Cathay Pacific flight crews are still threatening to stop serving alcohol and smiling at passengers to protest the airline's failure to meet demands for a five percent pay raise and improved working conditions.
In talks yesterday mediated by government officials, the airline and the Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union (FAU) did not reach an agreement, Bloomberg reported. The airline called the talks "constructive," but the union was less positive.
Before the meetings began, FAU said it shared the airline's goal"to avoid travel public's worries" during the travel-heavy holiday season. In that statement, it insisted that talks conclude before December 19.
After the first day of negotiations, FAU said protests will begin unless "significant progress" is made by the end of today, according to Bloomberg.
The idea of the no-smile, no-booze action is to be selective in providing services, union general secretary Tsang Kowk-fung told Agence France Presse. Tsang told Bloomberg the union has no plans for a full strike over Christmas or New Year's Eve.
Last month, Cathay Pacific announced a two percent raise and a discretionary one-month bonus, Agence France Presse reported. In addition to a larger raise, FAU wants better work patterns and conditions, which lead to extra allowances for longer flights, according to Bloomberg.
The flight crews are not the only ones using the holidays as leverage. Security workers at New York's JFK airport have authorized a strike to begin Thursday if their demands for higher pay and improved conditions are not met.
SEE ALSO: You'll Never Believe These Photos Are From An American Airlines Plane
Please follow Getting There on Twitter and Facebook.