Cathay Pacific - Brief Rant & A Question

[OnMyWay]

Dear OnMyWay,It occurs to me that this is a very minor inconvenience by Philippine standards. If this minor inconvenience gives you such a degree of stress then I am going to suggest that living in the Philippines will give you a stroke or a heart attack. You REALLY need to learn to not sweat the small stuff. (Or perhaps you are just venting to us here which is what many of us do and that's all good.)I'm not trying to be smart here, This is meant to be legitimate advice. This place, Philippines, will drive you nuts if you have even the desire for first world business practice. (And yes I realize your current headache is not specifically Philippine related but it is about a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 on my 'things that will stress you out while living in the Philippines" scale.) Hmmmm. That might be an idea for a new topic if someone wants to run with it.

Mainly venting Dave, as per my original subject. I understand what you are saying.Going up to Chicago a day early is a minor inconvenience and actually I will enjoy it. But I do expect more from a major int'l carrier like Cathay. The situation was agravated by the fact that they would not answer their US customer service phone for 3 days, which left me hanging. I understand that customer service (and other things) in Phils may sometimes leave something to be desired but most Asian airlines are well respected for their service, so I was expecting much more from Cathay. I was in the air cargo business for many years and dealt with all the Asian carriers on a regular basis back in the late 80's / early 90's. Even got to fly free several times and the CS was fantastic back then, so I guess I am spoiled!

[Jack Peterson]

I am not too sure about paper tickets but when I pay for an E-ticket, I send the Confirmation Link to Azon and she prints it off, job done. She has the E.ticket and of course the payment Confirmation is on it. I fly Cathy P from HK to manila and always Book on Line for an ET. I find this situation OMW has is a little 1970's, this is the beauty of the Imternet. No need for paper Tickets in 2012. You pay, she Travels, I do not really understand the problem. In fact 9/10times you dont even need the paperwork, they know who is travelling and as long as her travel Docs are in Order "she is on her way." :tiphat: Hope you can get it Resolved.Jack P. :thumbsup:

[OnMyWay]

I am not too sure about paper tickets but when I pay for an E-ticket, I send the Confirmation Link to Azon and she prints it off, job done. She has the E.ticket and of course the payment Confirmation is on it. I fly Cathy P from HK to manila and always Book on Line for an ET. I find this situation OMW has is a little 1970's, this is the beauty of the Imternet. No need for paper Tickets in 2012. You pay, she Travels, I do not really understand the problem. In fact 9/10times you dont even need the paperwork, they know who is travelling and as long as her travel Docs are in Order "she is on her way." :tiphat: Hope you can get it Resolved.Jack P. :thumbsup:

Yes, I don't understand it at all. Apparently there are other airlines with this credit card policy ( http://www.elliott.o...e-i-paid-twice/ ) and it seems implausible to me that they can sell tickets on line and have such a policy. I find it hard to believe that they have suffered from credit card fraud so often that a policy such as this has to be used.In my case, the credit card company has already paid Cathay, >30 days before the flight. It seems that the risk of fraud falls on the credit card company, not Cathay, so I just am not following the logic of the policy. Possibly it would make sense if the online purchase is made a day or two before the flight.

[Jack Peterson]

I am not too sure about paper tickets but when I pay for an E-ticket, I send the Confirmation Link to Azon and she prints it off, job done. She has the E.ticket and of course the payment Confirmation is on it. I fly Cathy P from HK to manila and always Book on Line for an ET. I find this situation OMW has is a little 1970's, this is the beauty of the Internet. No need for paper Tickets in 2012. You pay, she Travels, I do not really understand the problem. In fact 9/10times you don't even need the paperwork, they know who is travelling and as long as her travel Docs are in Order "she is on her way." :tiphat: Hope you can get it Resolved.Jack P. :tiphat:

Yes, I don't understand it at all. Apparently there are other airlines with this credit card policy ( http://www.elliott.o...e-i-paid-twice/ ) and it seems implausible to me that they can sell tickets on line and have such a policy. I find it hard to believe that they have suffered from credit card fraud so often that a policy such as this has to be used.In my case, the credit card company has already paid Cathay, >30 days before the flight. It seems that the risk of fraud falls on the credit card company, not Cathay, so I just am not following the logic of the policy. Possibly it would make sense if the online purchase is made a day or two before the flight.

