I was a pilot for Cathay for 16 years and I want to thank you. You brought back lots of emotions. Unfortunately I'm one of many pilot CX let go during the pandemic. I still hold a special place in my heart for Cathay and Hong Kong and wish for blue skies ahead. Thanks Sam
@@A1steak for the top 10% maybe. Those living in coffin homes might beg to differ as would most surviving in a 50 sq metre apartment. I have visited before but now just see it for what it now is. Just another big CHINESE city. And consequently I will never return.
What a great experience for the children. I hope everything turns out OK for Cathay Pacific. Flown them a few times from Europe to Asia before the pandemic.
So your "White entitlement" really works well on Cathay.. thanks for telling us that. It simply reaffirms Cathay's "White preference". I think it is totally shameless for Cathay staff to constantly insult the Chinese and for management for brush aside these complaints. It ys even more shameful for Mainland Chinese to continue to support Cathay Maybe they do deserve to be treated like dirt.
what a stupid move cathay pacific has made, bribing numerous western influencers to advertise for it. freaking 70 per cent of your income comes from passengers you discriminate. hoping western influencers to convince the Chinese to take your airline again, while youtube is not even available in china? or hoping them to justify for your barbaric treatment towards your largest customers? a flight between 2 chinese cities on a chinese airline with chinese passengers and chinese crews, why the fk do you expect all of them to speak the foreign language of the country that had looted and colonized you? every ethnic has the right to speak their own language, so does chinese. hongkie hongkie, blanket your daddy. Search for blanket incident.
When I was in high school I had a good friend who had a passion for aeroplanes. I lost contact with him after I finished high school. About 26 years later I found out that he ended up being a commercial pilot for Cathy Pacific. Unfortunately and tragically he was later killed in a motorcycle accident. RIP Ali Awick my friend. I remember all the good times we had together in my high school years.
I feel that Cathay and Thai is notorious to not only be bias against Chinese but asians in general. I flew them in 2019, our kid was 1(sorry! But we wouldn't be able to make this trip any other time due to my work schedule) and we decided to take him to Guangzhou to meet our extended family. Across from us is a white and asian couple with a kid as well. The cabin crew seem to be way more attentive with the white asian couple than with us(two asians), their formula was warmed without being prompted. They coddle the white and asian couple's kid when he/she was crying, they even gave them a stuff teddy. For us all we got was dirty looks from the staff when our kid was crying. I don't blame the other couple or feel any contempt towards them, it just made us feel like lesser people being treated by the Cathay staff like this. The US carriers like United treated my family a lot better, and when I say better I just meant equally.
This. I've been to Thai and Chinese restaurants in the US and Canada where the Asian servers gave far better service to white customers compared to Asian and black customers. The self-hate in these Asians is really quite sad.
Before COVID, I had a short haul flight with CX experiencing poor customer service and an avoidance manner from crew. Sad to say CX needs a big push on reform 😅. Thank you Sam and with this video we can learn more about CX.
I'm sorry to hear about your terrible experience with Cathay Pacific. Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. It's important to speak up and hold companies accountable for their actions. I hope that by sharing your story, others will be encouraged to do the same and help put an end to discrimination in the airline industry.
Cathay Pacific has a longstanding reputation for discrimination against non-English speakers even before the COVID pandemic impacted their operations. This issue has been widely acknowledged. I personally experienced an incident on a CX flight from JFK to HKG back in 2015. A flight attendant with a Hong Kong accent proved to be difficult to communicate with when speaking Mandarin. When I requested a cup of water in Mandarin, she ignored my initial request. It was only when I asked again that she curtly informed me that there was water available in the lavatories, suggesting that I could help myself if I needed it. Fortunately, the Malaysian crew members were friendly and assisted me with my request. In my opinion, CX should focus on hiring more non-local crew members and creating a more competitive environment. The Taiwanese and Malaysian crew members have consistently provided excellent service, while the Korean and Japanese crew members have been friendly as well. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong-based crew members have consistently been the least satisfactory in terms of service quality.
Many cabin crew members share the same feeling that Chinese passengers are the worst group of people to deal with on board in terms of behaviour and attitude. It's not surprising why Chinese tourists were widely hated as they travelled abroad. CX operates many international flights and you just can't expect crew members to speak in a regional language when it is an international flight.
Yeah, they have been doing this Chinese customers for long period of time. I don't see how they're going to change. Sometime it takes longer to serve customers that they don't like, especially to Mainlanders. I have seen it and it's really disgusting. They don't understand that without Mainland customers, there would be alot less paychecks.
@@ailo8964 the most recent incident happened on a flight WITHIN China! Also, no matter where the flight was headed, the fact that the crew members mistreated and publicly discriminated a non- English speaking passenger is unforgivable! No matter the nationality, race, gender and colour, no one should be shamed or discriminatingd against for not being able to speak English. Last time I checked, not being able to speak English is not a crime! Please STOP making excuses for those Cathay crew members. (OH and btw, being Chinese is not something to be shamed of and certainly not an invitation for discrimination when traveling.)
Not only do they discriminate against mainland Chinese, they do it against other people as well. When the pandemic started, I took a flight from HCMC to HK and had a bad experience with a CX flight attendant. The flight was very empty (maybe only 10 people in economy class) and I struggled to lift my hand-carry up to the cabin. I asked the flight attendant for help and she raised her voice and said in a very annoyed way that if I can't lift my luggage then don't bring so much. I mean.. it's not that the flight was so cramped that she couldn't help, moreover the luggage wasn't heavy, I was just petite. I am a frequent traveler and with airlines like JAL, EVA.. the flight attendants often offer help without you asking. I still like CX for other aspects and it's a very good airline, but I noticed a difference in the attitude of CX's flight attendants compared to other airlines.
The Communist Party of China 中國共產黨 has been so good at brainwashing its citizens mind. Unsurprising to see so many wumao/ 5 cents in the comment section. Lest forget Beijing Massacre on June 4th, 1989. Lest forget the cruel actions Communist Party has done on its people for decades. Lest forget what Communist Party has done to Hong Kong in the last few years.
Sam: God bless your mom. She’s the one who brought you to this world, and thanks to her we all have you, and thanks to you, we all enjoy aviation at it’s best. We hope God will give you, your mom and your whole family many years of good health, happiness and blessings, always together. Best wishes always from Delaware.
The scary thing is not that one story on social media. People are actually stepping up all over the place, telling their horrible experiences with Cathay and the discrimination they received. We have all the reasons to believe that this is a toxic company with unacceptable ethical standards floating around in their doors.
It is not that scary when one experiences that kind of discrimination across much of HK's service industry. I am not a mainlander, and yet I felt difficult to relax when communicating with service staff in HK for fear of being regarded as one.
@@thinkingaloud5379 I stuck to English the whole time, and received subpar or outright poor treatment in many places. And that is despite going to more "tourist-friendly" cha chaan tengs with English menus. I even started wondering if these staff cannot distinguish between my obvious Singaporean accent, and a mainlander speaking English.
Christina Ho is a beautiful/energetic pilot. Her passion and journey to becoming a CX pilot inspire many to dream beyond the sky. Also, great job by Cathay to have these community flights to recognize that not everyone is privileged to fly.
I took a Cathay flight back in 2017 from HKG to JFK. I flew business class and cabin crew refused to give me and my wife champagne and ice cream because we look too "mainland Chinese" and these items are "not reserved for you". They said that to my wife in Cantonese thinking we wouldn't understand. It was the single worst experience I've ever had on an airplane. We thought about filing a complaint with DOT. But our schedule became so busy after we returned to NYC and we just kinda forgot about it. Maybe this is how Cathay Pacific managed to hide its discrimination for so long. I'm so glad that they finally got caught this time.
Con esto que acabas de comentar es para que nunca más vuelva a volar con esta aerolínea, no importa que cambien a todo el personal en su momento permitieron la discriminación y eso jamás será olvidado.
What a great clip. It made me tear-up at the beautiful memories those children will have. And I’m so glad you included the pilot’s story of how she got into aviation. It’s not always obvious or the first choice but what is important is having the courage to act when the realization hits. Great life lessons from her and you, Sam! Thx.
My uncle also had a very bad experience with CX. He was flying from the US back to China and needed to transit at HK. His first flight to HK was a CX flight. He said he was constantly ignored by the crew when he asked them for water. His service light was rarely attended. He had to wave to any flight attendant walking passing his seat and saying 'Ni Hao' (Hello in Mandarin). And you guessed it, he was ignored by all crew members as if they didn't understand him. The problem was never what language the crews speak. You could wave your hand and say Bonjour to a crew on a Malaysia Airlines flight they will acknowledge you. CX has such a sad airline culture.
