Incident Breakdown: Why was a 3-year-old boy served wine on a Cathay Pacific flight?
Last month, a Cathay Pacific Airways cabin crew member erroneously handed a glass of white wine to a three-year-old boy in business class, raising alarms about the risks of incorrect food and drink service. This blog post explores how such drink errors occur on flights and suggests ways travelers can protect themselves from consuming items that might harm their health.
1. What took place on the flight?
On the night of April 24, a family of three boarded Cathay Pacific flight CX255 from Hong Kong to London, occupying business class seats. The child sat by the window, with his father in the aisle seat. A crew member mistakenly provided the boy with a glass of white wine instead of the water he had ordered.
The toddler sipped the drink and commented that it tasted “sour.” Another crew member promptly apologized and replaced it with water. The parents escalated the issue to a senior crew member, who consulted a French doctor on board. The doctor assured them the child would be fine, mentioning that in her country, children as young as five might try small amounts of alcohol.
The senior crew also reached out to the in-flight Medlink service for ground-based medical guidance, which advised giving the child more water and monitoring his condition. The boy showed no signs of discomfort or illness. Cathay Pacific offered to refund the child’s ticket, provide three one-class upgrade vouchers, and cover any medical check-up costs tied to the incident. However, the parents, both 35, were unsatisfied, expressing worries about possible long-term health impacts on their son.
Over two weeks after the event, the parents had not sought a medical check-up for the child.
2. Is this a rare occurrence?
An anonymous Cathay Pacific flight purser noted that such mistakes are more common in business class due to its personalized service approach. “About 99% of these errors happen in business class, where crew take multiple drink orders and prepare them together on a tray in the galley,” she explained.
She highlighted that mix-ups occur when drinks aren’t clearly marked for specific passengers or seats, leading to incorrect servings. In contrast, economy class service, which involves a trolley and paper cups dispensed one at a time, rarely sees such issues.
The purser emphasized that the pre-prepared drink trays in business class heighten the risk of errors, a view shared by industry experts.
3. What triggers drink mix-ups?
The purser explained that frequent mix-ups include confusing sparkling water with still water or mistaking white wine for apple juice.
Another typical error involves mixing up Coke Zero and Diet Coke. Coke Zero contains a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium as sweeteners, while Diet Coke uses only aspartame.
“Some passengers request Diet Coke but receive Coke Zero instead. This can be serious, as certain individuals may be allergic to the sweeteners in Coke Zero,” she said.
“Many crew members struggle to differentiate these drinks and lack awareness of the associated health risks.”
4. How to handle a drink mix-up with health risks?
Dr. Herbert Kwok Wang-chun, vice-president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association, stated that the health risks for the three-year-old were minimal if he only took a small sip.
“The risk depends on the amount of alcohol consumed. If it was significant, we’d look for symptoms like dizziness, unconsciousness, or vomiting. Since the boy was fine during the flight, alcohol poisoning seems unlikely,” he said.
“For anyone who accidentally consumes alcohol, it’s best to spit it out and drink plenty of water to dilute it.”
Kwok advised passengers with food or drink allergies, or those unable to consume alcohol due to medication, to inform airline staff when booking tickets. They should also carry allergy medications, such as adrenaline injectors, with a medical certificate if needed.
“Allergic reactions may cause symptoms like rashes, breathing issues, nausea, or diarrhea, and severe cases might require adrenaline shots,” he added.
In emergencies, Kwok noted, the crew would notify the pilot, who would decide whether to divert the flight to another airport for medical attention.
5. How can such incidents be prevented?
The purser revealed that Cathay Pacific’s rapid hiring of less-experienced cabin crew to meet expansion goals has led to inadequate training.
“Many new flight attendants are assigned to business class, and now, those with just two years of experience can quickly become pursers, unlike before when it took years to earn that role,” she said.
“Some crew members don’t bother marking drinks on napkins to distinguish them.”
“I personally take extra care to inspect and even smell the drinks to avoid mistakes, but most new crew skip this step.”
Source: South China Morning Post