A former Airport Authority board member and a lawmaker on Sunday defended the airline’s move to add the couple to its no-fly list, as its actions continued to draw mixed reactions online, particularly on the mainland social media platform Xiaohongshu, where the mainland traveller initially posted her complaint on Saturday.
The post gained 180,000 likes and prompted more than 28,500 comments as of Sunday afternoon. It prompted the airline to announce on Saturday that the couple would be banned from future Cathay flights, citing the need to “maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy” towards disrespectful behaviour.
Speaking to the Post on Sunday, business magnate Allan Zeman, a former Airport Authority board member, said it was “right” that the carrier had acted promptly, given the sensitive dynamics between mainland China and Hong Kong.
國泰航班上因椅背問題辱罵內地女 夫婦惹眾怒:太給我們香港人丟臉了