You're right, it's not the language. It's the fact that the Chinese government is imprisoning Hong Kongers, illegally suppressing democratic protests, and attempting to erase Cantonese from school curricula. It's pretty rude of your uncle to try to speak Mandarin to a flight attendant who clearly would not appreciate someone speaking Mandarin to them when English is clearly the lingua franca to use.
@@herooo.2928 so passengers need to cater to flight attendants' language preference? what the F is your logic here? who is working in the service industry? The passenger or the flight attendant? How the F does Chinese gov't imprisoning Hong kongers have anything to do with the justification of flight attendants refusing to DO THEIR JOB and PROVIDE service to CUSTOMERS?
Mandy, I am a Malaysian and flew many airlines around the world. I have also flown CX and rate them highly, perhaps not as good as SQ whose service is a bit clinical..... MH is ok but then, I am biased and want to support my own country's carrier. Of course, they are also not perfect but who is. We are dealing with humans, with emotions and whilst they are in the service line, we also need to be mindful that their work is not easy and they have handle difficult and demanding passengers, time zones and long hours (early days). Anyway, back to the air crew service - you should fly some of the US and European airlines for a broader perspective. Your uncle should learn how to press the service button for attention.....
Dear Sam, As a Hongkonger, you may try to help CX to regain her name. I used to share positive experience too. However, I changed my mind after my poor phone call experience with a CX customer service staff. After that, I understand that the root problem is not "discrimination" but a structural problem of the whole company. Maybe your experience on CX flights is good. Because of you are SAM CHUI - the famous aviation KOL who took business class. CX seems look down at non-rich people (even though your are a Hongkonger)! The history for CX as being a prestige world-known airline is too long which make her forgot the true meaning of service and respect! I felt even more disappointed when no one reply my complaint after I reflected the problem to CX! I'm sure there are tonnes of better airlines. As long as CX look down at the non-rich customers, the road for her to regain her name is long.
As a neutral, reading some of the comments in this video, it does seem as though that there is a narrow mindedness within some of the staff at Cathay Pacific. Now, mainlanders will actively avoid this airline if they feel that they or their people are not welcome or respected. The word getting around fast is the by product of poor service. You can't say that bad news travels faster than good news, that's just an excuse, Sam. Cathay Pacific needs a shift in company culture and address the issues to make all customers feel welcome, including mainlanders.
This charity flight was very inspirational. I think other airlines can take a page from this and do something like this in the states. My family was not rich growing up. I didn’t take my first flight that I could remember until I was 18. US based airlines this is your chance to give those in need exposure from the experience in flying to seeing what careers are available in the airline industry. Well done Sam.
A great video Sam. A real shame that Cathay is experiencing some turbulence at the moment after a few hard years of Covid. I hope the airline is able to recover soon and continue the excellent standard that they once had. I spent 20 years at CLK in ATC and still hold fond memories of the work and colleagues. I am retired now but still miss it. Like 747boy, Hong Kong still holds a special place for me. Very touching to see both control towers where I worked plus the third runway. regards to any atc or pilots who are still there.
I agree with Sam that there are still a lot of excellent local flight attendants at Cathay Pacific. I encountered a very nice one during a flight to Tel Aviv last month. In spite of the extra-heavy workload due to Cathay's recent cost cutting exercise, he remained very helpful, friendly and cheerful to the passengers, always with a smile on his face. I wish the Company all the best in its recovery path.
Amazing video Sam! Thanks so much for sharing this experience. I loved that young lady’s story about becoming a pilot! So inspiring! Your channel is just awesome!
By coming together with empathy and compassion, we can build a society that celebrates diversity and inclusion. Let's strive for justice, equality, and unity to create a brighter future for all.
Wow....."You Never have always a clear path, but through the darkness you go ta be positive and motivate your self and then sunsine will shine on you".....This line made my day. This is why I watch your videos to see your pasion and positiveness Sam. Thank you.
What I like most about Sam is, he's totally grounded, is very humble and polite. Very knowledgeable about his surroundings and is a subject matter expert. Most of all I think he's absolutely unbiased and looks at problems in a very practical way rather than have a predetermined judgement about it. Continue your good work Sam.
Have been a senior Captain on the B777 for CX was the pinnacle of my career and was very proud to have served there. The downturn began earlier than covid when they started slashing services and Rupert Hogg was forced to resign. It was a very hard decision to leave in May of 2021 but knew it was time. Our pay and benefits were slashed in Jan of 2021 , not only till things returned but as a sign the new permanent COS or be fired basis. CX has lost a lot of experience. I just don’t see under the current way it’s being managed how it will ever regain its previous status. I have such fond memories for CX as well as Hong Kong , there will always be a place in my heart. People ask do I miss it? My response is, I miss what it was but not what it is. I do feel blessed that I had the opportunity to fly for what was one of the world’s greatest airlines.
Yep... When RL brags about CX undergoing a big transformation... That is not always a positive thing. They have deliberately given away lifetimes worth of experience (in both cabin crew and pilots) in favor of chasing absolute lowest employee costs. They are never going to attract and/or retain any form of experience with the current salary packages.
How wonderful it is to see you traveling with your Mom.....truly a blessing.......glad to see you back on UA-cam.......hope you guys enjoyed Hong Kong.....
Really an amazing clip so far that i have watched… good luck and all the best to CX love flying with them…. Thanks for bring this wonderful coverage Sam…
Wow I have no idea you grew up in Hong Kong! As a Hong Konger, the HKG airport and CX really made me proud growing up. It really shown during my recent long hauls with Cathay. The staff were sooooo busy during the entire flight. And the cost cutting is just too obvious… Thankfully the unique herringbone seats are still here! I think many of us still root for CX secretly… breaks my heart to see Cathay in a state like this
Cathay Pacific is one of my favourite and my most trusted airlines. I'm Thai but, instead I usually choose Cathay rather than Thai Airways which is the Thai national airline when I fly to HK. Many years ago I was going to Cape Town, SA, I also picked Cathay Pacific to travel from Bangkok - HK - Joberg - Cape Town. I could fly with Singapore, Qatar, Etihad, or even Fly Emirates to transit only 1 time. I knew it took 3 flights for me to go to the final destination but, with the reputation of CX, I can't turn away. BUT! after the pandemic I have flown with CX for 2 times first, during Christmas and then on Songkran day. I don't know what happen to the flight attendances. The ground staff were still hold their standard but, the problem was the staff who were on board is not good as usual. From my experience, I think most of them were the new recruits and might not pro enough to handle some situations. For instance in the economy class, the meal that was served often have 2 types and will let us choose 1 of 2. But, the crew saw that I'm Thai from my passport so, that crew didn't let me choose and bring me the Pad Thai. I don't know the word "discrimination" is okay or not, but I don't want to eat what I can eat every day. So, I ask her what is the another choice of meal. Then, the Chinese fried rice and cha-siu came along. And also on the same flight the crew forgot to serve the delicious Haagen Dazs cookie & cream to me. That never happen to me and the crew were taking too loud at the cabin for that recently 2 flights. Nevertheless, I'm still glad they didn't cut off the cost on the food, but I'm not sure about the first class passengers. I overall, I still cheer for Cathay Pacific to regain their position and run faster to catch SG and JL who are now ahead them in the Asia - Pacific airlines.
Many yrs ago on Internet, i notice people will have vastly different opinions of cathay, many people said they had worst experiences with cathay, but many other people will say ' what are you talking about? cathay is the best' turned up people think cathay is the best, only speak Cantonese, and people think cathay is the worst speak mandarin.
Googles algorithm suggested this video for me and I’m so happy it did. Thank you for a wonderful insight into Cathay. They have always been my favourite airline (and yes as an Australian, I know I should say Qantas). I am flying with my 80 yo father to London in August on Cathay and I’m really looking forward to it … also looking forward to checking out more of your content 😊
Sam, thank you for the upbeat & positive messages, great interpersonal interactions, great photography & upbeat background music! The experience of being with you on the aviation experience has been wonderful & makes me want to fly just for the adventures, as you are having. Your honest & authentic commentaries also gives me/us the thrill of wanting to experience along with you! Hope you keep up the great work!😊
I used to fly CX a lot and at one point was gold status. What I did notice was amazing service, but only if you have status. I flew CX on my birthday at silver level and they upgraded me to business class from economy. My first flight as gold was economy and during boarding, three different crew members greeted my by name and welcomed me aboard. Once the plane was at cruising altitude the head purser also greeted me told me to ask for her if I needed anything. I flew a few more times in economy at gold status and they always served my meal first before economy meal service. My conclusion is you only get good service if you have status. I’ve flown CX after I lost my status and can honestly say their service is mediocre at best. Only slightly above AC. I have since been flying CI a lot and have their Emerald status but even when I had no status, CI service is amazing.
