When Your Cathay Pacific Flight Attendant Used To Work For US Airways…
Feb 22, 2018, 6:52 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: CX Green, QF Platinum, BAEC Silver, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 10,780
When Your Cathay Pacific Flight Attendant Used To Work For US Airways…
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2018/02/22/cathay-pacific-us-based-crews/
Blog post says that cabin crew in HK are expensive. I thought CX cabin crew were cheap compared to crew employed by overseas airlines?
Blog post says that cabin crew in HK are expensive. I thought CX cabin crew were cheap compared to crew employed by overseas airlines?
Feb 22, 2018, 9:40 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Little dot in Asia
Programs: AA-EP, TK-*G, HL-DM, HY-GLO, MR-LTP
Posts: 25,932
Blogger has not been around much.
CX YVR base has a few caucasians working on CX. And they speak at leat one asian language. And yes, there are a few from other airlines so they'd have to be retrained to serve and be courteous the CX way.
CX YVR base has a few caucasians working on CX. And they speak at leat one asian language. And yes, there are a few from other airlines so they'd have to be retrained to serve and be courteous the CX way.
Feb 22, 2018, 11:25 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 525
I've met a few of the caucasians and it's still a bit trippy when I hear them speak Cantonese to some little old lady. The YVR crews are fantastic, in fact I'd say they are better than the HKG based crews that I've had.
Feb 22, 2018, 2:44 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: JFK/EWR/SFO/LAX/YYZ <-> HKG, PEK, CKG
Programs: CX, Hyatt
Posts: 155
I thought YVR based crew has a bad reputation on this forum.
In terms of comparing with the HK based crew, my limited experience on 888/889 (always operated by YVR crew) seems to indicate they are slightly more casual/less professional than the HK bunch. Most memorable incident is they forgot to leave my salad "defrost" on 889 so I was eating ice covered vegetables - although not sure if it was meant to be frozen or placed too close to the frozen goods by the caterer in the cart, but I had the exact same salad the following week on 845/841 also out of JFK by DO & Co and serviced by HK/mixed (non-YVR) crew and it tasted much better. However, was quite impressed that despite seldom traveling YVR routes, some crew recognized and greeted me on a flight. On another flight, the DMs sitting across from me seem to know the ISM who was faking nice a bit and obviously didn't want to chat with them much.
Overall interesting and generally friendly bunch, but again, just anecdotes and I haven't flown enough with them.
In terms of comparing with the HK based crew, my limited experience on 888/889 (always operated by YVR crew) seems to indicate they are slightly more casual/less professional than the HK bunch. Most memorable incident is they forgot to leave my salad "defrost" on 889 so I was eating ice covered vegetables - although not sure if it was meant to be frozen or placed too close to the frozen goods by the caterer in the cart, but I had the exact same salad the following week on 845/841 also out of JFK by DO & Co and serviced by HK/mixed (non-YVR) crew and it tasted much better. However, was quite impressed that despite seldom traveling YVR routes, some crew recognized and greeted me on a flight. On another flight, the DMs sitting across from me seem to know the ISM who was faking nice a bit and obviously didn't want to chat with them much.
Overall interesting and generally friendly bunch, but again, just anecdotes and I haven't flown enough with them.
Feb 22, 2018, 3:35 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: ZOA, SFO, HKG
Programs: UA 1K 0.9MM, Marriott Gold, HHonors Gold, Hertz PC, SBux Gold, TSA Pre✓
Posts: 13,811
Blog post says that cabin crew in HK are expensive. I thought CX cabin crew were cheap compared to crew employed by overseas airlines?
The main reason is these overseas airlines HKG-based crews do not have a separate pay scale. Instead, they follow the CBA from the home country. Their pays are HKD equivalent of the pay scale from the home country.
As pointed by the blogger as well, CX limits N. America based FA, at the minimum, from operating any routes other than the route between HKG and their home base. In other word, CX has practically outsourced the N. America route back to N. America.
Feb 22, 2018, 6:02 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: MNL
Programs: CX MPO DM, Le Club Accor Platinum, World of Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 2,284
This was a rehash of the same post he did a year or so ago. I remembered because i made a comment where he said
Because most Filipino Crew I know are actually HK base and live in HK and visit the Philippine from time to time but mostly they are in HK.
I should mention that even many of Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong based cabin crew commute. Many of them live in the Philippines, Thailand, etc., and commute to Hong Kong for work.
Feb 22, 2018, 6:31 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DCA/CLT/HKG
Programs: AA EXP (Former US CP)
Posts: 731
I feel like the blogger's post is more to nitpick US than anything else.
Tbh, I've flown with a bunch of US-based CX crews, and they are generally fantastic and on par (and sometimes better than) with their HKG counterparts.
As stated above, there are a good number of Caucasian CX cabin crew members-they just have to meet the requirement of speaking an Asian language.
