A Cathay Pacific Airways flight attendant mistakenly served white wine to a three-year-old boy in business class during a flight from Hong Kong to London, sparking outrage from the child’s parents, who claim the airline has not adequately explained how the oversight occurred.
The incident took place on 24 April 2025 during Cathay Pacific flight CX255.
The child was seated in business class when he was served what his parents thought was water.
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After taking a sip, the boy complained to his parents that the water tasted “too sour”. His parents then sampled the drink themselves and discovered it was actually white wine.
Parents’ Immediate Concern
“But after a while, my son asked for water again, and then we asked what was wrong. He said he took a sip, and the water was too sour. We immediately took a sip and found it was white wine instead of water,” the boy’s mother told the South China Morning Post.
The flight attendants promptly apologised and replaced the wine with water when the mistake was discovered.
The cabin crew also sought medical assistance, consulting both a French doctor on board and a ground-based medical service.
The French doctor who examined the child reportedly assured the parents that the boy displayed no symptoms from consuming alcohol and would be fine, noting that “five-year-old kids in France drink all the time and one sip is no big deal”.
Health Concerns Raised
Despite these assurances, the child’s mother, identified only by the surname Wong, expressed concern about potential long-term health issues.
“We understand that alcohol consumption in young children can have delayed neurological, developmental and physiological impacts that may not manifest immediately,” Wong said.
The parents are now arranging “comprehensive medical assessments with paediatric specialists”, although they have not yet sought a medical check-up for their son, who has shown no signs of discomfort so far.
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Airline’s Response
Following the incident, Cathay Pacific offered to refund the child’s ticket, provided three one-class upgrade vouchers, and agreed to cover the costs of any incident-related medical check-ups.
The airline also stated it had conducted immediate coaching for all crew members to reinforce the importance of checking orders before serving them.
“We take this situation very seriously and have begun an internal review to ensure that appropriate follow-up measures are taken and goodwill is extended,” Cathay Pacific said in a statement.
Family Seeks Further Action
However, Wong remains dissatisfied with the airline’s response, claiming Cathay Pacific has not properly explained how the mistake happened or provided concrete proof that new safeguards have been implemented.
“Although Cathay has apologised to us about the mistake, it never gave us a proper account of the incident, nor did it show us how it will prevent it from happening again,” Wong said.
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The family has filed formal complaints with Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, the Consumer Council, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
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