I understand they provide better services for gold membership customers because you give them your money to fly Cathay Pacific as loyal customer. They appreciate your business. But on the other hand, it’s not right to laugh at customer in economy class when he asked for a blanket/carpet. It is not nice. It is arrogant and annoying.
I've got diamond tier level within half year after started by sliver. And flown mostly Economy or Premium Economy. Always great service. During pandemic I changed to SQ because of no flights to European mainland. Now maybe I can't hold my diamond level and have SQ Gold. In my feelings is that your personal treatment is much higher by CX as by SQ. And the meal service with fresh salad (missing in Eco by SQ) is much better. But we will see what happens in the future.
@@wingviewandmore SQ stopped serving salad since the pandemic started. After all the criticisms they got, they will be resuming them. We care about our salads. 😆
I am glad you are bringing some good points to Cathay Pacific. Not everyone there are like the Flight attendants that were fired. Get the word out or this Airline will go under.
So good to see this video. I used to fly Cathay Pacific when I lived in Asia Pacific. It is. A fantastic airline and I am sure they will bounce back. I can’t wait to be back in the sky with Cathay heading to the greatest city in the world HK !!
Brought tears to my eyes. Wonderful gift for underprivileged teens. I was 26 yrs old and had to finish college, start a job and save money before my 1st airline flight
CX has a long way to go not just recovering but also to bring back their standard and ethics. Two or three crews may not represent the company culture, but the number of unhappy customers, especially those from Mainland China certainly means a lot.
That’s why CX lost the reputations because they usually represent Hong Kong people. And now the communists party has control the company, and only benefit for mainland Chinese people. So many HongKongers treat CX as one of China airlines companies. CCP destroy one country two systems. There will be no future for Hong Kong
@@ddnn974 What makes you say that? Where are the facts to support your statement? Even difficult customers don’t deserve being discriminated. ‘If you can’t speak blanket in English, you can’t have it.’ Other airlines do that to their Chinese speaking customers?
@@ddnn9743crews laughing together to passenger for asking blanket, it must be most civilized crews in the world.. if only it happened in our country, those crews gonna apologize with tears, otherwise those crews dare not go outside happily anymore, what arrogant+ dumb workers ever.....
I go to a private school, and whenever I go to the field, I can see a variety of airlines. I have seen 777's (Or 767's Since I'm bad at identifying planes) From Cathay Pacific takeoff. And on the way to school, I can also see planes landing above our car. The rarest airline I've ever seen was Hawaiian Airlines, it only being 1.
we used to fly a lot with cathay pacific, but after 2019, their service went down hill... i just flied from sfo to hk 2 months ago and the services were just okay ( of course better than American airlines). we were not surprised about their discrimination scandal which is well known. I think not all flight attendants are like that, but they need some improvement. We prefer singapore airline and Korean airline more.
Hello Sam I'm from Macau. First time hearing you speak in Cantonese, great to know that you're a native speaker like myself. I flew from Hong Kong a lot, especially after the opening of the bridge. Great to see that Hong Kong and Macau finally opened up its border after such a long wait.
Hey Sam, love your channel so inspiring and fun to watch your bubbly goodness!❤️ We will soon be travelling to the Philippines again after the era of covid restrictions and used to fly Cathay which was amazing. This vid was insightful and hope Cathay honors their employees who are so instrumental to their bottom line! Your mom is adorable she deserves all the luxury and that Hermes looked great on her!❤️❤️👍🏻👏🏻❤️🥳
It is very pleasant to see you treat your mother with lots of love and affection, many children should have this concern. Congratulations for your great work, in bringing us the world's aeronautical reality.
The fact is not only Cathay Pacific, some of the HongKong people just look down on others. Before Covid I flew from HKG to LHR transfer in Doha on Qatar Airway's business class, the first section of the trip leaved me a very bed impression. You can feel that Hongkong carbin crew is not very happy serving you. What make the matter worse is that during the flight my enteraining system was down, but the carbin crew did nothing, they just told me they cant repair it, no other solution. However the second flight was brilliant, the carbin crew from UK gave me a very warm welcome, they smiled like meeting an old friend. They are trained my the same airline, why so different?
Because every person in the world has his or her own personality. You can't expect everyone to be the same, even though they are trained by the same company. That's the reality.
Mainland Chinese always look down on others. People from the big cities in mainland China look down the people from villages. The rich look down the poor in China. 😂
Thanks for sharing your Mum Sam and I really enjoyed your flights and commentary. It was so exciting to fly Cathay in the 1980s... The Community Flight is a wonderful initiative for Cathay Pacific and here Air New Zealand also has the 'Koru Care Flight' for unwell and disadvantaged children.
I’ve been following you for a while now but never really commented. Cathay is doing such a meaningful thing for these kids… Thank you Sam for your speech right at the end - it encouraged me so much. You are so right, life is like that …. Rain and clouds, thunder.. and then sunshine. 🌧️ ⛈️ ☀️
I just booked a reward ticket on Cathay's new A350 business class from HKG to ORD. I flew with them last year on their longest route, HKG-JFK, and had a pleasant 16-hour flight. The recent racism scandal is intolerable, but I still trust that Cathay will improve their service in the future.
Hi Jack, do you mind to tell me how many miles that requires to book from ORD to HKG with a round trip reward ticket please? I know you need to purchase another ticket flying from ORD to JFK since they stopped the direct flight from ORD to HKG.
@@aaronlee4913 Hi Aaron, I believe Cathay will resume their nonstop service to Chicago O’Hare later this year. I booked HKG-ORD one way for 85000 Asia miles (transferred from Amex MR), which I believe is Cathay’s fixed price. Roundtrip business class will then be 170000 miles in total.
I have to use a wheelchair while traveling and this is the first time I have seen a review that includes them. It does take more time, but the staff is usually very kind. Being able to use the restroom on the plane is really hard and often you cannot even get to one in the terminal. I hope your mom had a good experience. I wish more people would add comments about the difficulties people who are disabled face when flying. Thanks for this.
This September will be the first time Dad is returning to visit HKG since his knee surgery, so we expect to use wheelchairs at the departure airport and arrival airport. Maybe layover airports and aisle chairs also.
Flew from Tokyo to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific while in the Marine Corps and truly enjoyed the service and flight. Never heard of them before this flight but would fly with them again. Thanks for sharing.
As a fan of Cathay, I do really hope they can regain their good reputation again. I can't agree anymore with what Sam mentioned in the video about the number of crew and the business class seat. Compare to other airlines, they do really need to give an update to their business class seats. And yes, they should increase the number of crew on the plane, this directly affects passenger's feeling when they get on Cathay's flight. They should truly work on both hardware or software But however, I would still like to support Cathay's team. It's never been an easy way to get everything recovered. Thanks to Sam showing us the community flight and his comments on Cathay!! (Especially 7:20)
Even as a Hong Kong native and long time Cathay Pacific traveller. The effect on service quality from staff cutting is tremendous. Switched to fly mainly ANA and Air Canada for most of my leisure trips.
Dear Sam, I started watching your channel when I was in High School. I saw your channel growing. One of the best thing I love about your channel is true passion and objective review. Since I had my college in California, I travel from Beijing to US by Cathy Pacific in majority of my flights. I have to say Cathy Pacific have a better hardware services: Meal, Seats, and Plane. However, even from start, I can feel the air crew are mostly not friendly with mainland chinese passengers. Repsect is something you cannot evaluate, but everyone can tell if someone is not respect even if they say nothing. To avoid unplesant experience, I communicate with flight crew in English. In my personal view, this incident is not only happened in air crew of Cathy Pacific, but a noticeable thing of Hong Kong people. Please don't take my words wrong, I deeply believe there are vast number of Hong Konger are friendly with mainland people. However, there are also noticeable amount of Hongkong people who do not act approporiately bring these bad reputation to the whole Hongkong community. Me myself have also met friendly and professional Cathy Pacific air crew and you can tell they keep professional and respectful. In short words, this discrimination incident is only a illusion of a prevalance social issue. Cathy Pacific need actions, so do the goverment and whole community. I would like to quote a sentences from Confusius and translated by Lin Yutang to close this long comment:"Confucius said, “The superior man is liberal towards othersopinions, but does not completely agree with them; the inferiorman completely agrees with others’ opinions, but is not liberaltoward them."
Hi Mr Sam Chui. This is the first time i heard that u started ur flying career at the age of 37. I always wanted a career shift but my age is a big hindrance. After i heard ur age, im inspired to pursue and thinking of leaving my day job to fly. Thanks Sam for such an inspiration to aviation enthusiasts
This is one of the best videos you’ve done Sam! Thanks! And loving the synthwave opener. Great to see the good work CX are doing - despite some challenges.
