A Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to London became the center of concern after a three-year-old boy was mistakenly served a glass of white wine instead of water during the journey on April 24, 2025. The incident has sparked outrage from the boy’s parents and led to an official apology from the airline.
The boy, who was traveling with his parents in business class, initially believed the drink was water. However, after taking a sip, he told his father, Mr. Tsui, that the beverage tasted “sour.” Mr. Tsui quickly realized it was wine and immediately reported the matter to the cabin crew, according to The Straits Times.
The family’s distress escalated when the boy’s mother, Ms. Wong, demanded further action. A senior crew member was alerted, who then sought the assistance of a doctor on board. The doctor assessed the boy and assured the parents that he displayed no immediate adverse symptoms.
Ms. Wong later shared the incident on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, expressing concern about the potential delayed effects of alcohol on young children. “We understand that alcohol consumption in young children can have delayed neurological, developmental, and physiological impacts that may not manifest immediately,” she wrote.
The family has since arranged for the child to undergo further medical assessments with pediatric specialists.
Cathay Pacific has since offered to refund the boy’s ticket, provide three one-class upgrade vouchers, and cover the cost of any medical examinations. In a statement shared with The Independent, the airline apologized for the incident and highlighted that it has initiated an internal review.
“Cathay Pacific sincerely apologises for the incident in which an alcoholic beverage was mistakenly served to a minor on flight CX255 from Hong Kong to London on 24 April 2025. We take this matter very seriously and have launched an internal review to ensure appropriate follow-up actions are implemented,” a spokesperson said.
Despite the apology, Ms. Wong criticized the airline’s handling of the situation. “During the whole process, there was a lack of care for my son. They gave me the impression that they were trying to shirk responsibility,” she said.
Her husband added that they decided to make their experience public to raise awareness of child safety on flights. “If a flagship Asian carrier can miss such basic safeguards in business class, every traveling family is at risk,” he warned.
