Unsympathetic Cathay Pacific.

[bigmarco]

Following some earlier hopeful news sadly my Nanay has taken a turn for the worse in the last week which eventually ended with us getting a phone call yesterday saying that the hospital now wished to disconnect her ventilator machine and carry out a tracheotomy and in effect send her home to die.
After recovering from the shock I decided to call Cathay Pacific as we have return tickets booked for 16th November for 2 weeks and my naturally wanted to leave immediately.
I explained the situation to the lady at Cathay and asked if it was possible for them to arrange for my wife to fly out immediately and I would stick with my planned flight with us both returning on the same date. She seemed quite sympathetic and said she would speak to her supervisor and see what he says. She came back after 2 minutes and said to my surprise that they were unable to help us with bringing the flight forward. I initially accepted this and asked her if she could then give me a price on a one way flight to Manila for my wife with us both returning on the same booked flights on the 30th. To my amazement she said she couldn't do this as if my wife wasn't on the outward journey on the 16th she would be unable to use the return on the 30th. She also said that as it was a joint booking if my wife wasn't with me on the 16th then I wouldn't be allowed to travel. For me to travel on the 16th I would need to split the booking with the agent I booked with.
I then phoned the agent edreams and spent 38 minutes on the phone to them at £1.53 a minute mostly listening to music. but eventually managed to get the booking split which would enable me to travel as booked. However they said they were unable to do anything for my wife as this would need to be sorted out by Cathay.
I then phoned Cathay back and explained that I had now split the booking and was now asking once again if there was anything they could do to help in any way with getting my wife's ticket brought forward. She came back to the phone and quoted me a price of £832.55 which was the exact price from their website for a return ticket with no allowance for the ticket already purchased.
I did eventually after deliberating book a return ticket with Cathay for my wife which left today and returns on the same flight as me on the 30th for £832. We will now have paid for 3 seats on the return flight.
I must confess that I have always enjoyed flying Cathay Pacific but swear as long as there is a hole in my they will never get another penny from me

[Jamesey]

That is very poor indeed. I really can't understand how airlines can justify the huge cost of amending itineraries. We're not even talking about Ryan Air or Easy Jet - this is Cathay Pacific!

But contrary to your experience, my wife managed to send her parents home earlier than their booked flights on Cathay Pacific for less than £100. I'm still not sure how she managed to do that!

Anyway, Cathay Pacific is no longer my preferred airline for flights to Manila. With their direct flight, it's got to be PAL now.

[Dedworth]

Not good Marco but what's done is done now. Would there have been any way you could have cancelled the original ticket and claimed off your travel insurance ?

[raynaputi]

I'm sorry to learn about the sad news Marco..

[Rosie1958]

Marco, I am so sorry to hear about your nanay and the awful customer service received from Cathay Pacific. Your situation is stressful enough without the airline adding to it .... shame on them ..........

[stevewool]

i would wait a while and write to them asking why they did this, you never know putting it down on paper sometimes helps

[SimonH]

Hi Marco,

First and foremost, I'm sorry to hear of your bad news. As far as the ticket is concerned, I'd be checking your travel insurance firstly, if this isn't covered you will be able to claim a refund equal to the taxes paid on the ticket, not a lot I know, but better than nothing.

[SimonH]

Just another thought, do Cathay have a faceache or tweeter page, if so I'd be shouting about it there

[jake]

I am sorry to hear about your Nanay.

Whatever happened to airlines being compassionate

[SimonH]

Found this:-

Call your airline representative as soon as you realise you will no longer be able to make a scheduled flight. Have on hand your flight confirmation numbers and the information from the credit card you used to purchase the tickets.

2
Explain your situation to the representative clearly. State why it is impossible for you to fly on your scheduled flight. Legitimate reasons recognised by most airlines for ticket refunds include illnesses, jury duty or family deaths. Offer to provide evidence of your situation, if needed.


3
Present the proof of your situation to the airline in the manner requested. This may include mailing in documentation or presenting it in person at a future date. Documentation may include doctor's notes, death certificates or legal summons. In the case of illness, ask your doctor for a note that explains how your illness rendered you unable to fly. While small illnesses such as a cold might not be recognised by an airline, a serious condition that presents health risks to other passengers is normally acknowledged.

4
Ask for a clear explanation of the conditions of the refund. Some airlines will refund the money directly to your credit card, but others might only allow you to book a new flight. In the case of airline credits, be aware of the penalty charges, blackout dates and other restrictions which might apply.

5
Ask for a refund of the government taxes. If your request for a full refund fails, ask for the taxes you paid when you purchased your airline ticket. Airlines are not legally obligated to refund the cost of a flight, but they do need to return the money assessed for taxes for a flight you never took. Refer to your original receipt for the exact amount of these taxes.

6
Negotiate with the airline to transfer the funds spend on the unused ticket to a new flight. Many airlines may be unwilling to refund you the full amount of your ticket when you miss a flight, but they might allow you to put that credit towards booking another.



