Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair honour 19 staff with the highest accolade for outstanding service performance
From going beyond the call of duty to aid passengers affected by mass service disruptions to taking care of sick passengers who are far from home, service staff from Cathay Pacific and Dragonair once again showed they are willing to go the extra mile to make passengers feel special.
The awards were presented by Chief Executive John Slosar, Chief Operating Officer Ivan Chu, Director Personnel William Chau and Dragonair Chief Executive Officer James Tong at a special ceremony held at Cathay City.
“The Cathay Pacific Group appreciates all the hard work by our staff in delivering Service Straight from the Heart. But there are times when they are presented with unusual circumstances, and have risen beyond and above the call of duty to look after our passengers. We recognise and congratulate these 19 staff for their outstanding performance with the Group’s highest service accolade - the Betsy Award,” said Mr Slosar.
Special team awards were presented to seven Airport teams in recognition of their outstanding customer service during flight disruptions caused by the Icelandic volcano ash and London snowstorm last year, as well as the recent Great East Japan earthquake.
The overall winner this year was London Passenger Service Officer Meilu Li, who acted as translator for a young Chinese passenger who had been taken to hospital suffering from epilepsy. Meilu translated for the doctor and kept in touch with the passenger’s father and sister in Manchester. Late at night, after ensuring the passenger felt comfortable on her own, Meilu left her mobile number with her so the passenger could contact her in case of need.
Other 2011 winners included Inflight Services Manager Shirley Gan, Flight Purser Sara Ko and Flight Attendant Marco Chan, who brought a passenger back to life after he collapsed on board while the aircraft was taxiing for take-off.
While in Singapore, Flight Attendant Janet Jothi (then-Airport Services Supervisor) and Airport Services Supervisor Nisa Mubarak Liyagatali provided extraordinary care for a passenger and his sick wife.
In recognition of their service excellence, all the Betsy winners received a unique Betsy gold pin and certificate. They will also have the opportunity to enjoy a unique experience such as a visit to the Boeing or Airbus aircraft plants to participating in activities such as a Cathay Pacific inaugural flight and a UNICEF-organised field trip.
A Betsy Award is the highest accolade given to Cathay Pacific and Dragonair staff in recognition of their service excellence. This year’s winners bring the total number of award recipients to 89 since the programme was launched in 2005. The Betsys are named after the first Cathay Pacific aircraft – a DC-3 that operated for the airline from 1946.
