Inbox I 17


INVOLUNTARY DOWNGRADE I was booked in business class for Dragonair flight KA997 departing Beijing (PEK) at 0310 on August 30, 2015 bound for Hong Kong – (the first leg of my LHR/HKG/PEK return business class ticket). I arrived at PEK in plenty of time and was in the lounge around midnight, but at no point during check-in or in the lounge was I informed of a change of aircraft. It was only at the gate that I was told the aircraft had been changed and no business class was available. Had I known in advance, I would have changed to a later flight, but I was given no choice but to board the aircraft. As a refund for the downgrade, I was given HK$310 (US$40) plus


two upgrade coupons, of which I have only managed to use one so far. I wonder if I offered them HK$310, would they upgrade me from Y to J? I wrote several times to Cathay Pacific (CX) and Dragonair asking for the breakdown of my refund, but they did not give me a proper answer. I’ve been a Marco Polo member for the past 20 years and a Diamond member for the past three years. Is this the way CX treats its loyal customers? Dr E Fan, Hong Kong


CATHAY PACIFIC RESPONDS: We would like to express our appreciation to Dr Fan for taking the time to provide his feedback, although we were of course sorry to learn that he was upset by his travel experience. Providing the best experience for our passengers is at the heart of what we at the Cathay Pacific group strive to achieve. We contacted Dr Fan after receiving his complaint on August 31, 2015 and followed up with him on a number of occasions following his subsequent response. We have given Dr Fan our sincerest apologies for being unable to provide a business class seat, as per his booking, due to an unexpected change of aircraft type. According to Dr Fan’s ticket type and the fare class he had booked, we arranged a refund, which equated to the fare difference between his purchased ticket and his eventual


class of travel. Additionally, we provided Dr Fan with a special upgrade that he was able to use on a later flight. We highly value our passengers for their loyalty and continuous support for the Cathay Pacific group.


CHANGING ROOM RATES Earlier this year, two of my colleagues and I booked online for a three-night stay at the Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel in Moscow. The online offer was to pay for two nights, with one night free, for a total of around 13,000 roubles (US$206) including taxes. This was double the price of another Marriott in the city, but we chose to pay the extra as the hotel was within walking distance of Red Square. We received email confirmation stating the total invoice for three nights. However, upon checking out on August 28, 2016, the bill was almost double the amount that had been confirmed. As we were in a rush to catch an early morning flight, we didn’t have time to argue so we just paid the amount. When we reached Houston we emailed the hotel (no reply) and called to sort the issue out, however the hotel denied responsibility. We cannot comprehend this daylight robbery from such an established chain of hotels and feel cheated by Marriott. Edmund E, Singapore


MARRIOTT MOSCOW ROYAL AURORA RESPONDS: We would like to extend our apologies to the guest in question. The guest booked the offer “Buy Two Get One Night Free”. This promotion presupposes a minimum stay of three nights – two of which are at a certain rate, and one night free of charge. However, the confirmation calculated the rate only for one night instead of two, which is incorrect. We have rectified this technical inaccuracy and apologised to the guest. We have also refunded the guest for 6,500 roubles (US$103). The guest subsequently confirmed in an e-mail that he was satisfied with the measures taken by the hotel.


businesstraveller.com


NOVEMBER 2016


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