I recently flew to Cathay Pacific from Shanghai to Singapore. Choose Cathay because of its former reputation and the tie to Hong Kong. Was looking forward to returning to Singapore after China reopen. The overall experience was disappointing their plane had a problem before take-off and we missed our connecting flight in Hong Kong due to the delay. Besides I observe, there was a different treatment towards the mainland and I think is just the sentiment of how Hong Konger towards the mainland likewise you can see it during the Airport check when transiting. I do hope things can improve from here.
I am taking the exact same flight but in the opposite way (Singapore - Shanghai). Buisness class on cathay for that connecting flight is extremely cheap when I got it so it isn't great to hear that lol.
As of 2023 with the UK-based Swire Group (45%) and Air China (30%) as major shareholders, the largest shareholder is still British so it's not surprising that this happened.
Thank you Sam for your honest and truthful comments about the iconic airline of a great city. As a HK citizen as well as a pilot, it is really sad to see CX has been hammered badly. I do wish to see CX fully recovered not just by numbers but most importantly the service quality to regain its brand despite its a long way to catch up given so many factors which are out of the control of their hands.😅
I flew the most with Cathay Pacific the past 20 years. They flew me all around the planet so its kind of my fundamentals in Aviation. I still like them and always will be fan.
Go ahead be my guest, CX could not even provide meals on time. Some passengers on business class and Y class did not receive meals 5 times from my experience . xxdd
The unfortunate reality is that Cathay will never be the same Cathay we loved, just like Hong Kong is no longer the same Hong Kong we loved. And I think Cathay's management has been in a state of chaos for some time. I tried to book a reward flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo back in March, but all reward seats (in all classes) were full for a whole half-year period. I thought perhaps that's because of the reopening demand surge. I checked their website almost everyday and fortunately found ONE single premium economy seat. As soon as I confirmed the seat, everything is shown fully booked again. But when I eventually took the flight, I find myself the ONLY passenger in the whole premium economy cabin with over 30 empty seats. Business and Economy were fall from full either. Reward bookings are no doubt low revenue but they are not free either because I still have to pay for fuel surcharges etc. I have absolutely no idea why they don't sell the seats because even until the last minute, the reward booking page showed everything was full.
Hi Sam, your mom should be very proud of you. And it's really sweet to have a nice trip with mom. Wish your mom well healthy and enjoy more mother-son time❤
I started flying with CX since I was a little in 70s because my dad was a senior aircraft engineer for CX. I was always enjoying flying with them but not recently. It’s sad to see CX’s ranking so low. Hopefully CX will regain their position again in the future. Good luck CX!
Sad to see CX suffered so much throughout the past few years and things always took a turn for the worse. So much memories with CX as a Hong Konger and business is definitely not easy in this city......Wish them all the best.
Just flew from Shanghai to Frankfurt in business class. Honestly the service level was not the same, especially when compared with Singapore airline, Air China etc..... there is this sense of arrogence I somehow cannot put my finger in it..... but one can definitely feel it!
My family also took a trip before this incident and they cancelled her flight on the previous day before her flight. They gave her another flight arriving the following day of her trip and arrived time in HK close to midnight instead of day time of original flight. They didn’t compensate her for her inconvenience.
How wonderful that you are travelling with Mom. I remember having to do this for my mother when she has H Pylori. She hated the wheelchair at Heathrow and always hoped for the Buggy once we disembarked. All is well Sam. I really do hope Cathy can bounce back after that audio tape encounter
Great community experience and hopefully many new aviators take their first steps in that career. As a former CX employee I would say CX has been in decline since SARS time and a series of poor management decisions on their product and the personnel cut backs have left them struggling to catch up.
OMG, Sam! One of your very best community contribution video editions. Thank you for highlighting the strong women pilots and crew members! I can only imagine what impressions were left w/ all of the students as well as w/ their mentors as a result of this heartwarming flight over HK. At the very least, I know one of them will become a successful global video blogger like you, if they don't pursue eventually being in the cabin or in the cockpit like Captain Christine Ho! Loved your personal philosophical summary about life at the end. Final word of appreciation: You Mom is SOOOOOOO cute in her duty-free scarf! 🙂
My experience traveling with my mom in a wheelchair was the opposite. Everything was faster. Yes, we had to wait a bit for the person to arrive, but after that, everything was VIP fast lanes--security, passport control, and boarding. Perhaps it's slightly slower for someone like you who is used to traveling business class or first class and can use special lanes anyway, but for those of us used to economy, it's much faster traveling with someone in a wheelchair.
You get through security faster with someone in a wheelchair BUT the problem is you have to wait for the wheelchair. And that can take a while. I remember one time when my grandma and I have a connecting flight in Taoyuan Airport in Taipei, my grandma couldn't wait for wheelchair any longer and decided to walk. She was 85!
I was a pilot for Cathay for 16 years and I want to thank you. You brought back lots of emotions. Unfortunately I'm one of many pilot CX let go during the pandemic. I still hold a special place in my heart for Cathay and Hong Kong and wish for blue skies ahead. Thanks Sam
Hong Kong is still hands down the best city in the world.
@@A1steak if one isn't a working class or lower class living there. As a 5 day tourist, yes of course
@@A1steak for the top 10% maybe. Those living in coffin homes might beg to differ as would most surviving in a 50 sq metre apartment. I have visited before but now just see it for what it now is. Just another big CHINESE city. And consequently I will never return.
Some airlines managed to retain their employees during the pandemic, Cathay should have done the same. The pandemic is temporary.
I hoped you still retain your commercial flight license. Maybe not with CX but with any other standing airlines
What a great experience for the children. I hope everything turns out OK for Cathay Pacific. Flown them a few times from Europe to Asia before the pandemic.
Eva BKK to LHR rarely any children, Well worth £3,000
Hello Sam, God bless your career, also your mother and family, a hug from Santo Domingo, DR, Juan Rodríguez, an active follower.🙏🏼♥️🤗
So your "White entitlement" really works well on Cathay.. thanks for telling us that. It simply reaffirms Cathay's "White preference". I think it is totally shameless for Cathay staff to constantly insult the Chinese and for management for brush aside these complaints. It ys even more shameful for Mainland Chinese to continue to support Cathay Maybe they do deserve to be treated like dirt.
@@argonaut816 I regularly fly EVA Air to Asia. They are very good 👍
what a stupid move cathay pacific has made, bribing numerous western influencers to advertise for it. freaking 70 per cent of your income comes from passengers you discriminate. hoping western influencers to convince the Chinese to take your airline again, while youtube is not even available in china? or hoping them to justify for your barbaric treatment towards your largest customers? a flight between 2 chinese cities on a chinese airline with chinese passengers and chinese crews, why the fk do you expect all of them to speak the foreign language of the country that had looted and colonized you? every ethnic has the right to speak their own language, so does chinese. hongkie hongkie, blanket your daddy. Search for blanket incident.
When I was in high school I had a good friend who had a passion for aeroplanes. I lost contact with him after I finished high school. About 26 years later I found out that he ended up being a commercial pilot for Cathy Pacific. Unfortunately and tragically he was later killed in a motorcycle accident. RIP Ali Awick my friend. I remember all the good times we had together in my high school years.
I feel that Cathay and Thai is notorious to not only be bias against Chinese but asians in general. I flew them in 2019, our kid was 1(sorry! But we wouldn't be able to make this trip any other time due to my work schedule) and we decided to take him to Guangzhou to meet our extended family. Across from us is a white and asian couple with a kid as well. The cabin crew seem to be way more attentive with the white asian couple than with us(two asians), their formula was warmed without being prompted. They coddle the white and asian couple's kid when he/she was crying, they even gave them a stuff teddy. For us all we got was dirty looks from the staff when our kid was crying. I don't blame the other couple or feel any contempt towards them, it just made us feel like lesser people being treated by the Cathay staff like this.
The US carriers like United treated my family a lot better, and when I say better I just meant equally.
This. I've been to Thai and Chinese restaurants in the US and Canada where the Asian servers gave far better service to white customers compared to Asian and black customers. The self-hate in these Asians is really quite sad.
@@tbarry2011 Hi! Please remember the waiters serve better in US that they can get better "tips". Thank you.
Replace with mainland air line companies. They can serve the customers much better!
@@charleschoy2327 Bot.
@@carlbryson924 troll
Before COVID, I had a short haul flight with CX experiencing poor customer service and an avoidance manner from crew. Sad to say CX needs a big push on reform 😅. Thank you Sam and with this video we can learn more about CX.
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
I'm sorry to hear about your terrible experience with Cathay Pacific. Discrimination of any kind is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. It's important to speak up and hold companies accountable for their actions. I hope that by sharing your story, others will be encouraged to do the same and help put an end to discrimination in the airline industry.
