Cathay axes attendant after coffee threat

Cathay axes attendant after coffee threat

A Thai female cabin attendant with Cathay Pacific, who was at the centre of alleged misconduct involving ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's youngest daughter, was fired on Monday.

The airline issued a statement saying: "We have investigated the matter thoroughly. We can confirm that the incident involved a member of our cabin crew who has privately posted certain information on a social media site about one of our passengers and that it is an unauthorised incident.

"We can also confirm that the cabin crew concerned is no longer an employee of the company,'' it said.

About 50 protesters air anger at Cathay Pacific after a flight attendant's coffee threat on Paethongtarn Shinawatra. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)

Cathay Pacific said it regretted the "unfortunate incident'' and said the airline strictly adhered to all privacy regulations.

"All staff are expected to strictly adhere to our privacy policies as well as the highest standards of customer service. Non-compliance is unacceptable. We have highlighted this message to staff again today,'' it added.

The action came after the Cathay Pacific flight attendant had posted a message on her Facebook page that she wanted to pour coffee on the face of Paethongtarn Shinawatra because Thaksin was her "enemy''. The flight attendant had also disclosed the passenger's flight information.

Miss Paethongtarn was on board a flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong on Nov 25 to see her father.

The airline declined to identify the attendant.

After the message was posted, about 50 people protested outside the Hong Kong flag carrier's head office at Phloenchit Tower building on Phloenchit Road in Pathumwan district on Monday.

They submitted an open letter asking executives of the airline to clarify its policy towards the personal rights of passengers, its policy on the political rights of its passengers and how it could restore passengers' confidence following a recent threat by a flight attendant against the youngest daughter of the ousted prime minister.

Leslie Lu, manager of Cathay Pacific in Thailand, received the letter from the protesters before releasing a statement to apologise for the incident.

The airline insisted on treating information provided by its passengers with confidentiality and provided the best service to its passengers, he said.

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