Whatever happened to courtesy in Hong Kong ATC?
It has been quite noticeable for some time now that Hong Kong Air Traffic Controllers are losing their good habits of politeness that for many years told them apart from the rest of the professionals in this area of the world, particularly since some local staff started taking the seat behind the microphone on the other side of the frequency. What happened to the good mornings, good evenings, or even a simple hello or goodbye that we all used to hear every time we tuned into the frequency or were released to the next one? Usually, old habits die hard, but for an old habit to die, first it has to exist. Apparently, for these new controllers, these habits were never learned. It’s a pity, because, for an european who flew in The Old Continent for many years, it was a pleasure to realize that at least in a small area of this “asian air jungle” we could still experience the politeness and civility that was part of the relationship between controllers and pilots. Workload and fatigue are no excuses for that kind of behavior. We pilots are also subject to these pressures and if you listen carefully, 99% of the pilots flying in HK airspace start their call with a greeting and don’t change to the next frequency without a goodbye. Maybe it is time to introduce a class of good manners in the training syllabus for the new controllers.
A simple sign of courtesy can make life so much easier, even or especially under pressure.
Last edited by alvega; 15th Dec 2007 at 07:29.