Cathay Pacific has a longstanding reputation for discrimination against non-English speakers even before the COVID pandemic impacted their operations. This issue has been widely acknowledged. I personally experienced an incident on a CX flight from JFK to HKG back in 2015. A flight attendant with a Hong Kong accent proved to be difficult to communicate with when speaking Mandarin. When I requested a cup of water in Mandarin, she ignored my initial request. It was only when I asked again that she curtly informed me that there was water available in the lavatories, suggesting that I could help myself if I needed it. Fortunately, the Malaysian crew members were friendly and assisted me with my request.
In my opinion, CX should focus on hiring more non-local crew members and creating a more competitive environment. The Taiwanese and Malaysian crew members have consistently provided excellent service, while the Korean and Japanese crew members have been friendly as well. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong-based crew members have consistently been the least satisfactory in terms of service quality.
Many cabin crew members share the same feeling that Chinese passengers are the worst group of people to deal with on board in terms of behaviour and attitude. It's not surprising why Chinese tourists were widely hated as they travelled abroad.
CX operates many international flights and you just can't expect crew members to speak in a regional language when it is an international flight.
Yeah, they have been doing this Chinese customers for long period of time. I don't see how they're going to change. Sometime it takes longer to serve customers that they don't like, especially to Mainlanders. I have seen it and it's really disgusting. They don't understand that without Mainland customers, there would be alot less paychecks.
@@ailo8964 the most recent incident happened on a flight WITHIN China! Also, no matter where the flight was headed, the fact that the crew members mistreated and publicly discriminated a non- English speaking passenger is unforgivable! No matter the nationality, race, gender and colour, no one should be shamed or discriminatingd against for not being able to speak English. Last time I checked, not being able to speak English is not a crime! Please STOP making excuses for those Cathay crew members. (OH and btw, being Chinese is not something to be shamed of and certainly not an invitation for discrimination when traveling.)
It's widespread in the region, just not HK. See you that thing in a lot of countries. Unfortunately nothing new or unique.
Not only do they discriminate against mainland Chinese, they do it against other people as well. When the pandemic started, I took a flight from HCMC to HK and had a bad experience with a CX flight attendant. The flight was very empty (maybe only 10 people in economy class) and I struggled to lift my hand-carry up to the cabin. I asked the flight attendant for help and she raised her voice and said in a very annoyed way that if I can't lift my luggage then don't bring so much. I mean.. it's not that the flight was so cramped that she couldn't help, moreover the luggage wasn't heavy, I was just petite. I am a frequent traveler and with airlines like JAL, EVA.. the flight attendants often offer help without you asking. I still like CX for other aspects and it's a very good airline, but I noticed a difference in the attitude of CX's flight attendants compared to other airlines.
Discrimination is never okay, especially in the airline industry.
What about CCP undermining Hong Kong?
Your American farther told you that?
The Communist Party of China 中國共產黨 has been so good at brainwashing its citizens mind. Unsurprising to see so many wumao/ 5 cents in the comment section.
Lest forget Beijing Massacre on June 4th, 1989.
Lest forget the cruel actions Communist Party has done on its people for decades.
Lest forget what Communist Party has done to Hong Kong in the last few years.
@@wilsonwong105 Does Singapore, Malaysia or Taiwan undermine Hong Kong? The fact is, Cathay just discriminates everyone speaking Mandarin.
@Formosan They are nothing, Supporting CCP suppressing HK traitor
Sam: God bless your mom.
She’s the one who brought you to this world, and thanks to her we all have you, and thanks to you, we all enjoy aviation at it’s best.
We hope God will give you, your mom and your whole family many years of good health, happiness and blessings, always together.
Best wishes always from Delaware.
I'm glad there's someone out there to report the positive side of things. Way to go Sam~
The scary thing is not that one story on social media. People are actually stepping up all over the place, telling their horrible experiences with Cathay and the discrimination they received. We have all the reasons to believe that this is a toxic company with unacceptable ethical standards floating around in their doors.
It is not that scary when one experiences that kind of discrimination across much of HK's service industry. I am not a mainlander, and yet I felt difficult to relax when communicating with service staff in HK for fear of being regarded as one.
@@huaiwei Just speak English and they will worship you,mate!
@@thinkingaloud5379 I stuck to English the whole time, and received subpar or outright poor treatment in many places. And that is despite going to more "tourist-friendly" cha chaan tengs with English menus.
I even started wondering if these staff cannot distinguish between my obvious Singaporean accent, and a mainlander speaking English.
@@huaiwei I meant more in particular Cathay Pacific.Should have made it clearer!
@@thinkingaloud5379 are we still living in white trash colonial periodt?
This is one of my favourite videos from Sam. Love seeing all the kid's happy faces and Sam speaking Cantonese.❤
Christina Ho is a beautiful/energetic pilot. Her passion and journey to becoming a CX pilot inspire many to dream beyond the sky. Also, great job by Cathay to have these community flights to recognize that not everyone is privileged to fly.
0k
Stop being a creep. Unless you also immediately resort to calling a male pilot handsome, don't be that guy.
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
I love watching your videos. Love seeing mom too. Thank you for the knowledge to help me be a better traveler.
That was great. Crying. And bravo to Christina Ho for sharing her amazing “wavy” journey.
Wonderful.
Possibly the loveliest review you have ever done was a privilege to watch it x 2 and passed on
I took a Cathay flight back in 2017 from HKG to JFK. I flew business class and cabin crew refused to give me and my wife champagne and ice cream because we look too "mainland Chinese" and these items are "not reserved for you". They said that to my wife in Cantonese thinking we wouldn't understand. It was the single worst experience I've ever had on an airplane. We thought about filing a complaint with DOT. But our schedule became so busy after we returned to NYC and we just kinda forgot about it. Maybe this is how Cathay Pacific managed to hide its discrimination for so long. I'm so glad that they finally got caught this time.
This has always been a deep root cultural stuff in CX.
omg wtf
Horrible customer service
/r/thathappened
Con esto que acabas de comentar es para que nunca más vuelva a volar con esta aerolínea, no importa que cambien a todo el personal en su momento permitieron la discriminación y eso jamás será olvidado.
What a great clip. It made me tear-up at the beautiful memories those children will have. And I’m so glad you included the pilot’s story of how she got into aviation. It’s not always obvious or the first choice but what is important is having the courage to act when the realization hits. Great life lessons from her and you, Sam! Thx.
My uncle also had a very bad experience with CX. He was flying from the US back to China and needed to transit at HK. His first flight to HK was a CX flight. He said he was constantly ignored by the crew when he asked them for water. His service light was rarely attended. He had to wave to any flight attendant walking passing his seat and saying 'Ni Hao' (Hello in Mandarin). And you guessed it, he was ignored by all crew members as if they didn't understand him. The problem was never what language the crews speak. You could wave your hand and say Bonjour to a crew on a Malaysia Airlines flight they will acknowledge you. CX has such a sad airline culture.
You're right, it's not the language. It's the fact that the Chinese government is imprisoning Hong Kongers, illegally suppressing democratic protests, and attempting to erase Cantonese from school curricula. It's pretty rude of your uncle to try to speak Mandarin to a flight attendant who clearly would not appreciate someone speaking Mandarin to them when English is clearly the lingua franca to use.
@@herooo.2928 Well in fact central gov just want to add Mandarin but not to erase Cantonese, and they are just two diffrent accent of Chinese,.
@@herooo.2928 you are insane.
@@herooo.2928 so passengers need to cater to flight attendants' language preference? what the F is your logic here? who is working in the service industry? The passenger or the flight attendant? How the F does Chinese gov't imprisoning Hong kongers have anything to do with the justification of flight attendants refusing to DO THEIR JOB and PROVIDE service to CUSTOMERS?
Mandy, I am a Malaysian and flew many airlines around the world. I have also flown CX and rate them highly, perhaps not as good as SQ whose service is a bit clinical..... MH is ok but then, I am biased and want to support my own country's carrier. Of course, they are also not perfect but who is. We are dealing with humans, with emotions and whilst they are in the service line, we also need to be mindful that their work is not easy and they have handle difficult and demanding passengers, time zones and long hours (early days). Anyway, back to the air crew service - you should fly some of the US and European airlines for a broader perspective. Your uncle should learn how to press the service button for attention.....
Way to go Cathay Pacific... wishing you a speedy recovery ✈ had so many beautiful memories in the past
As always, Sam's videos are inspiring and informative, and this is no exception. Enjoyed the video very much Sam.
Dear Sam,
As a Hongkonger, you may try to help CX to regain her name. I used to share positive experience too. However, I changed my mind after my poor phone call experience with a CX customer service staff.
