Cathay Pacific has sparked debate among its business class passengers after asking them if they would be willing to bring their own cutlery on flights.
Traditionally, one of the hallmarks of flying business class has been the opulence of the table and the culinary delights served with fine cutlery.
However, Cathay Pacific’s contemplation of a Bring Your Own Fork policy has left many scratching their heads, with some passengers criticizing the idea as “ridiculous”.
Hong Kong’s flag carrier, known for its contemporary design and luxurious in-flight experience, is one of ten airlines to have received a five-star rating for skytrax.
A survey was recently sent to members of Cathay Lab, an online consumer community of around 10,000 people who provide feedback on customer experiences.
Cathay Pacific has sparked debate among its business class passengers after asking them if they would be willing to bring their own cutlery on flights.
A recipient then shared a screenshot of the survey to BrochureDiscussionan online forum dedicated to aviation.
The survey asked: “If you travel with Cathay Pacific in business class, to what extent are you willing to contribute to the following sustainable initiatives?”
Respondents were asked to respond to four proposed initiatives, including “bring your own set of cutlery,” which they could rate on a scale from “very willing” to “not at all willing.”
Passengers were also asked if they would consider bringing a reusable water bottle to refill during the flight, handing used water bottles to cabin crew at the end of the flight, or actively collecting water bottles and placing them in a recycling bin on departure. of the airplane.
It is currently unclear how the survey results were concluded or whether Cathay Pacific will continue with the concept, but it appears the idea is driven by the airline’s commitment to boosting its sustainability initiatives.
In it forumMembers were indifferent to three of the proposed initiatives, but many resisted the idea of bringing their own cutlery on board a flight.
One person wrote: ‘Option 2 is ridiculous. They can offer reusable cutlery anyway,” while another said: “Bringing my own cutlery doesn’t make any sense to me.”
‘Bringing my own cutlery doesn’t make any sense to me. How should I pack used cutlery to take away? And how many sets do I need to bring to have cutlery at the different times when food is available on the flight? This makes me ashamed.’
Hong Kong’s flag carrier, known for its contemporary design and luxurious inflight experience, is one of ten airlines to receive a five-star rating from Skytrax.
A third skeptical passenger wrote: ‘How did you get past security? People who don’t know the rules will have a bunch of “non-compliant” cutlery confiscated.
Another fumed: ‘How could Cathay Management let this walk out the door? It may give them a lot of free press, but at what cost?
The shame of pretending to be a premium airline shows that they might even pass up the idea of business class passengers bringing their own cutlery.
One final member even hinted that the proposal to bring your own knife and fork is part of a wider plan to charge passengers, writing: ‘BYO cutlery. If you didn’t bring any, we can lend you a set for $2. Simply tap your card right here.
‘50% or full deposit refund at the end of your flight when you return the complete cutlery set.’
It comes as a Spirit Airlines passenger recently took his own initiative and wore a parachute on his back for the entire flight “just in case”, with many people calling the move a “smart” and “good” idea.