Originally Posted by
Cathay Boy
My wife was in a rush two years ago to catch her flight in HKG. She asked the lady that is managing the lines if she can go in front, in Cantonese, and the lady told her she only speaks English, which to my wife is very strange: you work in HKG, managing the line, and you only speak English? Of course my wife being an American train doctorate replied right back in English and the lady let her move up front.
Looks like CX is being true to their corporate culture: English first.
Hong Kong, being a former colony, grapples with the mix of language and class identities. When I lived there, and checked in for a C/J class flight at the airport, the counter staff would speak to me in English. When I flex economy class, the staff would see my face (I am a Chinese American) and more often than not, address me in Cantonese. Socio-economic class distinctions at work here.
Unfortunately, in HK, there is a perception that if you speak Cantonese (and/or Mandarin) in a service situation as the customer/client, sometimes you will not get as good service or be taken seriously if you speak English. My wife (a native Cantonese speaker) will use English if she feels it will get her better service when dealing with the airlines, and not just with CX.