HK Express says crew member fired over improper handling of Portuguese egg tarts

HK Express said a ground crew member was fired for inappropriately handling and consuming passengers' leftover Portuguese egg tarts.

It comes after a photo showing a HK Express staff confiscating some Portuguese egg tarts brought on board by a passenger. The photo went viral online, with a caption stating "How much do you like egg tarts? UO (HK Express) passengers bring food on board, but our colleague had them confiscated".

It also stated that HK Express strictly prohibits bringing outside food onto the aircraft. (提提大家HK Express係嚴禁攜帶外來食物上機). The photo further shows a few individuals with an employee ID badge, who are opening three boxes of egg tarts from KFC.

According to an official statement sent to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, the airline has taken a serious view of the recent incident involving an outsourced airport ground crew member who severely violated the proper procedures for handling passengers' left-behind food items. 

“The staff member involved has been immediately terminated by the relevant ground handling service provider, and all staff have been instructed to strictly adhere to the proper standard handling procedures,” the statement read.

While it always puts its passengers first and maintains high standards of professional conduct, HK Express does not tolerate any behaviour that fails to meet its service standards.

“In response to this incident, HK Express has reviewed the current handling procedures with the service provider and has required the company to enhance internal training to ensure that all staff providing services to HK Express passengers meet professional standards,” the statement read. 

"We allow passengers to bring food and beverages on board; however, consuming outside food and beverages in the cabin is not allowed. Ground staff will remind passengers of these regulations before boarding, but they will not confiscate passengers' food," the company said.

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The incident has drawn mixed reactions from netizens. Over the past week, media intelligence firm CARMA observed more than 1,500 mentions related to the incident. Of these, 57% carried a negative sentiment, while 4.9% were positive. 

Netizens generally believed the ground crew member’s actions were unprofessional, particularly because the staff member decided to post a photo on an Instagram story, said CARMA’s HK GM Charles Cheung. "Many referred to the act as foolish, noting that there was no need to show off such behaviour, especially given the risk that it would be forwarded and shared by others."

Some netizens also questioned the manner in which the ground crew member confiscated the food from the passenger, Cheung added. "While the airline does not allow passengers to consume outside food and drinks on board, it does permit them to bring food and beverages. In this case, it is possible that the passenger had no intention of consuming the Portuguese egg tarts on board and was possibly buying them as souvenirs. Therefore, the ground crew member may have had no right to confiscate the food."

According to HK Express' website, no outside food or beverage is allowed to be consumed onboard its aircraft. Passengers may purchase HK Express' meals and drinks no later than 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure time of their chosen flight.

Photo courtesy: LIHKG

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