Those poor Cathay people. Next they'll be force-feeding them with free caviar

Maybe there are some good perks for Cathay Pacific workers after all. Chris Whitehouse, who lives in Fotan, is the husband of a Cathay Pacific purser, and wrote the following. (Read it in a sarcastic tone.) 'Your report on the poor Cathay pilot sure brought up some painful memories for me. The company actually has the gall to charge us a back-breaking $320 [yes, that's 320 Hong Kong dollars] for a round-trip ticket to Bangkok - first class, that is.

'Once, when I was trying to get back from Bangkok to Hong Kong, the flight that I wanted to take was completely full! I had to wait a full 45 minutes until the next flight.

'When the check-in girl said: 'I'm sorry sir. There is no first class on this flight. Is business class all right?' it was a full split-second before I could regain my composure enough to say 'Okay'.

'It was lucky that I retained my boarding pass so that I could reclaim the $40 difference in ticket prices.

'But if you think this is bad, once a year Cathay actually gives me a free round-trip ticket to anywhere that they fly! Don't they know that such charity causes loss of self esteem? 'My wife has tried to get us out of this terrible situation by spilling drinks on famous people [Sir Run Run Shaw has the wet socks to prove it] but to no avail.' A perks war between airlines sounds like a fun idea.