After that, I understand that the root problem is not "discrimination" but a structural problem of the whole company. Maybe your experience on CX flights is good. Because of you are SAM CHUI - the famous aviation KOL who took business class. CX seems look down at non-rich people (even though your are a Hongkonger)! The history for CX as being a prestige world-known airline is too long which make her forgot the true meaning of service and respect! I felt even more disappointed when no one reply my complaint after I reflected the problem to CX! I'm sure there are tonnes of better airlines. As long as CX look down at the non-rich customers, the road for her to regain her name is long.
As a neutral, reading some of the comments in this video, it does seem as though that there is a narrow mindedness within some of the staff at Cathay Pacific. Now, mainlanders will actively avoid this airline if they feel that they or their people are not welcome or respected. The word getting around fast is the by product of poor service. You can't say that bad news travels faster than good news, that's just an excuse, Sam. Cathay Pacific needs a shift in company culture and address the issues to make all customers feel welcome, including mainlanders.
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
The Chinese mainlanders need FIRST to respect people if they want to be respected. They are always the victims.
This charity flight was very inspirational. I think other airlines can take a page from this and do something like this in the states. My family was not rich growing up. I didn’t take my first flight that I could remember until I was 18. US based airlines this is your chance to give those in need exposure from the experience in flying to seeing what careers are available in the airline industry. Well done Sam.
they've done them several times in the last 3 years in Hong Kong - great
A great video Sam. A real shame that Cathay is experiencing some turbulence at the moment after a few hard years of Covid. I hope the airline is able to recover soon and continue the excellent standard that they once had. I spent 20 years at CLK in ATC and still hold fond memories of the work and colleagues. I am retired now but still miss it. Like 747boy, Hong Kong still holds a special place for me. Very touching to see both control towers where I worked plus the third runway. regards to any atc or pilots who are still there.
Mainland airlines will serve the Chinese market even better. Cathy obviously does not serve willingly.
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
Continue the "excellent" services?? 😂😂
@@andrewlim7751 Carry on with reverse discrimination, till mainlanders are sick of HK. Re-ignite independence movement! 😡😡
@@charleschoy2327
The HK's toxic tongue service is world renowned without introduction, and btw, I'm from SG. 😁😁
I agree with Sam that there are still a lot of excellent local flight attendants at Cathay Pacific. I encountered a very nice one during a flight to Tel Aviv last month. In spite of the extra-heavy workload due to Cathay's recent cost cutting exercise, he remained very helpful, friendly and cheerful to the passengers, always with a smile on his face. I wish the Company all the best in its recovery path.
Thank you for sharing this video with us ❤
Great video Sam! Keep on showing the human side of the aviation industry. It’s why your flying videos are so much more interesting.
Amazing video Sam! Thanks so much for sharing this experience. I loved that young lady’s story about becoming a pilot! So inspiring! Your channel is just awesome!
Propa again da
By coming together with empathy and compassion, we can build a society that celebrates diversity and inclusion. Let's strive for justice, equality, and unity to create a brighter future for all.
Wow....."You Never have always a clear path, but through the darkness you go ta be positive and motivate your self and then sunsine will shine on you".....This line made my day. This is why I watch your videos to see your pasion and positiveness Sam. Thank you.
SAM you are such a joy to UA-cam & the Aviation industry -- we are so lucky to have you!
What I like most about Sam is, he's totally grounded, is very humble and polite. Very knowledgeable about his surroundings and is a subject matter expert. Most of all I think he's absolutely unbiased and looks at problems in a very practical way rather than have a predetermined judgement about it. Continue your good work Sam.
Have been a senior Captain on the B777 for CX was the pinnacle of my career and was very proud to have served there. The downturn began earlier than covid when they started slashing services and Rupert Hogg was forced to resign. It was a very hard decision to leave in May of 2021 but knew it was time. Our pay and benefits were slashed in Jan of 2021 , not only till things returned but as a sign the new permanent COS or be fired basis. CX has lost a lot of experience. I just don’t see under the current way it’s being managed how it will ever regain its previous status. I have such fond memories for CX as well as Hong Kong , there will always be a place in my heart. People ask do I miss it? My response is, I miss what it was but not what it is. I do feel blessed that I had the opportunity to fly for what was one of the world’s greatest airlines.
You would have flown with my old man then. I recently read the book about the "49ers", seems that was the turning point for life at CX for many.
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
Yep... When RL brags about CX undergoing a big transformation... That is not always a positive thing. They have deliberately given away lifetimes worth of experience (in both cabin crew and pilots) in favor of chasing absolute lowest employee costs. They are never going to attract and/or retain any form of experience with the current salary packages.
How wonderful it is to see you traveling with your Mom.....truly a blessing.......glad to see you back on UA-cam.......hope you guys enjoyed Hong Kong.....
Soft drug
Really an amazing clip so far that i have watched… good luck and all the best to CX love flying with them…. Thanks for bring this wonderful coverage Sam…
Wow I have no idea you grew up in Hong Kong!
As a Hong Konger, the HKG airport and CX really made me proud growing up.
It really shown during my recent long hauls with Cathay.
The staff were sooooo busy during the entire flight.
And the cost cutting is just too obvious…
Thankfully the unique herringbone seats are still here!
I think many of us still root for CX secretly… breaks my heart to see Cathay in a state like this
Great experience for the kids. Great job Cathay for doing this.
Cathay Pacific is one of my favourite and my most trusted airlines. I'm Thai but, instead I usually choose Cathay rather than Thai Airways which is the Thai national airline when I fly to HK. Many years ago I was going to Cape Town, SA, I also picked Cathay Pacific to travel from Bangkok - HK - Joberg - Cape Town. I could fly with Singapore, Qatar, Etihad, or even Fly Emirates to transit only 1 time. I knew it took 3 flights for me to go to the final destination but, with the reputation of CX, I can't turn away.
BUT! after the pandemic I have flown with CX for 2 times first, during Christmas and then on Songkran day. I don't know what happen to the flight attendances. The ground staff were still hold their standard but, the problem was the staff who were on board is not good as usual. From my experience, I think most of them were the new recruits and might not pro enough to handle some situations. For instance in the economy class, the meal that was served often have 2 types and will let us choose 1 of 2. But, the crew saw that I'm Thai from my passport so, that crew didn't let me choose and bring me the Pad Thai. I don't know the word "discrimination" is okay or not, but I don't want to eat what I can eat every day. So, I ask her what is the another choice of meal. Then, the Chinese fried rice and cha-siu came along. And also on the same flight the crew forgot to serve the delicious Haagen Dazs cookie & cream to me. That never happen to me and the crew were taking too loud at the cabin for that recently 2 flights. Nevertheless, I'm still glad they didn't cut off the cost on the food, but I'm not sure about the first class passengers.
I overall, I still cheer for Cathay Pacific to regain their position and run faster to catch SG and JL who are now ahead them in the Asia - Pacific airlines.
Many yrs ago on Internet, i notice people will have vastly different opinions of cathay, many people said they had worst experiences with cathay, but many other people will say ' what are you talking about? cathay is the best' turned up people think cathay is the best, only speak Cantonese, and people think cathay is the worst speak mandarin.
What's "JL" ?
@@peekaboopeekaboo1165 Japan Airlines.
@@encryptededdy Okay
Googles algorithm suggested this video for me and I’m so happy it did. Thank you for a wonderful insight into Cathay. They have always been my favourite airline (and yes as an Australian, I know I should say Qantas). I am flying with my 80 yo father to London in August on Cathay and I’m really looking forward to it … also looking forward to checking out more of your content 😊
If you’re white then yes, you can expect better service than HKers themselves
Awesome! Now I know Sam is from HK and first time hearing him speak Cantonese... 😀👍👍
Sam, thank you for the upbeat & positive messages, great interpersonal interactions, great photography & upbeat background music! The experience of being with you on the aviation experience has been wonderful & makes me want to fly just for the adventures, as you are having. Your honest & authentic commentaries also gives me/us the thrill of wanting to experience along with you! Hope you keep up the great work!😊
The last statement from Sam made me tear up a bit as I’m going through a rough patch at the moment. His words have just spurred me on. 😎
I used to fly CX a lot and at one point was gold status. What I did notice was amazing service, but only if you have status. I flew CX on my birthday at silver level and they upgraded me to business class from economy. My first flight as gold was economy and during boarding, three different crew members greeted my by name and welcomed me aboard. Once the plane was at cruising altitude the head purser also greeted me told me to ask for her if I needed anything. I flew a few more times in economy at gold status and they always served my meal first before economy meal service. My conclusion is you only get good service if you have status. I’ve flown CX after I lost my status and can honestly say their service is mediocre at best. Only slightly above AC. I have since been flying CI a lot and have their Emerald status but even when I had no status, CI service is amazing.
I understand they provide better services for gold membership customers because you give them your money to fly Cathay Pacific as loyal customer. They appreciate your business. But on the other hand, it’s not right to laugh at customer in economy class when he asked for a blanket/carpet. It is not nice. It is arrogant and annoying.
