Cathay Pacific Serves Wine to Toddler in Business Class
Cathay Pacific flight attendant inadvertently served white wine to a three-year-old boy traveling with his parents in business class on flight CX 255 from Hong Kong International Airport to London-Heathrow Airport on April 24, 2025. The toddler, seated in the forward cabin of a Boeing 777-300ER, took a sip of the beverage and described it as “sour.” Believing the drink to be water, his mother sampled the contents and was alarmed to discover it was white wine.
The mother immediately alerted the attending crew member, who apologized and replaced the drink with a glass of water. Concerned about the potential effects of alcohol on her young son, she then informed the flight purser, who used MedLink to seek medical guidance from professionals on the ground. MedLink is a system connecting in-flight medical concerns with shore-based expertise to help manage emergencies.
A French doctor traveling onboard volunteered to examine the boy and found no immediate adverse reactions. Nonetheless, the family reported they plan to consult pediatric specialists upon landing to arrange comprehensive tests and ensure the child’s well-being. The parents took to social media platform RedNote to describe the frightening episode, emphasizing the need for stringent procedures in beverage service.
Cathay Pacific responded promptly via email, acknowledging the incident and issuing a formal apology to the family. The airline offered a full refund of the family’s tickets and detailed that the crew members involved had received additional briefings and training to prevent similar errors. Despite these steps, the parents indicated to Hong Kong news outlet The Standard that they were unsatisfied with the airline’s response.
Seeking accountability, the couple filed formal complaints with multiple regulatory bodies, including the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, the Consumer Council and the UK Civil Aviation Authority. They stressed that a lapse in standard service procedures should trigger more robust safeguards when serving beverages, especially in premium cabins where mistaken drink orders can pose serious health risks to minors.
The mishap highlights the critical importance of accuracy in beverage identification and service protocols on long-haul flights. Airlines typically maintain strict rules prohibiting alcohol service to unaccompanied minors and require that staff verify guest identities and permissions. Flight attendants must balance efficient service with vigilance, ensuring that drink orders align with passenger needs and regulatory requirements.
Aviation safety experts note that while alcohol served in small quantities might not cause immediate harm to a toddler, any inadvertent ingestion is a cause for concern and must be addressed through prompt medical review and procedural corrections. The incident underscores the role of in-flight medical systems like MedLink in swiftly managing potential health scenarios, while also raising questions about training standards in premium cabins.
As Cathay Pacific reviews its training processes and front-line service checks, the family hopes the episode will prompt industry-wide improvements to safeguard against human error. The boy’s parents, who described the flight as otherwise smooth, urged all airlines to reevaluate their drink-service workflows.
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