This inconsistent policy drives me crazy. I'm at the gate, I have no bags, the flight has empty seats, and yet, I must pay a rebooking fee? I can understand wanting to save a few empty seats for last minute full fare passengers, but by the time boarding starts, why not fill up the plane? Is Passenger Load Factor not a performance metric for Cathay like it is for other airlines? Why wouldn't they want more available seats for a flight later in the day?
I often get the feeling that AI has already taken over this company and nearly everything behind the scenes is being done by robots. Unfortunately, the firmware is stuck in the 1990s and is unable to upgrade.
Rant over.