<![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific - Consumerist Comments]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific - Consumerist Comments]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> Because Jeff's itinerary was carried solely on Cathay Pacific and also booked through them, he was most certainly on an e-ticket and therefore eligible to use their online check-in. OLCI provides a seat map on which passengers may pick their seats (or change them, if they had an ASR on the booking) two days prior to the flight. Cathay Pacific promotes OLCI quite heavily, and even reminds travelers about it via email once it is active for their flight, so I don't see why Jeff couldn't have checked in online beforehand just to confirm that Crystal still had a window seat.

Also, Jeff may want to keep in mind for his future trips that begging for a free upgrade automatically eliminated any chances of him actually getting that free upgrade. This is an unwritten rule that most airlines observe, but passengers with a high frequent flyer status are usually exempted.

foilhead

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> I've had no such luck. I have contacted Cathay Pacific Customer Service and Tony Tyler CEO of Cathay Pacific on 2/23/08 without any luck.

sukhwani

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> To me it sounded like a user error caused by an ambiguous interface, which is really an interface error, which is really a system error, which is, at the root, the airline's fault. Why would it present a seat selection interaction if it was too late to select the seat? It should be made abundantly clear when an important and significant option or decision (such as seat selection) is going to become unavailable.

Framling

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> Wow. Imagine getting this kind of reply from even the CSRs at United- people would die from shock...

United.com

econobiker

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> @Buran:

They had an aisle and a middle assigned. They could have easily asked the FA "my girlfriend gets violently ill, is there anyone in a window who would prefer an aisle?" Given that a significant % of the population prefers aisle to window, shouldn't have been that tough.

JustAGuy2

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> @bodgy: When you are talking about someone's health, the OP had every right to have 'entitlement issues'. Because the airline failed to realize the severity of the situation, their actions caused someone to become violently ill on the flight, which could have been avoided by simply reseating someone else who did not have severe motion sickness problems. It is not likely that everyone in a window seat would have the same issue.

Normally I'd say it isn't a big deal, but in this case, it is. It's not like my preferring to sit by a window -- I like to but sitting in an aisle seat won't cause me to throw up.

Buran

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> @bodgy: Iberia did this to me too. It was a pain in the ass from Chicago - Madrid, but on the flight back, there were only 6 or 7 other people in the whole of economy class. I spread out just fine over the 5 middle row seats.

ihavetogonow

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> @peteynice: First of all, it sounds as if this was a case of user error.

Second of all, the analogy you used - end zone seats vs. 50 yard line seats - is quite frankly, TERRIBLE. That's pretty much equating it with paying for Business class seats and getting Economy seats on arrival.

I really do doubt that Cathay Pacific would lie about the ASRs, I've flown with them (sadly, cattle class only) for over 20 years and they've never let me down. It sounds like the complaint was initiated by a dude with an angry girlfriend who wanted answers.

viviennet

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> @aishel: aaaaaahhhh... good one... didn't catch that one myself :-)

DeltaPurser

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> While it's nice that the person got a reply, and thoughtful responses from the airline, I have to disagree regarding using this technique in this case, and say that these issues do NOT rise to the importance of spending your credibility by sending email to the top executives. And I think Consumerist should stress this point and not encourage frivolous use of mass email like this. Consumerist might become associated with people with minor issues wasting companies' time. And the story's headline is deceiving -- this is NOT a success story.

Sending messages straight to the top is for issues of great importance, and I cannot believe that the ones in this story are such issues. They happen every day to thousands of passengers, and the person in this story was still told in the end that he wouldn't get a refund. (In fact, I think asking for a refund was a bit of a scam to begin with, and quite over the top considering that the airline did very little wrong. Who asks for a refund because their airline meal was cold, or they didn't get a particular seat? Admittedly the girlfriend gets motion sick or something, but how can the airline be responsible for that?)

They didn't get what they wanted, and they spent several people's time trying to have that explained to them. They only got a small gesture, lounge passes, because they whined loud and long enough. If everyone who didn't get their chosen seats and received a cold meal were to be compensated, the lounge would be full, and everyone would feel like not getting your seat is a disaster. Are you going to do this on every future flight that you take, now that you know it "works?"

