Crew members at Cathay Pacific have called on the airline to cancel overnight stops in Saudi Arabia after a female flight attendant was attacked in a hotel in Riyadh.
The incident took place last week at the Marriott Hotel in the Saudi capital, when an Arab man tried to force his way into the woman’s room. Other staff members have complained of constant phone calls to their rooms by other guests.
Cathay Pacific switched its overnight stops to Riyadh from Bahrain last month following the violent unrest in the Gulf kingdom.
Following last week’s incident, the airline’s union for flight attendants has called on overnight stops to be moved to Dubai, even for the direct flight between Riyadh and Hong Kong.
The company has said it will consider the demand but Dubai is a two-hour flight from Riyadh, adding huge expense and inconvenience to the journey.
Advertisement
“It will cost the company a lot more money but it is the best thing to guarantee the safety of the crew,” said Becky Kwan, vice-chairman of the flight attendants’ union.