Flight attendants call for ban on Saudi stopovers
The union for Cathay Pacific flight attendants has urged the airline to stop overnight crew stays in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, over fears for the safety of female staff.
The general secretary of the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Union, quoted by AFP, said the demand follows an incident last month in which a man tried to force his way into the hotel room of a junior Cathay attendant.
Other complaints have been made involving unwanted telephone calls to female staff also staying at the Marriott Hotel in Riyadh, the union leader added.
Last month, Cathay switched its layovers to Riyadh from the Gulf state of Bahrain because of political unrest that has swept across much of the region.
The union has now called for overnight stops to be moved to Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates, but is yet to receive a “positive response” from management, according to the union
In a statement, a Cathay spokeswoman said the airline was “taking this very seriously and are monitoring the situation closely to ensure that all crew are safe and well taken care ofâ€.
The hotel said it has responded to the complaints by enhancing security and adding closed-circuit television inside lifts.
Ian Jarrett
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