Sorry to disagree with the story's sentiment, but in summary, I think that one should be a little bit more humble than to pull out the CEO's email address when you don't get your assigned seat and the salad is cold.

kepler11

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> @RowdyRoddyPiper:

That's because BoA doesn't want to admit bilking you $35 for the late fee because you "paid late". Curious how all computer systems go down the day before a payment is due. Or the day of.

brokeincollege

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]>

RottNDude

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> If you're going to complain be sure you have all of your "backup" documentation ahead of time. You need to be able to support you what you're claiming.

Boomahret2008

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> @bodgy: "don't think he was entitled to an upgrade or a refund. He still had seats..."

So if you bought tickets for a football game that when you checked online before the game were on the 50 yard line but when you get to the stadium you find out they are really behind the end zone, would you not be pissed? After all, you still have seats!

PeteyNice

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> This is the part of the email that won me over

"I apologise on behalf of all of us here for the disappointment we caused you on your recent trip, and for failing to meet your expectations in terms of the service we offered you."

The fact that the CEO APOLOGIZED speaks volumes to me. The assumption is that "it is being taken seriously." We hope that you will "regret the error." But for someone to actually apologize is rare at best in today's support organizations.

I am a technical support engineer by trade and will not hesitate to apologize to a customer if I feel that the customer was wronged in some way. This does wonders to diffuse bombs and it also helps put ME in the right mindset of doing the right thing for the customer.

bradanomics

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> You know what is amazing to me, Cathay Pacific can pull the transaction and see what actions the user took for a booking and BofA can't tell me what I did or did not do incorrectly when the online payment function of my credit card fails yet again.

The initial response was great. Thoughtful, polite, not from a robot and did not contain "we are taking it seriously". The CEO response was above and beyond. I'm glad they gave him something for the problem. A partial refund is tough and the difference between economy and business between New York and Sydney is about 10-12K. It's just very different flying there on business class.

Ass_Cobra

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> PS: We did end up with an entire row (5 seats!) to ourselves because the gate agent moved us. Not the worst thing in the world.

Bodgy

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> I had this happen to us on Iberia. The maddening part about that was that we had confirmed and had a printout that the ticket agent gave us stating our seats. Different story when we got our boarding passes though.

I do think he should have confirmed his seats if it is such a big deal. I don't think he was entitled to an upgrade or a refund. He still had seats, they just weren't what he wanted. Mick Jagger said it best "We can't always get what we want".

Some people have entitlement issues.

Bodgy

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> I think that's a good personal response by the CEO and reasonable compensation considering the circumstances.

azntg

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> PWNED! Unbelievable they pulled the backups to confirm his story. Sounds like a case of "user error" to me.

RottNDude

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> OK I think we can all blame the victim in this case...

ecwis

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> I think cathay pacific did the right thing here.

cookmefud

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> I find it curious that they equate "hot meal served frozen solid" with "room temperature meal incorrectly served chilled". I mean, that's a pretty serious difference in edibility right there.

Sockatume

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> A CEO sending a thoughtful, considerate email...Wow! What an exemplary reply. The consumer didn't get a free ride, but he got consideration and an investigation into the situation. All CEOs should take a page from Tony Tyler.

akalish

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> I don't get it...he needs kosher meals on the airplane but will eat dinner rolls in a lounge in Singapore?

aishel

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> In addition to calling ahead to confirm my booking arrangements, I always print out any advanced seating reservations that I made online, along with any other reservation documentation and a back-up copy of the photo ID page of my passport, and carry it with me to all check-in points in the airlines' boarding process.

CurbRunner

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> I never thought I'd find myself in this position - kicking the person making the complaint BUT...

If my better half could get motion-sickness so violent they'd have to close-off the washroom if they didn't get a window seat, I'd be calling to confirm it SEVERAL times before the day of the flight. Trusting the website, alone, to take care of something THAT IMPORTANT was not a wise move. (I'd have called weekly until it bacame "Fran, it's me, can you check if those seat assignments are still there?")

That said, I've very glad Cathay Pacific eventually made them happy-ish - seat-wise and lounge-wise.

Jim (The Canuck One)

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> It sounds like user error, and Cathay Pacific went above and beyond in explaining this politely.

wesa

]]> <![CDATA[Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Cathay Pacific]]> Good decision on behalf of Cathay Pacific... Fair compensation, in my mind.

DeltaPurser

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