It's clear that Cathay Pacific today is not the same Cathay Pacific 5 or 10 years ago...but why stay?
The long haul seats are crumbling, the regional business class is joke, the food is certainly bad, the lounges are disappointing and crowded...many people complain about the staff too but passenger numbers are up and a lot of people still continue to fly Cathay Pacific.
I've flown CX since the 1990s, in 2011 I made a decision to fly exclusively on CX and joined Marco Polo Club. Since then I spent 1 year as Silver, 2 as Gold and on my 3rd year as Diamond....recently CX sent me to take a flight on PR (flight protection) and was kinda blown away with how their onboard products have improved. That got me thinking, why am I spending more money (CX back in 2011 was cheaper or same price) and time (direct flights from MNL) for something that clearly isn't what it was when I joined.
I recently checked a flight to SIN from MNL, I used to take CX's 5am flight from Manila, catch CX759 to SIN and arrive just past noon. Back in 2011 CX's fares was around $750, even lower than PR or SQ at that time. Now MNL flights leave at 6am, which means I have to wait for CX739 and get to SIN around 3pm (basically losing 1 day). When I checked SQ recently I found they have slashes fares for Business Class and is now at around $800, which makes it quite tempting.
On a recent flight to TPE, an opened bottle of Evian rolled from under the footrest on my seat (11K) during take off...when seatbelt sign was off, I got up and showed it to the crew and threw it into the bin. I was the first to be presented with the main course and I actually found a bug on it.
Again I picked up the tray and took it back to the galley and showed the Flight Purser and SP...both were clearly embarrassed about it and promised to take note of it in their report. The SP even said she should buy a lottery ticket when she gets back to HK. The rest of the flight was uneventful...I sent the photos to management but never heard back from them and it will be 3 weeks tomorrow.
Anyway I'm just tired....I’m tired of receiving canned emails packed with words but saying almost nothing. I’m tired of hearing “We apologize for any inconvenience caused”. I’m tired of mustering up enough “patience and understanding.” I’m tired of reading promises that the “next time would be more positive and enjoyable”. I am tired of wiping down every surface on my seat every time I board. I am tired of inspecting my seat, checking for items that got left behind by a previous passenger. I am tired of seeing the meal portions shrink flight after flight. I am tired of checking my meal every time for foreign objects or if the shrimps were properly cleaned. I’m tired seeing the flustered faces of the frontliners who work so hard to make do with what is made available to them. I am tired of writing feedback after feedback in the hopes that in one way or the other it would help improve things. I am tired of telling people to give Marco Polo Club a chance. I am tired of convincing people AsiaMiles is still an attractive program. I am tired of seeing people flaunt on social media that they can fly First Class on Cathay Pacific to the US for 70,000 Alaska miles while I need to save 125,000 AsiaMiles. I am tired of believing things would turn around and the next time would be better. I’m tired of being a loyal customer. I’m tired of being let down.
**Sorry for the long rant**