Limited pre departure drinks in F?
Dec 9, 2018, 4:03 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: London
Posts: 726
Limited pre departure drinks in F?
Flying out of LHR on cx250 the other week and could only have champagne, orange juice and/or water.
Reason given was customs/duty , however I'm sure I've been able to select any drink previously pre departure? Including earlier this year
New policy? Or am I dreaming?
Reason given was customs/duty , however I'm sure I've been able to select any drink previously pre departure? Including earlier this year
New policy? Or am I dreaming?
Dec 10, 2018, 8:14 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: FRA
Posts: 2,175
This is a problem that exists since some. I am sure if they wanted it would be easy to find a way to have at least a bottle for F champaign and a bottle of sparkling water with duty paid. I find it quite cheap not to be able to even get a sparkling water on the ground. How does EK do this, having a private minibar for each F pax available in the suite at each port ...?
I admit that EK also does not have their top champaigns on the ground besides in Dubai ...
I admit that EK also does not have their top champaigns on the ground besides in Dubai ...
Dec 10, 2018, 4:38 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 7,708
I don't think it is either.
A few other posters in other threads have said similar things. Some responses have indicated it comes down to how CX prepares its catering carts, not necessarily an evil conspiracy to save costs. Essentially whatever juice or extra drinks you wanted are prepped by the caterer in another cart with a bunch of other stuff, and CX's SOP isn't to break the seal on the other carts (just the pre-flight items) until takeoff. Anyway I don't know for sure but these answers sounded intelligent to me!
The easy solution to this is for CX to include a few more popular drinks in the basket of pre departure stuff. I have found CX remarkably responsive to a few queries of mine in the last 6 months, and admit to being impressed. It's worth reaching out. If you're paying for J and F tickets on your dime and are a DM they seem to be in a listening mood.
There is one other solution, I will add. I've always found the blogger criticism of the minibar concept to be a crescendo of bandwagon idiocy...I like it. Now I realize it had a benefit to the preflight service process too. If oyu had 4-5 drinks next to you pre-departure, the issue of non-alcoholic pre flight drinks is closer to solved. I think Emirates includes a Pepsi, OJ, Seven Up, water, a juice and maybe one or two others. Can't remember precisely.
But to summarize, CX is so process driven I really doubt they're trying to save a buck by not having tomato juice or whatever it was not in the customs cart. More likely they just don't realize the issue and its lost in the bureaucracy. They are already paying duty on the Krug 2004 which is easily the most expensive liquid on the plane, and something some carriers refuse to do (that is, open the top Champagne prior to takeoff). If you're a cost cutter at CX, you wouldn't have a program to save pre departure costs by not opening apple juice and tomato juice.... you'd stop opening the Krug!!
You should make an effort to reach out, in my 12 years flying CX i have never have such a level of engagement.
A few other posters in other threads have said similar things. Some responses have indicated it comes down to how CX prepares its catering carts, not necessarily an evil conspiracy to save costs. Essentially whatever juice or extra drinks you wanted are prepped by the caterer in another cart with a bunch of other stuff, and CX's SOP isn't to break the seal on the other carts (just the pre-flight items) until takeoff. Anyway I don't know for sure but these answers sounded intelligent to me!
The easy solution to this is for CX to include a few more popular drinks in the basket of pre departure stuff. I have found CX remarkably responsive to a few queries of mine in the last 6 months, and admit to being impressed. It's worth reaching out. If you're paying for J and F tickets on your dime and are a DM they seem to be in a listening mood.
There is one other solution, I will add. I've always found the blogger criticism of the minibar concept to be a crescendo of bandwagon idiocy...I like it. Now I realize it had a benefit to the preflight service process too. If oyu had 4-5 drinks next to you pre-departure, the issue of non-alcoholic pre flight drinks is closer to solved. I think Emirates includes a Pepsi, OJ, Seven Up, water, a juice and maybe one or two others. Can't remember precisely.
But to summarize, CX is so process driven I really doubt they're trying to save a buck by not having tomato juice or whatever it was not in the customs cart. More likely they just don't realize the issue and its lost in the bureaucracy. They are already paying duty on the Krug 2004 which is easily the most expensive liquid on the plane, and something some carriers refuse to do (that is, open the top Champagne prior to takeoff). If you're a cost cutter at CX, you wouldn't have a program to save pre departure costs by not opening apple juice and tomato juice.... you'd stop opening the Krug!!
You should make an effort to reach out, in my 12 years flying CX i have never have such a level of engagement.
Dec 10, 2018, 5:59 pm
#4
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
I doubt that there is an appreciable duty on non-alcoholic beverages. Rather, the issue is that the items in question may not be in an unbonded cart. CX can't break the Customs seal on the bonded carts until after departure, that is a condition of its access to duty free.
Fixing this is a matter of determining whether the unbonded cart used pre-departure has space for some of the items in question.
Fixing this is a matter of determining whether the unbonded cart used pre-departure has space for some of the items in question.