Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - Diamond status does not count

While my Diamond Marco Polo status has helped me get preferential service in the past, it has sometimes, not made any difference. In fact, I feel that it has actually worked against me. Let me begin to say that I am never arrogant or give off a sense of entitlement. I am ALWAYS reasonable, cordial and humble with CX staff. But my experience on CX 889 last June 20 was an occasion when being a Diamond card member did nothing and the BRATTY First class check in attendant made me wish I was traveling on another carrier. I had politely asked for an exit row seat, she said not available. When I asked for a seat block, she said no because economy was full. When I asked if they would op-up, she also said no. This agent, who was REPEATEDLY whining about another passenger who could not speak English (she made him re-pack all his bags and kept complaining how she could not understand him), and her colleague in business class (who was somewhat nicer) did nothing to give me the impression that they cared about her company or their passengers; Diamond did not matter at all. I know they did some op-ups on this flight- they just did not consider me or assisted me in getting a better economy seat. This is similar to the experience I had in Sydney last January when, asking for a seat block, the staff refused. I was quick on my toes on that flight and managed to secure an entire row aft. The most galling part is not that I did not get an upgrade or a better seat- it is the fact that they did not even try:mad: or worse, I felt, wanted to prove that they could do whatever they wanted even to a elite tier passenger. Cathay management should take note that with all the service cutbacks in Economy and inconsistent priority passenger protocols, their competitive edge is getting slimmer and slimmer.

If you are a Diamond member, you should know to try reserve an exit row seat in advance via the Marco Polo hotline?

Is seat blocking a Diamond Benefit?

You are correct, being a DM didn't mean a thing. In fact, it's totally irrelevant. The behaviour of those staff (which by they may not be CX employee at all but handling agents for CX) was irrespective of your class of travel, ticket type of status. They were just in the wrong job or having a bad day.

As for op-up, well those two agents had no participation in that process, it's all handled by flight control and the only reason why you didn't get an op-up whilst others did was because either 1) there were higher status pax in front of you, or 2) there were other DM's with lower borading pass numbers than you.

And if you certain there were op-up, then that explains why you couldn't block a seat.

I trust your experience is an exception rather than the rule, but you are right, CX should take note.

A lot depends on where it is you are flying from. For example, for years I found Sydney to be the rudest and least helpful of all CX's airport based ground staff for some reason (and no, they weren't using agents). I'll provide you with an example. Upon checking in as a silver, I used the 'internet check in lane' as I had checked in online. At one point CX's ground staff looked at me and said in a snotty voice 'next time may I advise that you not use the Business Class line and check in via the correct line'. I felt as if I were dirt. I politely told her that I was indeed in the correct lane (internet check in, she hadn't realised it) and not the Business Class lane, even though as I silver I was allowed to do so. I was so mad not only at what she had said, but how she had said it. However, this has been an isolated thing. You will always find ground staff who might not have a good knowledge of their company's own policies and procedures.

That said, I'm not sure how others feel but one of the reasons I fly CX is that generally, across the company, I feel they bend over backwards for me. This is certainly the case at present.

My experiences in flying with QF show that what the OP experienced is small fry when you compare the amazingly poor customer service and open rudness of some of their airport staff.

Make sure and write/email so at least they're aware of your unhappiness. Katie Rowen is probably the best person (manager of Marco Polo Club). Not sure what good it will do you but at least the complaint would be lodged.

If you are a Diamond member, you should know to try reserve an exit row seat in advance via the Marco Polo hotline?

Yes, I know that. Oftentimes my flights get juggled and I do not have the luxury of calling HK. Sometimes, the flight is booked last minute and the best seats are already blocked or for airport release.

I had politely asked for an exit row seat, she said not available. When I asked for a seat block, she said no because economy was full. When I asked if they would op-up, she also said no.

umm..I see no reasons why should you get mad. As you have already known that all the seats were fully booked (was that the case? did you have a chance to wander around the cabin and checked if it's really full?), she simply could not do anything, could she? What would you think she should have done to make you satisfied?
I would understand if she used abusive words even to a non-elite member which I don't think it's the case. As for the op-up, there might have been many DMs on the flight who had lower BN# and therefore they scored the op-up not you.
From my experiences, cx would try to accommodate you as much as they can when they can especially for the top tier members....

From my 2 bits...i find the CX staff on the 1st class counter in LAX horrible (never done the JFK sector) but if they are anything like the cx check in staff at lax i share your pain.....infact many times I've gone across to the business class counter just because i've always had bad impressions from the 1st class check in staff......

