A pilot and a flight attendant were dismissed from Cathay Pacific after photos of them having oooral sex in a cockpit appeared online and in print, the Hong Kong airline said.
The airline’s chief executive John Slosar said the couple, who have not been identified, “are no longer employees of the company.” He stressed that the incident did not happen while a plane was airborne and said a report would be forwarded to Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department.
Don’t mean to be rude, the above statement alone shows that John Slosar needs PR Lesson 101 plus Corporate Politics Lesson 010 … Only a naive greenhorn will make such a statement under such circumstances … Certainly not when he already told the world he doesn’t know who is the pilot or worse, he doesn’t even know what is happening ?
Cathay Pacific CEO John Slosar … Looks like Cathay Pacific isn’t very well managed ? Is John the next on the chopping board ?
More …
The Hong Kong carrier launched an investigation last week after photos emerged of a woman in a red outfit resembling the Cathay cabin crew uniform performing oooral sex on a man, reportedly her boyfriend, on board an aircraft.
“I can confirm that two members of our crew shown in compromising situations in photographs published recently in Chinese-language daily newspapers are no longer employees of the company,” Cathay chief executive John Slosar said in a statement released late on Friday.
“I know that many people were disturbed by the damage this incident caused to the reputation of our cockpit and cabin crews.”
It was not clear whether the pair were sacked or resigned voluntarily, as the airline said it would not disclose details.
The airline also refused to say whether the incident took place in the plane’s cockpit, but said the investigation found no evidence to suggest the act happened on any of its flights while airborne.
Cathay said the findings of the investigation would be submitted to the city’s aviation authorities.
“I find any behaviour that recklessly soils the reputation of our company or our team members as totally unacceptable,” Slosar added.
The photos prompted action from the Hong Kong flag carrier after they were circulated on an online forum for pilots and later attracted the attention of local media.
The unidentified man in the photo, was reported to be a pilot but was not wearing a Cathay pilot’s uniform, has reportedly told a local newspaper that the photos had been stolen from his personal computer.
Cathay Pacific has 13,000 staff around the world, including more than 8,000 cabin crew and 4,000 working in airports, according to its website.