Well OMW, I feel for you here, Cathy Pacific Brag about the secure site they have, mmmm SECURE to me, means secure, I have to agree that fraud is the responsibility of the card provider BUT! the site they use for collection is down to them. Maybe if they spent a little more on Secure payments then you would not, have this problem. For me, I have never had any issue with any Internet booking of a Flight. Even in Dumaguete, I do not have a problem, Azon goes to the travel agent, She books me from Manila to Dumaguete. They email me, I give the C/C number and security number by FAX and 5 mins later I have the ticket sent by e.mail. now I have paid this by internet and never had a problem. never ever was I asked for the actual C/C, nor has Azon. I just can not, as you do, understand what all the fuss is about.Heres Hoping you have a closure soon on this issue.Jack P. :thumbsup:

[OnMyWay]

I am not too sure about paper tickets but when I pay for an E-ticket, I send the Confirmation Link to Azon and she prints it off, job done. She has the E.ticket and of course the payment Confirmation is on it. I fly Cathy P from HK to manila and always Book on Line for an ET. I find this situation OMW has is a little 1970's, this is the beauty of the Imternet. No need for paper Tickets in 2012. You pay, she Travels, I do not really understand the problem. In fact 9/10times you dont even need the paperwork, they know who is travelling and as long as her travel Docs are in Order "she is on her way." :) Hope you can get it Resolved.Jack P. :541:

I have already resigned myself to going up to Chicago a day or two before she flies, and take care of this, so this is just for informational purposes. Hopefully I can help someone avoid the same mistake I made. Luckily my nephew lives in Chicago so I can visit him.I went back through the booking process as if I was booking another ticket, and it does reference this requirement in the terms and conditions, before you go into the payment section. Of course, I did not read it carefully as I thought the terms and conditions would be normal and logical.Also mentioned is that is you use "Verified by Visa" or "Mastercard Securecode", you will not have to present the credit card. See the sections I highlighted below in red.

Please note if you choose Visa or MasterCard for payment, you may be required to enter your personal password in the subsequent secure page for authentication to complete the online purchase if Verified by Visa or MasterCard® SecureCode™ security feature is enabled by your credit card company.

If a transaction is successfully made with ‘Verified by Visa’, or ‘MasterCard® SecureCode™’, the cardholder will not be required to present the physical card used for verification.

* I agree to

• The Terms and Conditions associated with online purchasing. From this Cathay Pacific Airways website, and in purchasing, I am entering into a contract with the aforementioned company (at Cathay Pacific City, Hong Kong International Airport). Also, I accept the applicable Fare Rules.
• I affirm that I have read and understood the Cathay Pacific Privacy Policy and consent to the collection, processing, use, storage, access and transfer of my personal data as described in the 'Data Privacy and Security Policy'.
• The Notice 'Air Carrier Liability for Passengers and their Baggage'
• Have the physical credit card originally used for the purchase presented by the cardholder for verification at check-in, OR at the nearest Cathay Pacific Ticketing Office prior to the flight departure. The cardholder does not need to book and travel. If a transaction is successfully made with "Verified by Visa", or "MasterCard® SecureCode™", the cardholder will not be required to present the physical card used for verification.I understand that if the cardholder or virtual card user fails to present the physical card originally used for booking transaction, the carrier reserves the right to -
• Deny boarding, or
• Collect a guarantee payment (in cash or from a new credit card).

[Jollygoodfellow]

Azon goes to the travel agent, She books me from Manila to Dumaguete. They email me, I give the C/C number and security number by FAX and 5 mins later I have the ticket sent by e.mail. now I have paid this by internet and never had a problem. never ever was I asked for the actual C/C, nor has Azon. I just can not, as you do, understand what all the fuss is about.

