A three-year-old boy was mistakenly served a full glass of white wine and he took a sip during a Cathay Pacific flight, according to a social media post uploaded by the boy’s parents as reported by The Standard Hong Kong and many other news outlets around the world.
The social media post detailed that the incident occurred during a flight from Hong Kong to London on April 24, when the boy told his father, surnamed Tsui, that the beverage was sour after a meal distribution.
Tsui immediately discovered that it was white wine instead of water that had been ordered for his child. However, the cabin crew only exchanged the white wine for water without promptly providing medical assistance.
Following the parents’ insistence, a passenger who claimed to be a doctor from France checked the boy and identified that he had no symptoms.
The cabin crew subsequently told the parents merely to “watch for symptoms” based on the passenger’s judgment, and contacted emergency services, Medlink, after the parents rejected the suggestion to simply file a case by email for the incident.
Fortunately, the boy showed no obvious symptoms on the plane, and the parents are in the process of arranging comprehensive medical assessments with pediatric specialists.
Airline admits mistake and apologises
The airline has apologised to the parents in the response email, admitting the cabin crew’s “oversight” of serving wine instead of water by mistake, and offering vouchers and a refund to the passengers.
It also mentioned that the company has conducted coaching with the relevant cabin crew to reinforce the importance of checking orders before serving them.
According to the Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, the legal drinking age for purchasing alcohol in Hong Kong is 18. This ordinance prohibits the sale or supply of alcohol to anyone under this age in a commercial setting.
Tsui also stressed that the purpose of posting the incident on social media is to raise parents’ awareness of child safety during flights.
In addition, the parents have filed formal complaints with multiple authorities, including the Civil Aviation Department, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, the Consumer Council, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
“This incident, especially given its potential impact on our son for the rest of his life, has caused our family tremendous emotional stress and anxiety,” Tsui said.
Airline offers upgrade vouchers and medical costs
The carrier offered to refund the child’s ticket with three one-class upgrade vouchers and cover the costs of any incident-related medical check-ups. But the parents were not satisfied, expressing concern over whether the alcohol sip her son took would result in long-term health issues.
More than two weeks after the incident, the parents, both aged 35, have not sought a medical check-up for the child, as cited in the same news report.
What leads to mix-ups for in-flight drinks?
In the same report by The South China Morning Post, a purser who provided comments anonymously said the most common mix-up was crew members mistaking Perrier water with normal water, and white wine for apple juice.
Another common example was the mix-up of Coke Zero and Diet Coke. Coke Zero has a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium as sweeteners while Diet Coke only has aspartame.
“Some passengers ordered Diet Coke but were given Coke Zero instead. Such a mistake can be serious as some people may be allergic to the sugar substitute in Coke Zero,” she said.
“But many crew members can’t tell the difference and don’t have an understanding of the health risks.”
What can you do if a drink mix-up poses a health risk?
Dr Herbert Kwok Wang-chun, vice-president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association, said the health risk of the three-year-old boy was low, if he had taken a small sip.
“It depends on how much alcohol he drank. If the intake is high, it will depend on whether he suffers any discomfort such as falling unconscious, dizziness or vomit. Since the boy was fine during the journey, the risk of alcohol poisoning seems low,” he said.
For passengers who have food and drink allergies or alcohol intolerance due to medication intake, Kwok advised them to drop a note to airline staff about their allergies when booking air tickets, and also bring their allergy medication on board, including adrenaline syringes supported by a medical certificate if necessary.
“Those having an allergic reaction can show symptoms such as skin rashes, breath difficulties, nausea or diarrhoea which may require adrenaline injections in some serious cases. For passengers with allergies, they are advised to bring along their medication and if necessary adrenaline syringes for injections abroad,” he said.