As the OP could have blocked the exit row in advance, or done what ever (even these days you can request (not guarentee) to block the seat next to via MPO and they send a request in....however regardless of any of the above, the courtesy and service response from the CK staff is horrible (especially in the US)....

On a brighter note I just got back from LHR last week and as checked in early and the 1st line was empty, my check in procedure was quick, swift and easy, yet the check in agent spent 15 mins chatting with me.....which was very pleasant and she had great customer service skills....(dont worry, I've had my share of bad experiences too at LHR but i'll save them for another forum...)

Bottom line, CX staff is luck of the draw, u sometimes get lucky, or you sometimes wish you never checked in !

umm..I see no reasons why should you get mad. As you have already known that all the seats were fully booked (was the the case? did you have a chance to wander around the cabin and checked if it's really full?), she simply could not do anything, could she? What would you think she should have done to make you satisfied?
I would understand if she used abusive words even to a non-elite member which I don't think it's the case. As for the op-up, there might have been many DMs on the flight who had lower BN# and therefore they scored the op-up not you.
From my experiences, cx would try to accommodate you as much as they can when they can especially for the top tier members....

I agree with the OP, even as DM you can get very different levels of service depending on the staff on duty or the airport you're departing from. Recently there have been improvements, but I very much sympathize with the OP...if you're stuck on airplanes 3-4x weekly, any little stupid thing can make a difference. She could have at least been polite about it, explained why he couldn't get op-up (probably had a high BN, as someone else explained here), that there were no seats left in Y with empties next to him, etc. Just saying "no", especially when pax are exhausted after meetings/time zone changes/multiple flights etc, is not appreciated. Some (fewer, lately IMO) CX employees can have such an indifferent attitude towards pax. I'm still convinced CX has no idea how to manage people based on this, but that's for another thread.

umm..I see no reasons why should you get mad. As you have already known that all the seats were fully booked (was that the case? did you have a chance to wander around the cabin and checked if it's really full?), she simply could not do anything, could she? What would you think she should have done to make you satisfied?


Being in the service industry, one would know there are 2 ways to decline or say no....a polite way that makes the the customer feel you did what you could, and a rude "not bothering" way.....my guess is this staff used the later....

I'm sure the CX staff perhaps could have done nothing...but she could have alteast made the DM pax feel like she did try, i think as a DM expecting that from all the loyalty travelling...isnt asking for too much....Good service and politeness costs Nothing...but its value to a loyal member is far beyond....

I think it's really subjective. When you already are in the bad mood (time zone change, family problems, bad attitudes, long day meeting etc as other poster named them), you would be still mad even if you heard the nicest thing in the world.

Sometimes being a DM makes your expectation goes unreasonably higher (I myself sometimes has that feeling too). I have never had those kind of experiences yet which makes it hard to believe for me. However, I am also aware that when you choose to be in Y, I'd know how to deal with my expectation i.e. not getting mad (and perhaps speak harshly to the check in lady) when I don't get an op-up or seat blocks when the flight is full

Check in staff at JFK are BA staff. So combined with brusque New York style, and BA standards, I wouldn't be surprised that service ex-JFK is not top notch.

I have learned through my 2-3 years as DM so far that I should not expect anything more just because of DM - except if it's some official/published benefits, and for the priority in getting to talk to someone on the service hotline.

in general, I don't feel from the interactions they show that they value DM too much more or make me feel that my business is valued - and frankly (I think) I'm not even a "low value" DM already...

Check in staff at JFK are BA staff. So combined with brusque New York style, and BA standards, I wouldn't be surprised that service ex-JFK is not top notch.

I have had the same gentleman check me in several times for the afternoon HKG flight. I was shocked when he said remembered me from before. He is 'top notch' and gives CX a positive face. However, I have encountered the LAX check-in agents and it is not fun.

Check in staff at JFK are BA staff. So combined with brusque New York style, and BA standards, I wouldn't be surprised that service ex-JFK is not top notch.


I fly out of JFK a lot. I find the BA staff working the CX desk to be pretty good relative to other CX outposts. (yes, LAX is the worst...)

I was quick on my toes on that flight and managed to secure an entire row aft. The most galling part is not that I did not get an upgrade or a better seat- it is the fact that they did not even try:mad: or worse, I felt, wanted to prove that they could do whatever they wanted even to a elite tier passenger.
not sure if this was for the previous trip experience or not- but that is not a nice move of the agent at all

umm..I see no reasons why should you get mad. As you have already known that all the seats were fully booked (was that the case? did you have a chance to wander around the cabin and checked if it's really full?), she simply could not do anything, could she? What would you think she should have done to make you satisfied?
I would understand if she used abusive words even to a non-elite member which I don't think it's the case. As for the op-up, there might have been many DMs on the flight who had lower BN# and therefore they scored the op-up not you.
From my experiences, cx would try to accommodate you as much as they can when they can especially for the top tier members....

