[MrMichael]

Interesting insight rferguson, thank you. I do recall reading about the cultural difficultys on some Eastern carriers due to the very strict command and control ethic. Thankfully unlike Asiana and the well documented Korean Air disasters of the past nobody was hurt through this. However it would make me think twice about flying on such a carrier where they seem to treat their staff with such utter contempt. It seems to me to be like the old style management styles of the seventies, manage by scarring the staff in to submission. Mrs Cho in my view is not capable of managing a domestic gardener let alone highly skilled safety critical staff. Good riddance to her, and all like her. Furthermore I hope actually South Korea does as reported find an offence has been committed and lock the miserable old cow up.

[BAfanatic]

Yesterday I was in Club Europe and the flight attendant handed me a pack of mixed nuts IN THE BAG!!! Words failed me…

I think what happened on Koreanair is that Heather Cho has a tremendous sense of entitlement. Honestly it makes me ill just thinking about her behaviour.

[BigDog.]

rferguson – 10/12/2014 17:03 GMT

Yes elitist/hierarchical issues are more prevalent in Oriental cultures however similar aloofness/superiority issues do occur over here also – research into the causes of the Kegworth BM Air disaster and you will find a similar disconnect between flight deck and cabin crew.

Walsh’s actions drove a wedge between flight crew and cabin crew during the IA and were naïve in the extreme, as those two teams must work hand in glove to ensure passenger safety.

[Cedric_Statherby]

It is more difficult to change Asian attitudes on deference than you might think. Years ago I was working in Hong Kong and in charge of an almost entirely Asian team. It was next to impossible to get them to offer any alternative opinion after I had given mine. And absolutely impossible to get them to say anything at all before I had.

In despair I once opened a meeting by saying “this is an important subject and it is vital we hear everyone’s views”. I then turned to my number 2 and said “what do you think?” Only to get the reply “I think this is an important subject and it is vital to hear everyone’s views”. And wild horses could not drag another word out of a senior official paid almost £100,000 a year!

[BA4ever]

If I was the father I’d ban my daughter from flying again with my airline. She turned back a plane for a ridiculous reason and caused all this mayhem. Executive? More like a spoilt brat…

[AnthonyDunn]

@Cedric_Statherby – 11/12/2014 15:22 GMT

An interesting observation. From my time working there, I came to the conclusion that HK Chinese organisations are classically hierarchical whereby information flows up and almost all authority flows down. The closest I got to understanding the situation was that it was almost as if each employee occupied an open top box. The occupant would operate within the confines of the four walls, could see that there was activity beyond the confines of their box – but they would never dare comment or offer any view on activity beyond the specific confines of their role/space. From a western-educated background, it was frustrating on occasions.

Alas, I was never able to get a local to offer their view on how they saw the way westerners (particularly Brits or Americans) operated… I must put the question to the HK-Chinese wife of one of my closest friends when she returns to the UK next week.

[canucklad]

Cedric and Anthony , interesting that you’ve both used examples of when you worked in our former colony …….could it be that our friends might just be demonstrating a learnt behaviour from the way we do thing’s. I mean after all, wasn’t the British that mastered the class society., where everybody knows their place. …….: )

[AnthonyDunn]

@ canucklad – 11/12/2014 22:03 GMT

My experiences date back between the mid-80s to mid-90s and I often wondered what difference a vaguely western tinge to the HK education system had made when set against centuries of established culture and social norms.

I also recall being told by my (Italian-born) Economics tutor, whose wife was Japanese, that Japan was a country which was totally alien to a western mind (and, by inference, I could not hope to understand…!). He recommended that I read a book entitled “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword” which was written by an American Social Anthropologist in the 1940s. The author had been asked to write a piece to explain to the occupying US Forces in Japan post-1945 just what kind of society they would be responsible for governing and just what kind of attitudes and values they would come across. It remains a worthwhile read even now in understanding just how different is one particular Asian society from what we are accustomed to.

Having, over the past couple of years, spent some time in Mongolia and with expat Mongolians in the UK, that too has opened my eyes to how others view things differently. The joys – and occasional exasperations – of getting out more.

[PeterCoultas]

canucklad =1

[MartynSinclair]

You have to give those “nuts” credit…. all bowing and scraping in apology….

I am sure “nutgate” will recover and I am sure daughter will be favoured with a new post soon…..

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30444228

[MartynSinclair]

For the second time this week, albeit on another carrier, an Asia behaviour that would probably have a very different outcome in the rest of the world.

A couple disrupt an Air Asia flight when they were not sitting together, by throwing an amount of boiling water over a stewardess, threating to blow the aircraft up and threatening suicide…

Solution, turn the aircraft back to BKK, take said offenders off and negotiate a compensation package… Passengers were then allowed to continue on a later flight…

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/449271/chinese-woman-assaults-taa-crew

[LuganoPirate]

Cedric, Anthony, I think Canucklad has a point. At a recent private dinner, between executives and UK Parliamentarians, no journalists and Chatham House rules, a very senior MP was asked for her opinion on a particular subject, her response “my opinion does not really matter, I must follow my governments line, that is etc etc”!

I also seem to recall a second officers refusal to question his captain’s decisions, who in the military had been his superior, led to the fatal crash of a KAL flight some years ago.

[MrMichael]

According to the BBC it now transpires the poor Purser had to kneel in front of Mrs Cho prior to being kicked off. It would also seem Korean Air have been trying to get the poor chap to say he left the flight of his own volition.

[bombayteddy]

Abuse of power happens all over the hospitality and travel industries. Last night, the wife of the owner of one of India’s hotel-chains walked into a fine-dining restaurant in their Mumbai hotel; and demanded the lights be turned-up to the max…making the restaurant bright, hot and uncomfortable; and ruining its ambience. I happened to be dining in that restaurant; and was initially told the lights had brightened owing to a “technical problem” with was “being looked-into”. When I was finally informed what the real reason was, I told the restaurant manager I wouldn’t be paying my bill and that it should be given to the woman. On coming home, I sent a strong letter to her husband, the owner. Still awaiting a response!

[canucklad]

I’ll tell you what Mr Michael, if I had witnessed the purser being forced to kneel, I don’t think I’d have been able to hold my tongue, and when the aircraft returned to the gate, would have removed myself from the aircraft too, thus forcing them to incur a lengthier delays they retrieved my bags.

Any business that treats their employees in such a manner, don’t deserve my hard earned cash, and by paying I’m just encouraging the continuation of such practices. .

I’d like to think any decent person would have done the same thing, to demonstrate our solidarity with someone being bullied.

[Author]

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