ALL IS NOT LOST

I’m writing in relation to a recent positive experience I had with Cathay Pacific. I was travelling on CX254 from London, arriving in Hong Kong on November 16. I was seated in one of the premium cabins and as usual the Cathay service was excellent. On arrival, I inadvertently left a valuable item in my seat area when I was rushing to leave the cabin.

Some two hours later, after returning home, I noticed the lost item. I immediately called the Cathay Pacific frequent-flyer Marco Polo Club helpline, and was put through to a very knowledgeable lady who recommended that I quickly contact the Lost and Found Department. I did so and a very helpful gentleman by the name of Dennis immediately picked up the call. I had my doubts over whether the item could be located, but to my surprise Dennis was able to give me an initial indication that something had indeed been picked up at my seat.

He promised to follow up; a short while later, he confirmed that the item had been found. Impressively, Dennis had full details of the lost item and I was therefore able to confirm that it was mine. He apologised for being unable to arrange for the item to be returned that evening (as it was now past 10pm local time), but promised to arrange for hand delivery the following morning. The item was duly delivered the next morning, to a very grateful owner.

In recent years, Cathay Pacific has received some flak for its ongoing restructuring. It’s also tempting generally to be critical of airlines, given that flying is not a happy experience for many. On this occasion, I have to say that I was incredibly impressed by how Cathay handled the incident – from the lady at Marco Polo who picked up my initial call, to the cabin cleaning staff who retrieved and tagged my lost item so promptly, to Dennis’s professionalism in handling my call, to the efficient courier service that returned the missing item to me a mere 12 hours after my initial call – and on a Sunday morning to boot! This is an impressively joined-up service that only premium carriers such as Cathay are able to provide. Well done, Cathay!

JH Zhong, Hong Kong