Flight attendants served a three-year-old boy sitting in business class wine instead of water on Cathay Pacific flight 255 from Hong Kong to London a couple of weeks ago. The child’s mother complained online after she found the airline’s response insufficient, and sharing concerns about her child’s long-term health from drinking alcohol so young. But the boy took only one sip, complaining to his mother that it was “too sour.”
His mom tasted the drink, realized it was wine, and flag down cabin crew – who immediately apologized, took the glass and brought back actual water. The woman escalated this to the purser, and the cockpit got Medlink involved for advice. They also sought passengers onboard with medical training, and a French doctor consulted – who said, look, five year old kids in France drink all the time and one sip is no big deal.
The boy has shown no immediate symptoms, but Wong and her husband are currently arranging comprehensive medical assessments with pediatric specialists seeking one who will support a claim for delayed neurological, developmental, and physiological effects.
Credit: Mother’s Post on RedNote
After the flight Cathay Pacific apologized and offered:
- a refund of the child’s ticket
- three upgrade vouchers to move to first class
- reimbursement for medical treatment
They also insist that they’re reinforcing crew training to prevent similar incidents in the future. However the mother is still not satisfied, claiming that the carrier should provide more of an explanation for how such a mistake happened (‘the flight attendant made a mistake’?) and accuses them of attempting to avoid responsibility. She feels that:
- the flight attendant should be following up directly to apologize
- the airline should provide concrete proof that new safeguards have been implemented
Credit: Mother’s Post on RedNote
As a result, she has filed formal complaints with Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office, the Consumer Council, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
Meanwhile, cabin crew forums discussing the issue argue that declining service standards and insufficient training for new flight attendants rapidly hired to support the carrier’s expansion are likely to blame. In this case, properly-trained crew might have marked the beverage to avoid delivering the wrong drink to the wrong passenger.
Some people are so puritanical about alcohol consumption. The kid didn’t drink a whole glass, for Pete’s sake. Of course, it must be removed once discovered, but it’s really no big deal.
Mom sees a payday.
“Wong and her husband are currently arranging comprehensive medical assessments with pediatric specialists seeking one who will support a claim for delayed neurological, developmental, and physiological effects.” So really they’re grifters trying to spin this into a big payday for them.
Making sure the incident is reported to the relevant authorities is fine, and hopefully the airline did that on their own, but beyond that, they’ve already gotten much more than they deserve for such a mistake!
another reason I plan to start going to French doctors from now on. He/she is the real hero of this story.
Refunds and upgrades worth thousands of dollars, multiple apologies, and covering medical costs. I believe they’ve gone above and beyond. Karen needs to sit down and drink her kids wine.
Much to do about nothing! Obviously seeking a big payout
from the airline, which IMHO has gone over and above in their response. I’m joining David Dutil for my next doctor appointment.
I hope they counter sue as a frivolous lawsuit.
Is the complaining lady’s first name “Karen”. And her father must be “Daddy Warbucks”.
What a waste of effort when there are real aviation needs to resolve. This Karen smells a payday.
EdSparks58
One sip and his long term health??????
Stupidest thing I’ve read all day
Stop having kids. Use condoms.
Where was the mother when the drink was given to the child?
Too many people have way too much time on their hands nowadays and given that, every day I wonder how so many people manage to make it through another day.
When my brothers and I were toddlers and small children, we loved to sip the foam off our daddy’s beers; it always looked better than it tasted and we never really learned, but we grew up just fine (Boomers) and often long for the good old days when people weren’t so fragile and the social norm was undersharing..
I feel sorry for that kid because with parents like that he’s probably in for a lifetime of therapy; just hope his mother stops at the kids she already has.
Wild to see that the hyper-litigiousness that we’ve become accustomed to in the USA has apparently spread like a virus to all ends of the earth. Then again, every country and culture has its scams. Not sure this is the ‘case’ that the family thinks it is, but good luck with that anyway. Just seems like fodder for us on blogs like this. Good for Gary, yay!
@Raphael — You’re not wrong. I’m surprised the typical ‘ban alcohol on flights’ commenter hasn’t shown his or her face yet. I have to remind them each time that we’ve already tried prohibition, and it was an abject failure. See the 18th and 21st Amendments to the US Constitution, too. It’s better to drink responsibly, live a balanced, moderate lifestyle. It’s the extremes that cause trouble.
Lynn mom is not to blame she can not know the difference between a wine glass and water glass. She is not that bright. She did not even put it in a sippy cup.
Let them be Banned
Currently on a road trip through the southern US. Many if not most billboards on the highways and cities are advertisements for ambulance chasing attorneys. Disgusting really, but that is the lotto fever world we live in now.
One small sip of “gross-tasting” alcohol in a 3-year-old isn’t going to do any substantial harm to a child as long as it’s not part of continuing to supply the child with alcohol. But it is a service failure by the airline, and the airline should apologize and provide a goodwill gesture to acknowledge its failure to protect minors from its own service offerings.
What a low class, trashy family. One sip of alcohol has zero effect on anyone – even an infant. Alcohol is processed swiftly by the body. There are no longer term effects on an acute, one time sip of alcohol – and any medical practitioner supporting that claim ought to lose their license.
