ExplainerHong Kong Cathay Pacific flight disruptions: are customers satisfied with new arrangements and how are they coping with the aftermath?

Cathay CEO apologises for wave of cancellations over Christmas and New Year that ‘affected the travel arrangements of many travellers’

The Post sums up what passengers are upset about, whether Cathay flight prices have changed and if passengers have ways to navigate disruptions

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People walk past a line of Cathay recruitment advertisements at Hong Kong International Airport. The carrier pledged no new rounds of service changes beyond the Lunar New Year holiday. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 4:30pm, 13 Jan 2024Updated: 5:40pm, 13 Jan 2024

The dust has not yet settled on Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways’ flight-cancellation debacle, despite its CEO apologising and pledging that there will be no new rounds of service changes beyond the Lunar New Year holiday.

The planned cancellations – an average of 12 flights a day – will disrupt travellers’ plans for several more weeks until the end of February, with some affected customers venting their anger on social media about difficulties with rebooking flights.

Cathay blamed the chaos on pilots calling in sick and stressed that maintaining service in the coming festive season was a priority. But the problems run much deeper than its overstretched staff, as industry insiders question whether the fiasco will derail the carrier’s plan to return to full capacity this year.

The Post sums up what customers upset about, whether Cathay flight prices have changed and if passengers have ways to navigate disruptions.

Cathay Pacific customers check in at the airport. The carrier’s CEO has said the company will set up a working group to investigate the recent wave of flight cancellations. Photo: Jonathan Wong

1. Are passengers satisfied with Cathay’s arrangements?

Passengers flooded social media with furious complaints despite Cathay pledging to rebook them onto alternative flights or offer a refund.