Cancelling a companion ticket (mainland China)
Feb 10, 2020, 1:58 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Beijing
Posts: 349
Cancelling a companion ticket (mainland China)
Looking at cancelling a companion ticket that is not directly affected by the schedule changes due to the health situation in mainland China seems not as straight forward as I am hoping. The companion is a three year old, so technically impossible to travel without me. My flight is ZRH-HKG-PEK. But the companion ticket is only ZRH-HKG. However the person due to pick up the little one is unlikely to be able to travel now, as impossible to exit China to HKG without going into quarantine in HKG. And little one is travelling on mainland passport, so only allowed 7 days to transit in HKG (no HK visitor permit).
(I need to spent around 10 days in HKG, and little one cannot stay with me during that time)
I imagine I can ask to cancel my entire return leg (ZRH-HKG-PEK) and get a refund as booked in flexible PY fare - and final destination is mainland China.This would possibly make it impossible for the little one to travel, but whether they offer to cancel the companion ticket without penalty is not clear to me. The companion fare does involve a cancellation fee (in PY, Booking class E, cancellation fee around 180 Euro).
On top of that CX has now changed my flight sector HKG-PEK to Y class, downgrading me from PY, same day, but later flight, which doesnt work for me anyway, as arriving too late in the day). Ideally I cancel the companion ticket, and change my flight to something later in the spring, when we know more about the situation.
What do you think is the best way to handle this tricky situation!?
(I need to spent around 10 days in HKG, and little one cannot stay with me during that time)
I imagine I can ask to cancel my entire return leg (ZRH-HKG-PEK) and get a refund as booked in flexible PY fare - and final destination is mainland China.This would possibly make it impossible for the little one to travel, but whether they offer to cancel the companion ticket without penalty is not clear to me. The companion fare does involve a cancellation fee (in PY, Booking class E, cancellation fee around 180 Euro).
On top of that CX has now changed my flight sector HKG-PEK to Y class, downgrading me from PY, same day, but later flight, which doesnt work for me anyway, as arriving too late in the day). Ideally I cancel the companion ticket, and change my flight to something later in the spring, when we know more about the situation.
What do you think is the best way to handle this tricky situation!?
Feb 10, 2020, 3:51 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TPE / HSZ
Programs: CX GO (=SPH), IHG Diamond Amb, Hertz 5*, Accor, Hilton, National
Posts: 6,437
Looking at cancelling a companion ticket that is not directly affected by the schedule changes due to the health situation in mainland China seems not as straight forward as I am hoping. The companion is a three year old, so technically impossible to travel without me. My flight is ZRH-HKG-PEK. But the companion ticket is only ZRH-HKG. However the person due to pick up the little one is unlikely to be able to travel now, as impossible to exit China to HKG without going into quarantine in HKG. And little one is travelling on mainland passport, so only allowed 7 days to transit in HKG (no HK visitor permit).
(I need to spent around 10 days in HKG, and little one cannot stay with me during that time)
I imagine I can ask to cancel my entire return leg (ZRH-HKG-PEK) and get a refund as booked in flexible PY fare - and final destination is mainland China.This would possibly make it impossible for the little one to travel, but whether they offer to cancel the companion ticket without penalty is not clear to me. The companion fare does involve a cancellation fee (in PY, Booking class E, cancellation fee around 180 Euro).
On top of that CX has now changed my flight sector HKG-PEK to Y class, downgrading me from PY, same day, but later flight, which doesnt work for me anyway, as arriving too late in the day). Ideally I cancel the companion ticket, and change my flight to something later in the spring, when we know more about the situation.
What do you think is the best way to handle this tricky situation!?
(I need to spent around 10 days in HKG, and little one cannot stay with me during that time)
I imagine I can ask to cancel my entire return leg (ZRH-HKG-PEK) and get a refund as booked in flexible PY fare - and final destination is mainland China.This would possibly make it impossible for the little one to travel, but whether they offer to cancel the companion ticket without penalty is not clear to me. The companion fare does involve a cancellation fee (in PY, Booking class E, cancellation fee around 180 Euro).
On top of that CX has now changed my flight sector HKG-PEK to Y class, downgrading me from PY, same day, but later flight, which doesnt work for me anyway, as arriving too late in the day). Ideally I cancel the companion ticket, and change my flight to something later in the spring, when we know more about the situation.
What do you think is the best way to handle this tricky situation!?
Feb 10, 2020, 10:35 pm
#3
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,795
Yes agree. Losing the legal guardian means the child cannot fly.
Though you may have to HUACA a few times to get a sympathetic (or just sufficiently empowered) ear. I think if you asked for rebook on both instead of cancel, you'll get the requests approved easier.
Last edited by percysmith; Feb 10, 2020 at 11:41 pm
Feb 13, 2020, 12:10 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Beijing
Posts: 349
Thanks guys, sent off an email explaining the situation to the folks at Cathay Pacific Customer Sales Switzerland <[email protected]> and theClub. If anyone has any other email addresses that can be utilised, please let me know (had actually a very good experience with both zrh_customersales and fra_customersales in the past, but I think they only reply if at least one sector is inlcuding the city.
Feb 17, 2020, 1:22 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Beijing
Posts: 349
Success?!
Happy to prove you wrong!
I am not sure who can get service over email. (only flights from that destination, via that destination, only in Europe...?!) But after I initially found out that its possible to get flights changed a few years ago, when returning from FRA, I have always had success so far - surprisingly really. No nonsense, no fuss, no queuing, no redicilous security questions, just straight forward good ole customer service. A rare thing with Cathay now, I know...!
So 5 days after explaining in the initial email my situation, I got the below reply:
Please accept sincere apologies for the long time awaiting for our reply.
We would like to inform you, that both bookings have been cancelled, and sent to our finance department in order to process refund.
Best Regards,
I followed this up with a request to confirm that this would be free of any fees an how long the refund would take, and got a reply within a few minutes:
Of course the refunds have been processed without cancellation fees. Normally it takes up to 14 working days, nevertheless, right now due to a lot of refund requests it may take longer to get money back.
So I am somewhat hopeful that this will be all done and dusted in the correct way, and I get a full refund for the companion ticket and 50% for the return leg of my unused part of the ticket.
I am not sure who can get service over email. (only flights from that destination, via that destination, only in Europe...?!) But after I initially found out that its possible to get flights changed a few years ago, when returning from FRA, I have always had success so far - surprisingly really. No nonsense, no fuss, no queuing, no redicilous security questions, just straight forward good ole customer service. A rare thing with Cathay now, I know...!
So 5 days after explaining in the initial email my situation, I got the below reply:
Please accept sincere apologies for the long time awaiting for our reply.
We would like to inform you, that both bookings have been cancelled, and sent to our finance department in order to process refund.
Best Regards,
I followed this up with a request to confirm that this would be free of any fees an how long the refund would take, and got a reply within a few minutes:
Of course the refunds have been processed without cancellation fees. Normally it takes up to 14 working days, nevertheless, right now due to a lot of refund requests it may take longer to get money back.
So I am somewhat hopeful that this will be all done and dusted in the correct way, and I get a full refund for the companion ticket and 50% for the return leg of my unused part of the ticket.