Very low class, trash parents. I feel bad for the kid.
This is up there for one of the most ridiculous stories I have read….I quite sure the flight attendant didn’t purposely do it….my god this lady is insane! The airline did quite enough for them and I agree with all of the comments on this…she should shut her pie hole….but I drank from the hose growing up…so what do I know!
She should sue the airlines to have them pay for her psychiatric therapy which she surely needs before it gets completely out of control. I am amazed that mom did not demand an emergency landing of the aircraft.
Oh let it go. Chinese parent or American parent?
These guys just want free stuff. Plenty of cough syrups contain alcohol. Even children’s pain medications are essentially drugs.
Long term effects will be none from one sip but potentially massive from psychological effects that these parents will create to this kid trying convincing the kid how damaged they got to get compensation for their own benefits.
The kid is flying Biz Class at 3 on a $10K + ticket and he just got wune instead of Dom.champagne…totally.unacceptable…parents should.have the right priorities…they got ripped off!!!!
There’s no version of the story that makes mom look good. If she really believes, given the medical advice I’m sure is available to her, that this endangered health, she’s crazy overboard. The alternative is she hopes this is a lottery win. Oh, BTW, I did the research and math. Eight ounces of OJ or grape juice can have the same alcohol content or more than a sip of wine (1/3 oz).
A sip [a least mine, I tested] is 9 ml. Eight fl. oz. is 227 ml. A sip of 12% ABV wine is 1.08 grams of alcohol (9×12%). The 8 oz. of juice is 1.14 g (227×0.5%). Juice may be less, but can be more than 0.5% ABV.
Wine instead of water? That Jesus, what a prankster.
All judgement aside, there is an issue at play here…
I was on a Delta domestic flight in F with my son when he unexpectedly vomited while at the gate on a diversion. It took me until we arrived to figure out that my cranberry vodka was swapped with his virgin cranberry juice.
I know restaurants make specific protections against ‘mixing up’ drink orders, but I don’t know that airlines are as careful. It could be a legal issue just waiting to happen.
Sometimes the customer is always wrong. I drank wine when I was 8 days old and I somehow survived.
Get a grip, people.
So the mother never looked in the glass before allowing the kod to sip. I doubt it was “clear” wine.
The damage to the kid from living with this entitled crazy Karen mom will be thousands of times that of an innocent sip.
They should try France or Italy…. people are so opportunistic.
P.S. In this case, Cathay Pacific reacted poorly by giving these parents anything at all beyond the replacement glass of water and a simple mea culpa. The parents did not get what they deserved, which is to be banned permanently from the airline. God help the child who tasted the wine, as she will surely endure a lifetime of trauma subject to their helicopter parenting.
@Ron is right. It’s someone looking for a payday. The entire scenario isn’t believable. Even white wine looks very different than water. And I can’t see even the most dimwitted flight attendant getting confused and putting a class of wine in front of a three year old to drink. And if said three year old had a sip he’s not going to die or surely become a harden alcoholic.
Who woulda guessed it’s a REDBOOK user aka mainland people.
Unless the kid have allergies or something, they’re just being stupid and unreasonable. I hope they blacklist b*tches like these passengers.
Drama much? What a queen! This is all about the Benjamin’s, pure and simple.
Yup, let’s turn an innocent and harmless mistake into a world crisis … see if we can become famous online and, best of all, pry come compensation out of the airline. Just pathetic.
More whine than wine.
No big deal.
Let’s all hope this is the kind of biggest problems we have)
This mom is the one abusing her child. If this is true, its idiotic and shows a woman who should not have had children. One sip is nothing. The flight attendant made a mistake. Nothing more. I would ban this family from flying my airline.
In China, if a disability is caused by someone else’s negligence or intentional wrongdoing, a person can sue for compensation for expenses related to the disability. This includes medical expenses, nursing care, rehabilitation costs, and disability compensation. China’s law protects the rights of people with disabilities and allows them to seek legal redress for damages caused by others. There are stories everywhere of people running into slow moving cars in China so they can be injured and sue for damages. While I’d like to assume positive intentions, my spidey-sense tells me this is someone looking for a lawsuit, or just a crazy Karen who thinks she know more about pediatric neurocognitive development than a doctor.
Maybe the flight attendant served the kid water and the kid pulled a Jesus.
The mother’s reaction seems over the top. One sip of wine does not cause delays or cognitive issues. I think someone is overly litigious.
I was born in Normandy, where they make Calvados. It is rubbed on the gums of teething babies. When I had a bad fever or sore throat as a child, my grandmother would spike hot cocoa with Calvados to break the fever. I still use this method to this day when I have a fever or sore throat because it works. I went on to graduate university, work for top companies, travel and live a good life. And I know I was drinking wine mixed with water at family holiday meals by the time I was 5. Small amounts of alcohol do not harm a child’s physical or cognitive health.
They are grifters and opportunists and way over reacted. With parents like that the child will have bigger problems than a sip from a glass of wine.
