Cathay Pacific Interview Questions & Model Answers

A passenger with diabetes appears disoriented and unwell mid-flight. What do you consider?

What they're asking: This checks you know to involve the passenger's own knowledge of their condition rather than guessing blindly.

Model answer: I'd consider that this could be a blood sugar emergency — either too high or too low — and ask if they carry glucose tablets, insulin, or know their own condition well enough to guide me, since diabetic passengers often know their own signs best. I'd get the medical kit and any onboard medical professional involved rather than guessing at treatment myself. Asking the passenger directly, if they're coherent enough, is often faster and safer than assuming.

A crew member or passenger suffers a minor burn from hot service equipment. Whats the correct immediate treatment?

What they're asking: This checks correct, current first aid knowledge for a genuinely common minor injury in a galley environment.

Model answer: I'd cool the burn with running or bottled cool water for several minutes rather than using ice, which can damage the skin further, and avoid applying any butter or home remedies some passengers might suggest. I'd cover it loosely with a clean, non-stick dressing from the medical kit rather than anything adhesive that could stick to the wound. If it looked severe — blistering, large area — I'd escalate to the medical kit protocols and consider onboard medical assistance. Correct first response prevents a minor burn becoming a bigger problem.

Talk me through your response to a fire starting in the galley.

What they're asking: This is a direct procedural check on one of the most drilled emergency scenarios cabin crew train for.

Model answer: I'd immediately identify the fire source and type, grab the correct extinguisher, and alert nearby crew and the flight deck while starting to fight the fire rather than waiting for backup to arrive first. I'd keep communicating status — whether it's contained or spreading — throughout, since the flight deck needs real-time information to decide on any further action. Passenger reassurance comes right after immediate containment, not before, since stopping the fire is the priority. Speed and correct extinguisher choice in the first moments matter most.

Smoke starts appearing in the cabin with no visible fire source. What steps do you take?

What they're asking: This tests methodical investigation under uncertainty, which is harder than responding to an obvious visible fire.

Model answer: I'd immediately alert the flight deck and purser, since an unseen source is potentially more dangerous than a visible one, and start investigating likely sources — overhead bins, lavatories, equipment — methodically rather than randomly. I'd keep passengers calm without minimising the seriousness, and be ready to act the moment a source is found. Smoke without a visible source is one of the scenarios crew train hardest for because it demands calm, systematic searching under real uncertainty.

Whats specifically different about responding to a fire in the lavatory compared to the galley?

What they're asking: This checks nuanced procedural knowledge, not just a generic 'there's a fire, use extinguisher' answer.

Model answer: Lavatory fires are often caused by discarded smoking materials and can be hidden behind a closed door, so I'd check door temperature before opening and be ready for a flare when I do, unlike a galley fire that's usually immediately visible. I'd still use the correct extinguisher type and alert the flight deck the same way, but the door-check step and awareness of a confined space matter specifically here. Small procedural differences like this are exactly why generic 'there's a fire' training isn't enough.

After a fire is extinguished, what ongoing monitoring do you carry out?

Walk me through the escalation steps before physical restraint would ever be considered for an unruly passenger.

How do you deliver a formal verbal warning to a disruptive passenger in a way thats clear but not inflammatory?

What information do you make sure to document after an unruly passenger incident?

If physical restraint genuinely became necessary, what would you prioritise to keep the restrained passenger safe?