I've got diamond tier level within half year after started by sliver. And flown mostly Economy or Premium Economy. Always great service. During pandemic I changed to SQ because of no flights to European mainland. Now maybe I can't hold my diamond level and have SQ Gold. In my feelings is that your personal treatment is much higher by CX as by SQ. And the meal service with fresh salad (missing in Eco by SQ) is much better. But we will see what happens in the future.
That's precisely what makes some people think they treat white people better but it's just status.
@@wingviewandmore SQ stopped serving salad since the pandemic started. After all the criticisms they got, they will be resuming them. We care about our salads. 😆
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
I am glad you are bringing some good points to Cathay Pacific. Not everyone there are like the Flight attendants that were fired. Get the word out or this Airline will go under.
Excellent work Sam and Cathay. Very Inspirational for the Young People, never say never. Beautiful !
So good to see this video. I used to fly Cathay Pacific when I lived in Asia Pacific. It is. A fantastic airline and I am sure they will bounce back. I can’t wait to be back in the sky with Cathay heading to the greatest city in the world HK !!
Brought tears to my eyes. Wonderful gift for underprivileged teens. I was 26 yrs old and had to finish college, start a job and save money before my 1st airline flight
Hey Sam good to see your mom. All the best for her ❤
Thank you, Sam, for what you do - and especially what you did do for those kids!
Look down the customers is bad service
You truely do a very, very good job with the kids. Highly appreciated! Bests from Frank, Najomtien
The most meaningful video you've ever posted. Truly special. Thank you!
I really hope the very best of luck to CX on their recovery ! CX is still a truly great airlines and Hong Kong icon in my mind !
CX has a long way to go not just recovering but also to bring back their standard and ethics. Two or three crews may not represent the company culture, but the number of unhappy customers, especially those from Mainland China certainly means a lot.
That’s why CX lost the reputations because they usually represent Hong Kong people. And now the communists party has control the company, and only benefit for mainland Chinese people. So many HongKongers treat CX as one of China airlines companies. CCP destroy one country two systems. There will be no future for Hong Kong
They are always finding things to complain. You can ask crew of other airlines. Nobody in their right minds like to serve them
@@ddnn974 What makes you say that? Where are the facts to support your statement? Even difficult customers don’t deserve being discriminated. ‘If you can’t speak blanket in English, you can’t have it.’ Other airlines do that to their Chinese speaking customers?
Replace with mainland air line companies. They can serve the customers much better!
@@ddnn9743crews laughing together to passenger for asking blanket, it must be most civilized crews in the world.. if only it happened in our country, those crews gonna apologize with tears, otherwise those crews dare not go outside happily anymore, what arrogant+ dumb workers ever.....
Sam, you're an amazing human being. Thank you so much for all these excellent videos on aviation!
Probably your best video to date. Very meaningful. Well done Sam
I go to a private school, and whenever I go to the field, I can see a variety of airlines. I have seen 777's (Or 767's Since I'm bad at identifying planes) From Cathay Pacific takeoff. And on the way to school, I can also see planes landing above our car. The rarest airline I've ever seen was Hawaiian Airlines, it only being 1.
we used to fly a lot with cathay pacific, but after 2019, their service went down hill... i just flied from sfo to hk 2 months ago and the services were just okay ( of course better than American airlines). we were not surprised about their discrimination scandal which is well known. I think not all flight attendants are like that, but they need some improvement. We prefer singapore airline and Korean airline more.
Hello Sam I'm from Macau. First time hearing you speak in Cantonese, great to know that you're a native speaker like myself. I flew from Hong Kong a lot, especially after the opening of the bridge. Great to see that Hong Kong and Macau finally opened up its border after such a long wait.
He did an only canto video a few years back
Hey Sam, love your channel so inspiring and fun to watch your bubbly goodness!❤️ We will soon be travelling to the Philippines again after the era of covid restrictions and used to fly Cathay which was amazing. This vid was insightful and hope Cathay honors their employees who are so instrumental to their bottom line! Your mom is adorable she deserves all the luxury and that Hermes looked great on her!❤️❤️👍🏻👏🏻❤️🥳
One of your most MEANINGFUL reviews.
It is very pleasant to see you treat your mother with lots of love and affection, many children should have this concern. Congratulations for your great work, in bringing us the world's aeronautical reality.
The fact is not only Cathay Pacific, some of the HongKong people just look down on others. Before Covid I flew from HKG to LHR transfer in Doha on Qatar Airway's business class, the first section of the trip leaved me a very bed impression. You can feel that Hongkong carbin crew is not very happy serving you. What make the matter worse is that during the flight my enteraining system was down, but the carbin crew did nothing, they just told me they cant repair it, no other solution. However the second flight was brilliant, the carbin crew from UK gave me a very warm welcome, they smiled like meeting an old friend. They are trained my the same airline, why so different?
Because every person in the world has his or her own personality. You can't expect everyone to be the same, even though they are trained by the same company. That's the reality.
Mainland Chinese always look down on others. People from the big cities in mainland China look down the people from villages. The rich look down the poor in China. 😂
@@maomao8907 That's 100% true. But showing the indifference and animosity in professional service is a totally different story.
@@mrbrotherl1633 30% true, Firstly, not too many Chinese look down the poor. Secondly, cabin crew will not be seen as THE POOR normally.
@@maomao8907 And HK people look down on everyone expect the white
What a fantastic flight experience for the children.
Amazing content as always.
Keep it up.
Now imagine the same experience in, say, the 90s to and from Kai Tak…
Thanks for sharing your Mum Sam and I really enjoyed your flights and commentary. It was so exciting to fly Cathay in the 1980s... The Community Flight is a wonderful initiative for Cathay Pacific and here Air New Zealand also has the 'Koru Care Flight' for unwell and disadvantaged children.
I’ve been following you for a while now but never really commented. Cathay is doing such a meaningful thing for these kids… Thank you Sam for your speech right at the end - it encouraged me so much. You are so right, life is like that …. Rain and clouds, thunder.. and then sunshine. 🌧️ ⛈️ ☀️
Easily one of your best videos. I will be flying Cathay Pacific for the first time in a few weeks and looking forward to it ! Again well done .....
Love your content Sam. Thank you for raising awareness about issues related to Aviation!!
I just booked a reward ticket on Cathay's new A350 business class from HKG to ORD. I flew with them last year on their longest route, HKG-JFK, and had a pleasant 16-hour flight. The recent racism scandal is intolerable, but I still trust that Cathay will improve their service in the future.
Mainland airlines will serve the Chinese market even better. Cathy obviously does not serve willingly.
Discrimination exists, whether before or after the epidemic😅
@@Bünyamin-k4j The worst discrimination is reverse discrimination 😒😒
Hi Jack, do you mind to tell me how many miles that requires to book from ORD to HKG with a round trip reward ticket please? I know you need to purchase another ticket flying from ORD to JFK since they stopped the direct flight from ORD to HKG.
@@aaronlee4913 Hi Aaron, I believe Cathay will resume their nonstop service to Chicago O’Hare later this year. I booked HKG-ORD one way for 85000 Asia miles (transferred from Amex MR), which I believe is Cathay’s fixed price. Roundtrip business class will then be 170000 miles in total.
I have to use a wheelchair while traveling and this is the first time I have seen a review that includes them. It does take more time, but the staff is usually very kind. Being able to use the restroom on the plane is really hard and often you cannot even get to one in the terminal. I hope your mom had a good experience. I wish more people would add comments about the difficulties people who are disabled face when flying. Thanks for this.
No Inglish no service,flight attendants said it
This September will be the first time Dad is returning to visit HKG since his knee surgery, so we expect to use wheelchairs at the departure airport and arrival airport. Maybe layover airports and aisle chairs also.
Flew from Tokyo to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific while in the Marine Corps and truly enjoyed the service and flight. Never heard of them before this flight but would fly with them again. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Sam, thanks for the video and spoke for the frontline staffs, they are working hard and should be graceful.
As a fan of Cathay, I do really hope they can regain their good reputation again.
I can't agree anymore with what Sam mentioned in the video about the number of crew and the business class seat. Compare to other airlines, they do really need to give an update to their business class seats.
And yes, they should increase the number of crew on the plane, this directly affects passenger's feeling when they get on Cathay's flight. They should truly work on both hardware or software
But however, I would still like to support Cathay's team. It's never been an easy way to get everything recovered.
Thanks to Sam showing us the community flight and his comments on Cathay!! (Especially 7:20)
Even as a Hong Kong native and long time Cathay Pacific traveller. The effect on service quality from staff cutting is tremendous. Switched to fly mainly ANA and Air Canada for most of my leisure trips.
