I think the speed is efficiency problem is a particularly Hong Kong problem. I have noticed it in restaurants as well. In fact the other day I was sitting in business and at the end of the meal the FP gave me one of those little macaroons in a box. I was reading a book and decided to eat it after I finished the paragraph. Before I had a BC working in business whisked it away before I could even protest!
I also agree that there are some outstanding cabin crew who put up with some absolute crap for not much money. What I am talking about, and I may be wrong as I have been many times before, is a fundamental change in the morale of the cabin crew. I think that they are very demoralised and the lack of adequate monetary recogntion for what they do has been the straw that broke the camels back. I think that there has been a fundamental change in attitude.