A purely personal rant.
My frustration with Cathay Pacific and British Airways reached an all time high last night. Having had to plead with the British Airways ground crew to allow my 12 year old daughter one small additional check-in bag, I watched as other children who were returning to school in the UK repacked suitcases to either get their check-in bag weight down to 23kg or to ensure they had only one check-in bag. As a result, a stream of young children laden with heavy rucksacks, and some with two hand carry bags, trudged off to immigration. Don’t the airlines realise that these children are their future clients? How difficult would it be to show some compassion to those children returning to boarding school?
As my own travel status did not facilitate the booking of seats for my children, I applied to Cathay Pacific for them to become members of the Marco Polo Club as soon as they commenced school in the UK. All I wanted was for them to have the same ticketing and booking privileges as other regular passengers (they fly at least 6 round trips to London each year plus other flights while on holiday with the family); those in a similar position will appreciate how difficult it can be to book flights for children during peak periods and hence the necessity to book flights between 6 and 12 months in advance. I was told that because they are minors, my children are not eligible to join the Marco Polo Club.
When I explained my reason for their application I was told that the Marco Polo Club was meant for business travelers. Upon pointing out the foolishness of this remark , I was told that they could not become members due to the fact that Cathay Pacific serves alcohol in its lounges. No problem, only admit minors to the lounge if they are accompanied by adults afterall, checking their ages is easy as they are all carrying passports or ID cards. I have never had a sensible answer to why children who fly as many miles as adults and pay the same fare are not allowed the same privileges. What a way to encourage brand loyalty.
Airline policy is clearly to enter into prolonged correspondence with you until you give up. I recently complained to British Airways about their ground staff behaviour in London, Paris and Bombay. Have I had a response? Of course not. However, giving credit where credit is due, I recently used my airmiles to upgrade myself to first class on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to London (it seems this is the only way to use your miles), and must say that the crew were simply fantastic - very professional, efficient and charming. How sad that their employer can’t be the same.