Tbh, I've flown with a bunch of US-based CX crews, and they are generally fantastic and on par (and sometimes better than) with their HKG counterparts.
As stated above, there are a good number of Caucasian CX cabin crew members-they just have to meet the requirement of speaking an Asian language.
Feb 22, 2018, 6:51 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: CX Green, QF Platinum, BAEC Silver, Hyatt Glob
Posts: 10,780
Feb 22, 2018, 7:08 pm
#10
Suspended
Join Date: May 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: A3, TK *G; JL JGC; SPG,Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,952
brackets added by me
Feb 22, 2018, 7:29 pm
#11
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: JFK 🇺🇸 (mostly); YVR 🇨🇦 (a bit less); HKG 🇭🇰 (even less)
Programs: Marco Polo GR 😂😂; HHonors Gold; Ritz Carlton Gold
Posts: 494
I too can also attest to the fact that NA crews are really good; in fact, I can even say I prefer the service of YVR-based crew over their counterparts. However, given the disparity of YVR based vs HK based crew from my flights, it may have just been off days for the crews of those flights
Feb 22, 2018, 8:13 pm
#12
Suspended
Join Date: May 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: A3, TK *G; JL JGC; SPG,Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,952
+1 to the london crew. they have truely improved since joining.
OTOH, some HK-based crew are to be desired. considering i got yelled at once and CX didnt bother after i complained.
OTOH, some HK-based crew are to be desired. considering i got yelled at once and CX didnt bother after i complained.
Feb 22, 2018, 9:05 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,421
CX needs to return to hiring crew from South East Asia/ India/NE Asia
HK crew are too entitled
The best crew I ever had were Japanese
For some reason an AKL-HKG flight was running with all Japanese crew ( 1 HKer and 1 Indian - rest all Japanese- they even did all the announcements in Japanese as well as Cantonese and Hindi.... yes it was ridiculous...- every time there was turbulence we would get 4 announcements)
Very sincere service however. It felt like the Cathay I first flew way back in 2003
Worst crew- HK crew- too much attitude
HK crew are too entitled
The best crew I ever had were Japanese
For some reason an AKL-HKG flight was running with all Japanese crew ( 1 HKer and 1 Indian - rest all Japanese- they even did all the announcements in Japanese as well as Cantonese and Hindi.... yes it was ridiculous...- every time there was turbulence we would get 4 announcements)
Very sincere service however. It felt like the Cathay I first flew way back in 2003
Worst crew- HK crew- too much attitude
Feb 22, 2018, 9:27 pm
#14
Suspended
Join Date: May 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: A3, TK *G; JL JGC; SPG,Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,952
CX needs to return to hiring crew from South East Asia/ India/NE Asia
HK crew are too entitled
The best crew I ever had were Japanese
For some reason an AKL-HKG flight was running with all Japanese crew ( 1 HKer and 1 Indian - rest all Japanese- they even did all the announcements in Japanese as well as Cantonese and Hindi.... yes it was ridiculous...- every time there was turbulence we would get 4 announcements)
Very sincere service however. It felt like the Cathay I first flew way back in 2003
Worst crew- HK crew- too much attitude
HK crew are too entitled
The best crew I ever had were Japanese
For some reason an AKL-HKG flight was running with all Japanese crew ( 1 HKer and 1 Indian - rest all Japanese- they even did all the announcements in Japanese as well as Cantonese and Hindi.... yes it was ridiculous...- every time there was turbulence we would get 4 announcements)
Very sincere service however. It felt like the Cathay I first flew way back in 2003
Worst crew- HK crew- too much attitude
some canto hk crew isnt much better too- too entitled+1.
tw, japan, thai, otger se asia crew is much missed.
Feb 22, 2018, 9:28 pm
#15
Suspended
Join Date: May 2006
Location: HKG
Programs: A3, TK *G; JL JGC; SPG,Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,952
CX needs to return to hiring crew from South East Asia/ India/NE Asia
HK crew are too entitled
The best crew I ever had were Japanese
For some reason an AKL-HKG flight was running with all Japanese crew ( 1 HKer and 1 Indian - rest all Japanese- they even did all the announcements in Japanese as well as Cantonese and Hindi.... yes it was ridiculous...- every time there was turbulence we would get 4 announcements)
Very sincere service however. It felt like the Cathay I first flew way back in 2003
Worst crew- HK crew- too much attitude
HK crew are too entitled
The best crew I ever had were Japanese
For some reason an AKL-HKG flight was running with all Japanese crew ( 1 HKer and 1 Indian - rest all Japanese- they even did all the announcements in Japanese as well as Cantonese and Hindi.... yes it was ridiculous...- every time there was turbulence we would get 4 announcements)
Very sincere service however. It felt like the Cathay I first flew way back in 2003
Worst crew- HK crew- too much attitude