Airline: Cathay Pacific Reviews

[bezzlay]

We had a very bad experience on our flight from HK to SG some 2 years ago. They had a technical fault and their recovery was chaotic. Since then, we vow not to take Cathay flights.

[Just2Random]

Lol more details?

[bezzlay]

Just2Random:

Lol more details?

This was my complaint letter to them and they replied with an apology.

<Extract from email>
The flight was supposed to take off at 20:00 but there was a delay due
to technical fault. My family of 5 including myself, husband and 3 young
children aged 2,4 and 6 were told to walk from Gate 68 to Gate 26. We
were told that the engineers had advice to take another aircraft as the
repair work may take a longer time to complete. At gate 26, we were
shocked to see no cathay aircraft and my kids without any dinner were
given some water and cakes. At a later time, we were told that CX715's
issue had resolved and it would take a shorter time if we all moved back
to gate 68 to take the same aircraft. I was then carrying my 2 yr old
boy who was asleep and we have to walk back with my 2 other children.
Hence, we requested cabby to drive us there. The cabby asked for 50HKD
upon reaching gate 26 and I had to carry my boy and argued with him
that I couldn't be walking from one gate to another and back to the same
gate. But the cabby insisted and it was resolved when both of us went to
the check-in counter to verify. It was a terrible experience with Cathay
as we would expect ground or inflight staff to have communicate with the
cabby (told cabby do no belong to Cathay) on such an arrangement for
passengers with young children and elderly. This was only the first bad
experience we had. The second one was when we reached Singapore and we have reserved a Maxi cab for us. The poor cab driver was first informed
that the plane will land at 23:45 and then changed to 01:40 and
then to 02:01. It was further delayed when we eventually touched down in
Singapore. The delay had exceeded the block of 45mins wait for the taxi
driver and we had to pay an excess charge of $10 to the driver. These
chain of incidents had made us appalled with the service provided by
Cathay. Cathay should review this incident seriously to prevent any of
such to happen. Even if it happen again I believe it should be handled
in a more graceful manner. This is my suggestion in which th matter
would have been handled in a better manner. If there is no aircraft
prepared then the passengers should be told to wait at gate 68 while the
aircraft is prepared and technicians were still repairing CX715. Then
when CX715's problem is resolved and ready to take off the passengers do
not need to walk that far from one gate to another. This is causing
distress to passengers especially those elderly and with young children.
After the whole incident was resolved, Cathay should take initiative to
check for passengers with any prior booking with pick-up service to look
into any compensation required due to the delay and not just plain
apologies and when the plane landed just forget about the whole matter.
We definitely need to have a 2nd thought the next time if we want to
book any air ticket from Cathay. We appreciate Cathay to seriously
looked into this matter especially in terms of customer relations.
<End>

The moral of the story is every airline can provide a good service when no situation crops up. But what makes a good airline is one who can provide good recovery and damage control there after.

[Just2Random]

Ok thanks, what was the reply?

[bezzlay]

Just2Random:

Ok thanks, what was the reply?

[Extract from email]
Before we begin, please allow us to offer our apologies for the
prolonged period needed to furnish you with our reply. We do understand
the importance of responding to our customers with prompt responses and
deeply regret the poor impression created.

We are most concerned to learn of the difficulties you and your family
encountered as a result of the delay of flight CX715 from Hong Kong to
Singapore on XX XXX 2010. We would like to extend to you our sincere
apologies for the inconvenience and frustration undoubtedly caused to
you and your family.

According to our flight reports, we understand that our Engineers
detected a technical problem with one of the aircraft’s engines just
after boarding. It was only after further investigation that we were
able to ascertain that the rectification work would take longer than had
originally been anticipated. Regrettably, despite Cathay Pacific’s
rigorous maintenance programme, technical problems can occasionally
occur at the last minute and we are sorry that this happened on this
occasion. We would like to assure you that the safety and security of
our passengers and crew are of paramount importance at Cathay Pacific
and this would never be compromised in any way.

Having said that we are sorry that the handling by our staff appeared
disorganised and unsatisfactory on this occasion. We at Cathay Pacific
always place superior customer service high on our list of priorities
and our staff are selected and trained to ensure that we attain this
objective.

Whilst it is impossible to eliminate all of the factors that can lead to
a flight being delayed, it is imperative that any disruption is handled
professionally and without any compromise in the level of service we
provide our customers. We understand and appreciate the importance our
customers place on efficient service delivery during the course of any
disruption and I am sorry if we failed to live up to your expecations.

We certainly understand your displeasure in feeling that sufficient
assistance was not offered throughout the delay and we certainly believe
that they can be handled proactively and with improved communication and
service. Your comments are most valued and we will certainly make the
best use of them when reviewing our delay handling procedures.

Ms XXX, we would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for
choosing to fly with us and for taking the time to give us your comments
on this incident. We are sorry if your trip on this occasion was not a
smooth one, and we do hope that despite the unfortunate events, you will
consider choosing Cathay Pacific again in the future.

Thank you for contacting us.

Yours sincerely
[End]

[Just2Random]

Ok, thanks.

[Just2Random]

I would b more than happytovsee more replies.

[Just2Random]

Anybody?

[charkeane]

Recently just took the flight to bkk the cathay crew face was so unfriendly and they are not helpful at all. Black faces all the way. Some china people ask for drinks many time they will give them a vey rude face.

[notfreemom]

Just came back from BKK 2 weeks ago. My son did not like the beef noodles (kid menu),thus asked the crew for a instant noodle instead. The crew brought the noodle and told my hubby that the noodle was the only packet that she could find. And she ‘warned’ my hubby that if next time my kid did not like the kid’s menu, informed them upfront. I was so angry with their service and told my hubby that this was the first and last time we would fly by Cathay pacific airlines.