I ❤ ANA!!
Dear Sam, I started watching your channel when I was in High School. I saw your channel growing. One of the best thing I love about your channel is true passion and objective review. Since I had my college in California, I travel from Beijing to US by Cathy Pacific in majority of my flights. I have to say Cathy Pacific have a better hardware services: Meal, Seats, and Plane. However, even from start, I can feel the air crew are mostly not friendly with mainland chinese passengers. Repsect is something you cannot evaluate, but everyone can tell if someone is not respect even if they say nothing. To avoid unplesant experience, I communicate with flight crew in English. In my personal view, this incident is not only happened in air crew of Cathy Pacific, but a noticeable thing of Hong Kong people. Please don't take my words wrong, I deeply believe there are vast number of Hong Konger are friendly with mainland people. However, there are also noticeable amount of Hongkong people who do not act approporiately bring these bad reputation to the whole Hongkong community. Me myself have also met friendly and professional Cathy Pacific air crew and you can tell they keep professional and respectful. In short words, this discrimination incident is only a illusion of a prevalance social issue. Cathy Pacific need actions, so do the goverment and whole community. I would like to quote a sentences from Confusius and translated by Lin Yutang to close this long comment:"Confucius said, “The superior man is liberal towards othersopinions, but does not completely agree with them; the inferiorman completely agrees with others’ opinions, but is not liberaltoward them."
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
Hi Mr Sam Chui. This is the first time i heard that u started ur flying career at the age of 37. I always wanted a career shift but my age is a big hindrance. After i heard ur age, im inspired to pursue and thinking of leaving my day job to fly. Thanks Sam for such an inspiration to aviation enthusiasts
Another great video, Sam. You have beautiful captured the community flight!
This is one of the best videos you’ve done Sam! Thanks! And loving the synthwave opener. Great to see the good work CX are doing - despite some challenges.
I recently flew to Cathay Pacific from Shanghai to Singapore. Choose Cathay because of its former reputation and the tie to Hong Kong. Was looking forward to returning to Singapore after China reopen. The overall experience was disappointing their plane had a problem before take-off and we missed our connecting flight in Hong Kong due to the delay. Besides I observe, there was a different treatment towards the mainland and I think is just the sentiment of how Hong Konger towards the mainland likewise you can see it during the Airport check when transiting. I do hope things can improve from here.
I am taking the exact same flight but in the opposite way (Singapore - Shanghai). Buisness class on cathay for that connecting flight is extremely cheap when I got it so it isn't great to hear that lol.
It’s all they have/had left.
嬰國老千 - 要分化中港。第一招是令中國香港人驕傲。
You are idiot to tak e the airplane co. In which refused to serve no Inglish no service
As of 2023 with the UK-based Swire Group (45%) and Air China (30%) as major shareholders, the largest shareholder is still British so it's not surprising that this happened.
Thank you Sam for your honest and truthful comments about the iconic airline of a great city. As a HK citizen as well as a pilot, it is really sad to see CX has been hammered badly. I do wish to see CX fully recovered not just by numbers but most importantly the service quality to regain its brand despite its a long way to catch up given so many factors which are out of the control of their hands.😅
？笑死 说的国泰多白莲花似的 旅客花钱来坐国泰找罪受的？遵守法律 提高服务质量 好好对待中国旅客不就完了 别把对共产党的气撒在中国旅客身上 更别说国泰本身也是一家共产党持股的航空公司 天天装无辜真怪幼稚的 一帮巨婴
I flew the most with Cathay Pacific the past 20 years. They flew me all around the planet so its kind of my fundamentals in Aviation. I still like them and always will be fan.
very positive video...well done Sam!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, like you said, it’s important not all ppl working there is saying something wrong. I love flying with CX.
Go ahead be my guest, CX could not even provide meals on time. Some passengers on business class and Y class did not receive meals 5 times from my experience . xxdd
The unfortunate reality is that Cathay will never be the same Cathay we loved, just like Hong Kong is no longer the same Hong Kong we loved. And I think Cathay's management has been in a state of chaos for some time. I tried to book a reward flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo back in March, but all reward seats (in all classes) were full for a whole half-year period. I thought perhaps that's because of the reopening demand surge. I checked their website almost everyday and fortunately found ONE single premium economy seat. As soon as I confirmed the seat, everything is shown fully booked again. But when I eventually took the flight, I find myself the ONLY passenger in the whole premium economy cabin with over 30 empty seats. Business and Economy were fall from full either. Reward bookings are no doubt low revenue but they are not free either because I still have to pay for fuel surcharges etc. I have absolutely no idea why they don't sell the seats because even until the last minute, the reward booking page showed everything was full.
availing of award tkts are a scam. and asia miles keep on offering life style reward etc. pathetic
Might be because they don’t have enough crew to service
I would have thought any viral cancel culture discussing discrimination would be ceo sorted by China, but somehow they're happy to let this go viral.
CX now is controlling byCommunists party. I am Hong Konger and won’t book the CX flight anymore
What do you mean Hong Kong isn't the same?
Love the community flight!! Such a great experience for those young people!
Hi Sam, your mom should be very proud of you. And it's really sweet to have a nice trip with mom. Wish your mom well healthy and enjoy more mother-son time❤
Wonderful video! Thank you! Truly wonderful.
I hope you and your mom are well! 🌸🙏
I started flying with CX since I was a little in 70s because my dad was a senior aircraft engineer for CX. I was always enjoying flying with them but not recently. It’s sad to see CX’s ranking so low. Hopefully CX will regain their position again in the future. Good luck CX!
Sad to see CX suffered so much throughout the past few years and things always took a turn for the worse. So much memories with CX as a Hong Konger and business is definitely not easy in this city......Wish them all the best.
Replace with mainland air line companies. They can serve the customers much better!
Just flew from Shanghai to Frankfurt in business class. Honestly the service level was not the same, especially when compared with Singapore airline, Air China etc..... there is this sense of arrogence I somehow cannot put my finger in it..... but one can definitely feel it!
多謝Sam哥今次的分享，希望國泰在顧客服務能重回正軌
Thnaks for your sharing and I wish Cathy Customer Service back on track
Nice gentleman and his beautiful mother...
My family also took a trip before this incident and they cancelled her flight on the previous day before her flight. They gave her another flight arriving the following day of her trip and arrived time in HK close to midnight instead of day time of original flight. They didn’t compensate her for her inconvenience.
How wonderful that you are travelling with Mom. I remember having to do this for my mother when she has H Pylori. She hated the wheelchair at Heathrow and always hoped for the Buggy once we disembarked. All is well Sam. I really do hope Cathy can bounce back after that audio tape encounter
Replace with mainland air line companies. They can serve the customers much better!
Great community experience and hopefully many new aviators take their first steps in that career. As a former CX employee I would say CX has been in decline since SARS time and a series of poor management decisions on their product and the personnel cut backs have left them struggling to catch up.
Replace with mainland air line companies. They can serve much better!
@@charleschoy2327 So, the mainland airlines are unable to do their good jobs because of the existence of CX?
cathay pacific racist because brainwashed by white supremacy trump supporter
WoW Sam, amazing and wonderful organising of this flight👍🏻🙏🏻…& @ 14:05 Christina is so wonderful, her story, as are all the Crew👌🏻…Thanks for sharing
Your videos are always positive and full of joy and promoting good things in this world. Keep up the good work Sam. Avid viewer of your channel
OMG, Sam! One of your very best community contribution video editions. Thank you for highlighting the strong women pilots and crew members! I can only imagine what impressions were left w/ all of the students as well as w/ their mentors as a result of this heartwarming flight over HK. At the very least, I know one of them will become a successful global video blogger like you, if they don't pursue eventually being in the cabin or in the cockpit like Captain Christine Ho! Loved your personal philosophical summary about life at the end. Final word of appreciation: You Mom is SOOOOOOO cute in her duty-free scarf! 🙂
My experience traveling with my mom in a wheelchair was the opposite. Everything was faster. Yes, we had to wait a bit for the person to arrive, but after that, everything was VIP fast lanes--security, passport control, and boarding. Perhaps it's slightly slower for someone like you who is used to traveling business class or first class and can use special lanes anyway, but for those of us used to economy, it's much faster traveling with someone in a wheelchair.
You get through security faster with someone in a wheelchair BUT the problem is you have to wait for the wheelchair. And that can take a while.
I remember one time when my grandma and I have a connecting flight in Taoyuan Airport in Taipei, my grandma couldn't wait for wheelchair any longer and decided to walk. She was 85!
Great video Sam. I wonder how many future captains took their first flight that day? Wonderful initiative by CX.
Great video, really authentic and honest content…. One of the best yet
How sweet to be able to travel with your mom. Cherish these opportunities to spend time together.