FEELING UNCARED FOR

My CX flight 829 on April 12 from Toronto Pearson to Hong Kong International Airport was delayed by more than 10 hours, and this resulted in extra expenses at the airport I was departing from. No compensation was offered to me then, although I learned from fellow passengers while queuing up that they had received “vouchers” for food and drinks at various airport outlets. The amounts, however, seemed to be different for each person.

I was surprised none had been offered to me. I didn’t say anything then because I had already purchased my items and thought I could claim back in Hong Kong. It turned out not to be the case.

I understand that flight delays are inevitable, but how an airline treats its customers in such circumstances is revealing of how much (or whether at all) it cares and appreciates it client base. In this case, Cathay Pacific has handled this matter poorly and forced me to turn to you, BusinessTraveller, for assistance.

My subsequent formal request for reimbursement of expenses has been refused by Cathay Pacific. At the same time, other passengers were provided with compensation

at the airport by Cathay Pacific. I find this unequal treatment discriminatory and unfair.

I welcome your assistance in the matter and am hopeful that your voice may carry more weight with Cathay Pacific, as I am just a mere “David”to their“Goliath”.

Cathay Pacific replies:

Thank you for sharing with us the feedback from Mr Lee. The adverse weather in Toronto was most unfortunate and we apologise for the inconvenience caused as a result of the flight delay. We have since been directly in touch with Mr Lee.

FAMILY FARCE

We were a family of 11 passengers travelling business class from Bangkok to Shanghai on TG664, the tickets for which I had purchased online using my credit card.

Unfortunately, I was robbed in Bangkok two days before the trip and all my cards and cash were stolen. I filed a case with the police and was given a police report as well.

I checked in online for everyone in the group 24 hours prior to the journey but the boarding passes could not be issued. At the check-in counter, I was asked to present my card for verification. I explained the situation and produced the police report too, which clearly showed all the card and bank details filed. But I was told to go to the ticket counter to sort it out.

There, I went through the whole procedure again of showing the documents as well as the supplementary cards of my wife and daughter of the same bank which were almost the same digits and number as my own primary card. But to no avail, they just told me to purchase 11 business class tickets again, and that they would immediately get the original tickets refunded to the cancelled card. I asked them to understand my situation but it just didn’t work. With time running out on me, I had no choice but to purchase a new set of 11 business class tickets, at the same time, they refunded the previous tickets bought on my cancelled card.

This was customer service at its worst level, and in this modern world of technology where they could easily check on my identity with passports, etc. No one bothered to assist a family of 11 in distress, not to mention the added stress of being robbed. An official police report meant nothing to them. Luckily, I had enough funds to purchase 11 tickets again, but I dread to think if that had happened to anyone else.

I fail to understand what they achieved by making us purchase the tickets and get them refunded at the same time.

Thai Airways replies:

It is the policy of our airline, which is the same as other leading airlines, that at check-in passengers have to show their credit card when their tickets have been purchased online. This is stipulated clearly in red letters as part of the terms passengers accept before they push the "agree" button on the purchase and payment conditions. This process protects card owners. Regarding the police report – while it is a formal document for investigation by the authorities, it is not a recognised document for re-issuing tickets.

EMERGENCY – TO HANDBAG OR NOT?

Images of the recent Asiana accident clearly showed passengers carrying wheelie bags having just evacuated. In an emergency, the cabin crew will not stop a passenger taking a bag as that will simply slow the process but how do you stop this irresponsible and dangerous selfishness. Prosecution? If so on what basis? REPLIES Not to defend it (because it is bloody stupid behaviour), but sometimes people just do it automatically because they’re not thinking. Studies have proven time and time again that people don’t act rationally in situations like this. Your brain just goes onto auto-pilot. It seems a bit harsh to seek to bring criminal sanctions against people who have already been through one hell of an ordeal unless, of course, such actions are proven to lead to injury or loss of life. Then, I could see possible grounds for taking action. I always keep the passport and wallet next to me because losing both could be pretty inconvenient. Everything else really doesn’t matter. If I saw someone dragging hand luggage threatening their life and mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to hiss at them or get it off their hands and haul them to safety where they would receive a tongue lashing from me. I would add essential medication to that list of things to keep close in case of an emergency. On a related note, does anyone check when they board if their seat has a life vest? Apparently, there can be significant periods between checks by the airlines that these are in place. A lot of it has to do with situational awareness. In emergencies, many passengers don’t behave rationally because they don’t fully appreciate their circumstances. Instead of reacting to the crisis, they seek to normalise a situation they don’t understand by adopting “normal” behaviour like collecting baggage.

I always try to treat take-off and landing as critical times during the flight. I try to stay awake and focused no matter how tired I am, keeping my shoes on and insisting my children do the same. I also check my proximity to exits counting the rows of seats I may have to feel in the dark, and checking location of exits even though I’m pretty familiar on most aircraft types. It annoys my travelling companions no end, but if I only need to use it once in my lifetime it would be worth the minimal effort.