Did you pay for the flights on a credit card Might be worth getting them involved too if you did

[London_Manila]

Once you have booked the flight it seems most airlines will do little to help you out

If they do offer any help then there is always an extra charge involved

I am surprised a big airline like this could not have done more for you at a time of need

[Doc Alan]

Like everyone else, I’m sorry about your Nanay and your experience with Cathay Pacific. I only hope she will receive all the support she needs to minimise her suffering. It can’t have helped that there seems to have been no obvious cause for her illness.


What additional stress and a sad irony that you’ve paid for three seats on the return flight with Cathay P, normally a reputable airline. I can’t offer more advice than that already given here.



I’m sure you and yours have everyone’s sympathy, Mark. Please try to keep further stress to a minimum – you have done your best and in time that will allow closure. Count your blessings and try to stay positive.

[RickyR]

Sadly all the airlines are becoming more strict with the cancellation terms and have no sympathy for personal situations. It could be worth a letter to the CEO, but it's unlikely to give you a better resolution.
Perhaps your travel insurance will cover it? Or possibly the credit card you used has an insurance which covers such events?
I try quite hard to book changeable flights now having also been caught out in the past,

[Arthur Little]

Like all the other respondents, I'm so sorry to read the latest update on your Nanay, Marco. Moreover ... I am appalled and disgusted at the diabolical lack of human compassion shown by the airline in such stressful circumstances.

[bigmarco]

Thanks for you advice and kind words everyone.
I will pursue it further once things return to some sort of normality.

[jonnyivy]

Small world,...we had to give up our flights to Cebu yesterday, we would have been there right now if we had went. Same airline, Cathay,...asked if they would cancel or ammend our flights but as it wasn't a serious situation they said no.
Someone on that flight will be pleased , they will have 4 extra seats to lie down on where we should have been !!

[bigmarco]

Feel I should be fair to Cathay and advise you of the outcome. I sent an email to their CEO on the 14th November explaining what at happened and received a reply on the 15th advising me that they would investigate the matter.
After completing the investigation they have agreed to refund the full price of the last ticket we purchased £832.55 and also speak to their staff about the way I was treated.
They were unable to refund until we had completed our journeys and so I have forwarded my bank details to them and am currently awaiting a refund.
I must confess that I am delighted that they have been good enough to refund the whole fare as I have always enjoyed travelling with them. This time like all the others the service on board was outstanding.
Many thanks Cathay

[Michael Parnham]

Well done Marc, nice to hear a success story, thankyou Cathay!

[Doc Alan]

That is good news Marco, thanks for update

[Ako Si Jamie]

Nice one Marco.

Good to hear when a company values it's customers. Well done Cathay Pacific.

[stevewool]

great result well done

[gWaPito]

That is very poor indeed. I really can't understand how airlines can justify the huge cost of amending itineraries. We're not even talking about Ryan Air or Easy Jet - this is Cathay Pacific!

But contrary to your experience, my wife managed to send her parents home earlier than their booked flights on Cathay Pacific for less than £100. I'm still not sure how she managed to do that!

Anyway, Cathay Pacific is no longer my preferred airline for flights to Manila. With their direct flight, it's got to be PAL now.

This is what I did with my mother in law. Dial a flight charged me £120 for the amendment. She could of flown out the following morning, instead she went a week later.

[gWaPito]

Small world,...we had to give up our flights to Cebu yesterday, we would have been there right now if we had went. Same airline, Cathay,...asked if they would cancel or ammend our flights but as it wasn't a serious situation they said no.
Someone on that flight will be pleased , they will have 4 extra seats to lie down on where we should have been !!

A shame you couldn't make claim on the holiday insurance. It's worked for me before

[Terpe]

Feel I should be fair to Cathay and advise you of the outcome. I sent an email to their CEO on the 14th November explaining what at happened and received a reply on the 15th advising me that they would investigate the matter.
After completing the investigation they have agreed to refund the full price of the last ticket we purchased £832.55 and also speak to their staff about the way I was treated.
They were unable to refund until we had completed our journeys and so I have forwarded my bank details to them and am currently awaiting a refund.
I must confess that I am delighted that they have been good enough to refund the whole fare as I have always enjoyed travelling with them. This time like all the others the service on board was outstanding.
Many thanks Cathay

I'm very glad that an ethical organisation like CP have found the right outcome.
Well done Marco

Just proves that a formal complaint well presented CAN make a difference.

Thanks so much for the feedback.

[London_Manila]

Going straight to the top normally works......complaints departments just fob you off

I must say I always found the service on Cathay Pacific fantastic

Those Middle Eastern airlines can't even come close to Cathay Pacific's levels of service

On my last flight with them I had a sore throat and the air hostess gave me a lozenge from her handbag

Now that's what you call great customer service