On 23 May 2023, an audio recording was posted to the internet in which Cathay Pacific flight attendants could allegedly be heard making fun of a passenger based on their lack of English proficiency.

Later that day, after being criticized by Chinese media and tens of thousands of netizens, Cathay Pacific apologised on Chinese social media sites for their flight attendants’ discriminatory actions against non-English speakers, by saying that the airlines has "suspended the flight attendants concerned and launched an internal investigation", where any "inappropriate words and deeds" that violated its rules and professional ethics would be dealt with seriously once confirmed.

[5] On the 23rd, the poster of the original Xiaohongshu post stated that the director of customer service at Cathay Pacific's headquarters had contacted her to further understand the situation.

The statement stated that the crew members involved in the incident had been suspended, an internal investigation was underway, and the results would be made public within three days.

[8][better source needed] Due to the rising discontentment, Cathay Pacific apologised for the third time, saying that the airlines dismissed the three flight attendants who made inappropriate acts against non-English speaking passengers.