Cathay Pacific apologises for tantrum video
March 6th, 2009 at 12:46pm
Remember this video from a couple weeks ago of a woman who missed a flight and had a tantrum as a result?
Well Cathay Pacific has apologised for it…not that I understand why:
HONG KONG — Cathay Pacific has apologized for embarrassing a customer whose anguish after missing her flight was captured on video by an airline employee and posted on the Internet.
The Hong Kong airline said in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that the worker who filmed the video has been disciplined but that another person posted the footage on YouTube, a video-sharing Web site.
The three-minute video shot on a mobile phone shows a woman wailing, throwing herself on the floor, banging on an airport counter and trying to barge through a closed boarding gate at the Hong Kong International Airport on Feb. 4 after missing a flight to San Francisco.
“They have no compassion. The plane hasn’t even left, and they’ve shut the gate. They’re crazy! They’re crazy!” the woman shouted.
[..]
Cathay said it had apologized to the woman “for the inconvenience and embarrassment she may have suffered as a result” and offered to upgrade her seats on her next trip and reimburse her for frequent flyer miles she used for upgrades on recent journeys.
The airline said the woman has not sought compensation from the company.
As far as I’m concerned she should consider herself lucky that she wasn’t flying with EasyJet who regularly film customer tantrums for the television show Airline which is internationally syndicated.
The only difference between this video and every other video of people having a tantrum in public is that this one spread quickly on YouTube and was then picked up by the broadcast media and appeared on almost every news programme on the planet, whereas most sit on YouTube with minimal interest from anyone.
Madam, think about this more entrepreneurially, you could make a fortune out of television interviews about this video…or perhaps start a successful anger management course. Possibilities galore here…although if you’re really embarrassed about it, well you’ll know not to do that again in a public place.
Samuel
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