INVOLUNTARY DOWNGRADE

I was booked in business class for Dragonair flight KA997 departing Beijing (PEK) at 0310 on August 30, 2015 bound for Hong Kong – (the first leg of my LHR/HKG/PEK return business class ticket).

I arrived at PEK in plenty of time and was in the lounge around midnight, but at no point during check-in or in the lounge was I informed of a change of aircraft.

It was only at the gate that I was told the aircraft had been changed and no business class was available. Had I known in advance, I would have changed to a later flight, but I was given no choice but to board the aircraft.

As a refund for the downgrade, I was given HK$310 (US$40) plus two upgrade coupons, of which I have only managed to use one so far. I wonder if I offered them HK$310, would they upgrade me from Y to J?

I wrote several times to Cathay Pacific (CX) and Dragonair asking for the breakdown of my refund, but they did not give me a proper answer. I’ve been a Marco Polo member for the past 20 years and a Diamond member for the past three years. Is this the way CX treats its loyal customers? Dr E Fan, Hong Kong

CATHAY PACIFIC RESPONDS: We would like to express our appreciation to Dr Fan for taking the time to provide his feedback, although we were of course sorry to learn that he was upset by his travel experience. Providing the best experience for our passengers is at the heart of what we at the Cathay Pacific group strive to achieve. We contacted Dr Fan after receiving his complaint on August 31, 2015 and followed up with him on a number of occasions following his subsequent response. We have given Dr Fan our sincerest apologies for being unable to provide a business class seat, as per his booking, due to an unexpected change of aircraft type. According to Dr Fan’s ticket type and the fare class he had booked, we arranged a refund, which equated to the fare difference between his purchased ticket and his eventual class of travel. Additionally, we provided Dr Fan with a special upgrade that he was able to use on a later flight.

We highly value our passengers for their loyalty and continuous support for the Cathay Pacific group.