I think most people can sense when one is being treated with extra consideration and when one is merely brushed off. As I indicated earlier, it is not so much the fact that I did not get the seat I wanted or the seat block but the fact that I felt no effort was made to assist. The fact that this agent was in a sour mood and was relentless in complaining about another passenger led me to believe that she was not service-oriented. As other DMs have pointed out, the CX check- in experience, especially in outports, can be hit or miss.

Being in the service industry, one would know there are 2 ways to decline or say no....a polite way that makes the the customer feel you did what you could, and a rude "not bothering" way.....my guess is this staff used the later....

I'm sure the CX staff perhaps could have done nothing...but she could have alteast made the DM pax feel like she did try, i think as a DM expecting that from all the loyalty travelling...isnt asking for too much....Good service and politeness costs Nothing...but its value to a loyal member is far beyond....

IN the past, I would see agents pick up the phone and ask control for a better seat, a seat block, or an upgrade, I saw nothing of the sort in this case. Yes, the agent may not have final say in any changes, but they are "gatekeepers" and can make the difference.

So it was a full flight, and well, yes, sometimes being a DM won't make a diff. So what? That is life.

I've been on full HKG-YVR flights when the person next to me was also a DM, J and F class were full and well, no chance of an op-up either.

So you make the best of it and enjoy sitting in the class of service you bought in.

So it was a full flight, and well, yes, sometimes being a DM won't make a diff. So what? That is life.

I've been on full HKG-YVR flights when the person next to me was also a DM, J and F class were full and well, no chance of an op-up either.

So you make the best of it and enjoy sitting in the class of service you bought in.
+1. Well said GB

So it was a full flight, and well, yes, sometimes being a DM won't make a diff. So what? That is life.

I've been on full HKG-YVR flights when the person next to me was also a DM, J and F class were full and well, no chance of an op-up either.

So you make the best of it and enjoy sitting in the class of service you bought in.

Uh...thats what I did. I was pleasant to all CX staff both on the ground and inflight. You are missing the main point. The point is the check in staff had a poor service attitude.

You mean that you would have preferred to make some sort of show of calling a supervisor and so on even though they knew that the flight was totally full and you were just going to have to sit in the assigned seat? Personally I would simply prefer a "Sorry, but the flight is totally full, here's your boarding pass and lounge invitation. Have a nice flight." and that's all. I never felt any desire for a great song and dance when I was a Diamond.

I feel OP just needs a good moan so let him have a whinge, he knows all the rules and just didnt get that ... kissing experience at check in.

Uh...thats what I did. I was pleasant to all CX staff both on the ground and inflight. You are missing the main point. The point is the check in staff had a poor service attitude.

No I got what you meant...

Back in the old days before the KA/CX merger, when DM mean something, op ups were better. But still, it wasn't a given privilege. Yes staff attutudes can be better, but LAX is well, LAX. You also have to see that the staff are bogged down by other duties rather than fulfil your one request. You're not the only one asking for possible op ups, you know.

But what constitutes 'good service attitude'? IMO, good service attitudes would mean , quick check in, boarding pass issued, lounge invitation given etc. Just as what christep mentioned above. Perhaps if you are a cantopop star, they might make a better deal of it. :D

While I am just a lowly Silver (I accumulate AA at the same time trying to get the best of both worlds, could be a mistake), here are my 2 cents regarding this OP's complaint.

1) Diamond, as far as I can read in the CX benefits, do not include seat blocks and guarantee economic class seats. While it is true that as a valuable Diamond they should value you more and try to accommodate you as much as possible, but with a full Y and which means they are probably already busy to death, I don't really understand why you are so upset.

2) Yes, CX staff can make mistakes. Many years ago I was taking my wife on CX. Like I said before my wife is an elite Northwest flyer (equivalent of Diamond of Northwest I believe), and took me awhile to convince her to fly CX instead of me flying Northwest. Anyway, we were happy, she was semi-impress that we get to check in using the Business Class counter and the JFK staff let her use the lounge as well. However, the upsetting part was when we were checking into the gate, the rude Business class agent told me "get to the Economic line, this is Business class tickets only", I told him I am Marco Polo Silver and I'm entitled to use this line, and he rudely replied "no, this is Business Class tickets only", and I stand there to argue and he restlessly took my boarding ticket and my wife's rudely and checked us in and wave us off "just go".

