degree of policing was not applied to other passengers of a different ethnicity. It was annoying to be confronted in a blunt and rude way, like 'You need to go back to your cabin. This is business class!'

If you were me, you would feel insulted and embarrassed the same way I did. Plus, there were other passengers overhearing what the FA said and mistook that I was an illegal immigrant to 'their cabin'. Try think about the unnecessary embarrassment I went through. And you think a demand for apology is laughable?

I suppose FAs should have received some sort of communication training before they work their jobs. Some were not learning enough in the classroom.

It is the reality - every person has his or her own pride and prejudice.

In HKG, we called that "ugly face". In the rest of the world, we called that racist.

That's not much we can really do except we treat all the employees nicely. The rest will depends on our own fate or if you have a "nice face" or not...:D:D:D

I wish I could have a better face to make me a Hollywood star but I have no choice. Just as your parents give you your face.

We all know where this thread will be heading when it first started.. and yes, I think enough has been said about this subject... so let's just close it , shall we?

Thank you..

Guy Betsy
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles forum co-mod