A three-year-old boy was mistakenly served a glass of white wine on a Cathay Pacific flight on the night of April 24, prompting his parents to share the incident on social media.
The family was seated in a business class cabin on a flight from Hong Kong to London, said the boy’s mother, Wong, reported media outlets.
After taking a sip of the alcoholic beverage – which the boy thought was water – he told his father, Tsui, that it was sour. His parents then tried the drink and realised it was white wine.
Wong raised the incident with a senior crew member who found a doctor on the flight to check on the boy. The doctor assured the mother that the boy displayed no symptoms from consuming alcohol and would be fine.
Recounting the incident on Xiaohongshu, Wong expressed concern over potential long-term health issues from the incident.
“We understand that alcohol consumption in young children can have delayed neurological, developmental and physiological impacts that may not manifest immediately,” she said.
She added that they are arranging for medical assessments with paediatric specialists.
The airline apologised to the couple for the incident, and offered to refund the child’s ticket with three one-class upgrade vouchers and to cover the costs of medical check-ups.
In an e-mail to Wong on April 26, the airline also noted that it had conducted immediate coaching for all crew members to reinforce the importance of checking orders before serving them.
The airline told news outlet South China Morning Post that following the incident, an internal review has been launched to ensure follow-up actions are implemented.
The airline said it would continue to support and assist the family. — The Straits Times/ANN
