TravelwhileyouEat

I find the language barrier to be frustrating when trying to ask for something specific. While I am one of those people who don't really mind if the ISM or anyone really greets me once seated, I wish they would be more consistent with staffing fluent English speakers on routes that are to/from primarily English speaking countries at least.

kaka

thing is the greeting is just an indication of service in general. And chances are that if they cannot speak properly to greet, they wouldn't have the confidence to speak English properly when serving.

nmuva98

I definitely agree that the service on CX is declining. I will admit that my judgment might be a bit clouded by the fact that CX has one of the worst F&B offerings in the sky, though! I've pretty much moved all of my long-haul flights to Qatar. They have simply the best business class offering in the OW alliance (and one of the best globally). I understand if CX can't realistically compete with Qatar given their current situation, but giving their pricing (ex-HKG) I feel like they're taking the p*** a bit...

On the general level of service, to be frank, I've found CX's service to pretty much reflect the general level of service in Hong Kong--poor. I don't know why but local Hong Kong people as a whole are a pretty humourless bunch, and there is literally zero concept of customer service here. And it's not so much about the execution, as it is things like the inability to smile when engaging with strangers, make eye contact, engage with the customer, etc. And of course the concept of "the customer is always right" most certainly does not exist here.

I originally thought this was perhaps a language issue, but it's not, as you don't have these issues anywhere else in Asia. Then I thought maybe it was a Chinese cultural thing. Yes, customer service is horrendous on the mainland too, but, things just feel different in Hong Kong. As just one example, I've found the service on KA to be much better than on CX--and it's the little things like the fact that the FAs on KA actually smile and make eye contact.

I honestly have no idea why this is, but I find it quite odd...

sxc

I have always said that service in F&B in HK is abrupt, and sometimes rude, but usually fast and you get done, what you need.

I don't think I've ever come across any rude crew that I can remember, but the attitude of the less experienced/younger staff will reflect this ethos. If you ask for something, you will get it, and it will usually be done fast. They won't put a lot of platitudes around it but you'll get what you wanted without any grumbling.

For the older and more experienced staff, the service is better than pretty much most of the airlines as long as you're not looking for an inflight "pal" (eg Qantas can be overly friendly or familiar).

Guy Betsy

I've had fantastic service in all my recent CX flights... in J, and in Y.

They do their job, and they're courteous. That's all that matters. I don't expect them to fawn over me just because I'm a SL/GO/DM card holder. If they acknowledge me, great. If not, so what?

CX HK

If regular F&B service could be half as good as CX's service, we would have a whole lot less to complain about!

PaulInTheSky

There's a reason I almost never speak Cantonese when I enter the departure area in HKG, just like going to Coffee shops/higher-end restaurants in HKG. I lose quite a bit of Cantonese already, but if I absolutely have to say it, I can. I notice when I speak English, most staff would at least not give me any attitude, and take things a bit more seriously. They might still appear indifferent, but if they know you understand Cantonese, then they may not provide ANY services at all. Against other foreigners, they provide slightly better service.

CX HK

Any insight as to why?

PaulInTheSky

There's unfortunately a perception/stereotype where HKers and mainland Chinese travelers think they are the bosses even when they pay dirt cheap Y fares for flights. When I first flew CX HKG-SFO back in 2004, I found that most HKers/Mainland Chinese passengers did not even say thanks/thank you when given drinks/food. Passengers think that is given. Therefore, when FAs see you are HKers/Mainland Chinese, more often than not they don't respect you, especially in Y. I get it, when they see most foreigners(Japanese/Taiwanese/Singaporeans/Europeans/Americans) frequently saying thank you, it's easier to think their efforts were at least respected and appreciated. In J, they assume you are more important/more educated, because it's not easy to fly J in HKers' eyes(look at ex-HKG fares, the awful redemption/upgrade benefits for Marco Polo members vs US3 or other carriers), so they respect you a little bit more. If they know you speak Cantonese, they would be like 'come on we are the same people, cut me some slack, especially when I am cute'.

I don't agree with some FAs complaining about too much work especially 'Meals on demand', because some customers might want to eat after sleep as well. However, things would be easier if they ask the customers specifically when they would like to have the food, so they can take notes and plan accordingly.

G-CIVC

Respectfully cannot agree as I think every time I fly CX the service gets MUCH better once the crew starts speaking in Cantonese to me (and generally good crew - they can tell very soon in the flight; meh crews - keep speaking English)

There is a difference in being a Cantonese-speaking customer and a Cantonese-speaking customer with basic manners, having a smile and communicating with your FA with respect. I guess your stereotype falls more for the former, but it is definitely not the case for the latter

As I have said before the fantastic thing about CX service (esp with HK crews) is how genuine they are - they don't mind joking about their company/life and making casual chats once you are similarly friendly to them - very different from the more robotic likes of QR and SQ (and forget about Japanese carriers as understandably most of them can't converse in English that well)

sxc

And this applies to any crew of any airline and language. Smile back and be thankful, and it goes a long way to mutual respect and receiving good service.

Hottub Cowboy

This is often a hit and miss and does not apply to all crew. I fly 1-2 times a week and always speak canto with the crew on board. I have had a much better service when they notice me carrying a HKSAR passport as a caucasian rather than simply speaking canto.

sl0uch

My personal experience has been the reverse: some of the HK crew with a little more seniority kinda let themselves go. This is only obvious because they've got some very hard-working foreign colleagues at CX (whether from PH/ID/MY/TW/TH/JP etc) who are still delivering top notch CX-style service "by the book."

I had an experience this year on a single flight, where a Korean crew was very proactive and warm and engaged in lovely small talk with poise even while facing a full J load, but a HK lady of the same rank behaved like I intimidated her. Without going into detail, we later had a tiny little situation where she acted like she thought/assumed I wasn't going to comply with safety instructions.

It was the kind of thing that makes you think, did she have an unfair, stereotypical racial assumption about me? I wish her the best, but I've got to say all the lovely CX memories of late, have been those non-HK crew from all over Asia.

kaka

i would agree with you in general terms here. I often speak in english on board first (i dont want to talk to a non-HKG crew in canto. Thats embarasing) but would switch if i find the fa feels easier speaking in canto.
and when you do say thanks, most do treat you better(and hey, i do support staff to treat those customers who treat staff bad bad! And have given commendation letters to those who gave naughty pax some sticks)

I dont think that generalization ought to be applied across the board. Those who spends too much time on cxsecrets might not be setting their priorities right hence may not represent the better crew up there! And those who didnt let you know they're canto based... they try to treat you the same as before they know you know canto!

kaka

im not excusing the hk crew but i would safely assume MOST non-hkg crew come from a smaller subset and is the "better" back at home and got out to cx.
the hkg based is much larger so the not as good crew is easier to get thru the ranks.