WELL HANDLED, CX!

As a frequent flier – currently a Cathay Pacific (CX) Marco Polo Club Diamond member – I have had my fair share of delayed flights. I would like to share my recent experience where I felt the delay was well handled. I was on CX503 from Osaka Kansai to Hong Kong on November 24 last year. I had an onward connecting flight to Taipei on the same day. Check in was smooth and I was upgraded to first class due to an overbooked flight. As I was sitting in the lounge, there was an announcement that the flight would be delayed for six hours due to mechanical problems.

A long queue quickly formed in the lounge with concerned passengers. Unfortunately all other CX flights were full. Ground staff reassured me that they would arrange for a suitable connecting flight. I was given a meal voucher and was reminded to check the airport flight status monitors for updates on the status of the flight.

After about three hours, I received a text message from CX (I had subscribed to their Noti-Fly service) informing me of the new departure time. The mechanical problem had been fixed faster than expected, but the flight was still significantly delayed.

The flight was excellent and the inflight service manager greeted me and apologised for the delay. Upon arrival in Hong Kong we were met by ground staff. It turned out that there were many passengers with onward connections who needed assistance. This was sorted out in a very professional manner, despite some passengers being quite angry.

As the flight landed in Hong Kong quite late, I requested staff to postpone my onward flight to Taipei although a connecting flight had already been arranged for me. The efficient ground staff accommodated my request despite a restriction on my ticket regarding stopovers in Hong Kong. I appreciated their flexibility in waiving the restriction.

I would like to praise CX for handling this delay in a calm and professional manner.