Couple pleads guilty to defrauding Cathay Pacific of 17 airline tickets

Cathay Pacific was deceived by a ground crew member and an Asia Miles customer service officer into issuing 17 air tickets costing HK$139,000, a court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Winston Chan Lap-yan told the District Court it took police two years to gather evidence and retrieve computer records to ascertain that the 17 tickets had been fraudulently issued.

Although police investigations earlier revealed 85 tickets had been allegedly generated and redeemed from 28 suspicious or false Asia Miles accounts controlled by the two defendants, police only gathered enough evidence to prosecute them over 17 tickets and 15 accounts, he said.

Elsa Choi Ka-ling, 35, and her boyfriend, Ng Man-lung, 34, yesterday pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to defraud.

During the period of the offences, from April to October 2002, Choi was a member of the airline's ground crew and Ng worked in the customer service centre of Cathay Pacific Loyalty Programmes Limited - the Asia Miles programme.

The court was told the two conspired with Choi's friend, Lam Wei, who worked as an airfield officer for the Airport Authority, to carry out the scheme.