From reading this its my opinion you are not doing an internet transaction at all as Azon is doing it by an agent and the agent is manually processing your payment with credit card numbers and the security number. I ask are you entering this in an online processing form, it does not look like it from what I read. The risk you take is someone in the agents office decides to keep your details as not much more does anyone need to buy online other than, credit card number, security number and name on card which it appears you sent by fax which could end up in anyone's hands.If I misunderstood what you are saying I apologize but if not you are at a high risk of credit card fraud. :541:

[Jack Peterson]

Azon goes to the travel agent, She books me from Manila to Dumaguete. They email me, I give the C/C number and security number by FAX and 5 mins later I have the ticket sent by e.mail. now I have paid this by internet and never had a problem. never ever was I asked for the actual C/C, nor has Azon. I just can not, as you do, understand what all the fuss is about.

From reading this its my opinion you are not doing an internet transaction at all as Azon is doing it by an agent and the agent is manually processing your payment with credit card numbers and the security number. I ask are you entering this in an online processing form, it does not look like it from what I read. The risk you take is someone in the agents office decides to keep your details as not much more does anyone need to buy online other than, credit card number, security number and name on card which it appears you sent by fax which could end up in anyone's hands.If I misunderstood what you are saying I apologize but if not you are at a high risk of credit card fraud. :no:

No need for any apologies at all, you are not mistaken on the Dumaguete thing, life is about risk and as I need that particular ticket, (Manila /Dumaguete) it is something I have been Doing for 6/7 years. For some Reason I can't book Online from here with PAL or CP. However, That is not what I was trying to say, my Internet Booking with Cathy has never been a problem with tickets. I just do not See why OMW has travelto a Cathay Office. i think I was trying to say that he could as I do, get his Ticket from a reputable Travel Agent and have them send the Ticket as an E.Ticket as PAL does for me.I understand the comments on C/C Fraud risk but I am comfortable with my chosen way, as it is a Family member that does the processing and After all this time I feel, it is just part of the way to get home. Hassle free for the Tickets.Jack P. :hystery:

[Jack Peterson]

:no: well OMW, seems you have got somewhere with your issue here, On my little input, it seems i have been reminded of something, maybe i should have been aware of but disregard, as an every day occurrence when purchasing on line, Of course, it is a risk to give out any C/C details to totally unknown people but, it is something we have to do if we want to book a Hotel, car or any service that requires Pre Booking. I have just had a conversation with my Wife who is like me, a little concerned, as things are not going to plan for you. Maybe we are too trusting when we want things to happen as soon as possible.The one thing she did ask is, Did you not think about just sending her the cash, for the Ticket, (Woman's Logic Here) I explained the Air Mile Bonus thing but to her, being together is more important.I hope that all will go well for you,One thing for sure, I will keep an eye on Cathay Booking line and i guess some lessons to be learned here. Trying to be helpful is sometimes a little backfiring, Who would think that a Forum conversation would show how exposed I can be.JGF Thank you for the post :grouphugg: (maybe the WU commision is better than the fraud thing)My day will be spent just exploring some things,Anyway, OMW, I hope it all gets sorted and you can be together soon.Jack P. (With his sometimes Stupid hat On :hystery:

[OnMyWay]

The one thing she did ask is, Did you not think about just sending her the cash, for the Ticket, (Woman's Logic Here) I explained the Air Mile Bonus thing but to her, being together is more important.

I agree with your wife, being together is the most important! However, even if the credit card rewards were not a factor, I would not want my girlfriend to have to carry over 50,000 p to the airport.Lesson learned, all is well now! :no:

[OnMyWay]

I made my trip to Cathay Pacific's Chicago ticket counter today, to show them my credit card. I intended to give them a little grief but the ticket agent was very nice, and when the transaction was done, I only could tell her to make sure to tell management what an insane policy this is, and she whispered under her breath, "I know, it is really stupid".