3) To be fair that is the ONLY time CX rubbed me off the wrong way. I have no such incident ever since. And a complain to Marco Polo netted me 1,500 miles as compensation (1500 miles, are they serious?)

3) To be fair that is the ONLY time CX rubbed me off the wrong way. I have no such incident ever since. And a complain to Marco Polo netted me 1,500 miles as compensation (1500 miles, are they serious?)For someone wrongly suggesting that you were in the wrong boarding line (and therefore had to stand rather than sit for perhaps 5 minutes)? I would say 1500 miles was quite generous. Moreover, you might have been entitled to use the J line, but you haven't said anything that would explain why your wife should be able to do so.

For someone wrongly suggesting that you were in the wrong boarding line (and therefore had to stand rather than sit for perhaps 5 minutes)? I would say 1500 miles was quite generous. Moreover, you might have been entitled to use the J line, but you haven't said anything that would explain why your wife should be able to do so.


First, he stopped me, not my wife. Had he stopped my wife I would not have made any fuss about it but walked with my wife to the Economy line.

Second, read my post again. The agent was very rude and hostile. Had he just politely tell me I am in the wrong line I would of pay back respect with respect. However, that was not what happened. The entire encounter was very rude and hostile by the agent.

Third, yes, I think I should get more miles for such insults. This is not me demanding extra service from CX that they didn't explicitly claim to give. I am being insulted and rudely treated because CX doesn't communicate their policy clearly to their employees/BA contract employees. I am rudely treated for something that CX says I am entitled to.

"Rude" is very culture specific. I guess you are Chinese and hence have quite a different concept of rude from westerners. I have lost count of the number of times that locals in HK have been extremely rude to me by western standards but are just trying to be friendly by Chinese ones. I respectfully suggest that some cross-cultural tolerance is in order. And 1500 miles for a few words out of place by a ground staff which made no significant difference to your travel is extremely generous. "Sorry" would have been quite sufficient.

"Rude" is very culture specific. I guess you are Chinese and hence have quite a different concept of rude from westerners. I have lost count of the number of times that locals in HK have been extremely rude to me by western standards but are just trying to be friendly by Chinese ones. I respectfully suggest that some cross-cultural tolerance is in order. And 1500 miles for a few words out of place by a ground staff which made no significant difference to your travel is extremely generous. "Sorry" would have been quite sufficient.

Excuse me Chris, but please do not police other people's reaction here. If you have an issue with what's being posted, you can contact the moderator directly, or simply moving on. Making a suggestion that other people are causing trouble simply because they are being Chinese or western or "cultural" is not advancing the posting one bit.

And you don't even know me, what do you mean you guess I'm Chinese? What? Since when is common decency limited to culture?

I have no idea why do you seem to like to argue in a forum like Flyertalk. But based on your exchange with sealualu I am not surprised.

Anyway, I'm posting this not to argue with you, and simply pointing out you are very arrogant to pass judgment here and try to argue off other people's bad experiences. It's one thing to try and defend Cathay, but it's another to suggest alterior motives in others.

I agree and disagree with Cathay Boy. I don't think that rudeness should be tolerated. It's not about the DYKWIA complex, it's about being treated with manners and some politeness. I would generally say that CX is normally excellent in this area and it is for this reason that when rudeness or unreasonable behaviour occurs, it can be a shock. I think we all have high expectations about CX that are often met.

The travel experience whether each day or once in a blue moon does require customer service from start to finish.

That said, in the example given, I wouldn't have asked for miles or any compensation. What was lost other than some dignity perhaps? I personally take the good with the bad as the good, for me, dealing with CX is far greater than any bad.

My point is that there are many areas of behaviour which are very rude in one culture and quite the reverse in another. For example, in a number of Asian countries I have often been complimented on being "fat", this being a symbol of wealth and well-being. In western culture calling someone "fat" is generally regarded as very rude. Those of us who prefer our international travel to be stress-free have learnt to have a very relaxed attitude to such cultural differences.

I normally don't encounter many problems with the HKG First Class check in. They are normally very polite and accomodating. The HKG-JFK nonstop more often than not is delayed and usually they are very apologetic about the inconveience (which cannot be said for other carriers).

When the Chek Lap Kok facility had just opened, at the time I was CX Diamond and doing the HKG-TPE hop very often. A small gripe was how I didn't like how some of the check-in agents automatically assumed I was holding dual passports (when I only held a United States passport, and then I did understand they are following protocol since a US passports are 30-60 days max stay in TPE), but other than that, I feel like the people working the First Class check in are very professional, polite and accomodating.