Big deal. So the kid had a sip of wine. What, exactly, do the parents think is going to happen? Unreal that they are making such a big deal out of this.
Mother is looking for a Big pay out. I would withdraw all compensation offered and say
“So sorry”
Having read the comments to this post, most of which I wholeheartedly agree with, I can only conclude that @Gary was scraping the bottom of the barrel for things to blog about that day.
Nothing to see here folks…………..
The passenger was only identified as Wong. Please give the full name: Sum Ting Wong. No wonder she is trying to get from China to London: In her own country, people who complain are imprisoned or disappeared.
Maybe instead of it in addition to a full evaluation if the child, cx should insist in a full psych eval for the parents
And you wonder why many of today’s kids are so messed up
I fear the parents are going completely overboard – a sad reflection on today’s culture
What’s Wong, Karen? Wine is really good for you. One less child awake and not causing a raucous is a win for everybody. Take you free upgrades!
The family should also be banned from flying CP for the rest of their lives. Too much potential liability risk.
1. The medical response was excessive. Calling medlink? That is reserved for serious in-air medical situations. The doctor’s assessment should have been adequate.
2. Where is the parents involvement in this event? Who is supervising their THREE YEAR OLD CHILD.
The fact that parents expect flight attendants to be their babysitters is, in my opinion, outrageous. (And all too common. I was just working a flight recently that went through horrible turbulence. A woman attempted to bring her two twins to the bathroom during the worst of it. I’m strapped in my jumpseat when she asked me to watch one of her girls while she helped the other one go potty. No thanks.)
3. Children under the age of 10 should not be in first class. Who wants to spend $15,000 USD to sit next to a THREE YEAR OLD CHILD. Or a parent who is going to escalate a minute issue into a plane-wide medical emergency.
Children under 10y.o. should not be able to sit in First Class, IMO.
4. What else could they possibly want the airline to do? They’ve already been offered THOUSANDS in freebies and medical reimbursement (wtf?)
Asking for a personal apology from the flight attendant? They’ve probably been fired for this parent’s stupidity. Good luck getting them to apologize.
This story seems too ridiculous to be real.
I guess it’s some small comfort that, for once, this wasn’t an American Karen.
I would let my kids drink alcohol every flight if it got me a refund and upgrades.
Give them a hot pocket and 5000 miles and if it goes further ban them for extortion …. Some people suck
Bloody hell, overreact much? Taking the kid to doctors (after asking an on-board doctor if it’s a problem, and they pointed out French kids drink wine at 5… LOL) and etc. over one sip of wine?
I’m just not sure if they’re looking for a payday (most likely) or if they’re one of those ridiculously paranoid parents. But sheesh… I feel bad for the kid if the mom’s going to overreact like this either way.
Well, I think the mother should be partially responsible for this. I have a young toddler. I always watch what people serve him. They’ll hand the food to me and I’ll double check before I pass it on to my boy.
I think the mom is very non-attentive with her child And maybe it’s the first time she flew business and she’s overwhelmed and keep taking selfies and forgot about her child she’s making a real big deal out of this. She and her family has already been compensated for the stewardess mistake and by the way, everybody makes mistakes it
Happens and give the stewardess a break, man.
And it’s a sip and the child split it out. So 1/4 of a sip ?
And no doubt the parents give him candy and sodas all the time.
OMG. The kid is 100% fine, and the mother is looking for a huge cash payout. Cathay Pacific is scared of bad publicity and being sued; they’ve already done too much and inso doing, has encouraged the mother rather than satisfied her. This is NOT the same as driving through McDonald’s, then spilling your onto your lap and getting burned (and that was another ridiculous payout).
/\/\/\/\/\
@hwertz —> I agree. That poor kid…
Of course they are looking for the golden egg. Please GET over it!
Sounds like the parents need $$.
O…. M…. G…..
Another Karen attempting to CASH IN. The kid isn’t harmed in any way. It was a MISTAKE!!
FFS…the parents are making too much of a big deal out of this. As the French doctor said, this is nothing to really worry about. Yet these crazy assessments the parents are subjecting the child to are probably a form of child abuse in that they probably want a huge payout.
Just take your compensation and move on.
Airline should withdraw settlement offer as improvidently offered and tell parents to pound sand.
As an attorney, I’m embarrassed for the culture of unearned paydays for minor mistakes with no injuries of any kind. The kid gets more alcohol or depresants in kids’ cough syrup. Horrible parenting, setting this kind of moral example.
The wine was probably for her and he picked it up and drank out of it wasn’t paying attention when it was put there definitely looking for a payday overreacted to the fullest ❤️
I say this as a lifelong teetotaler: This. Is. Freakin’. Ridiculous.
Please, Cathay Pacific, tell them to pound sand.
I know they have to make old Karen happy. I’m just hoping not too happy and she gets stuck with all those speciality doctor bills, goes broke, husband and dog leave her, son grows up to be an alcoholic and she gets put on the no fly list.. if they don’t put a stop to it now, she won’t be the last one to try this little get rich quick scheme.
I know they have to make old Karen happy. I’m just hoping not too happy and she gets stuck with all those speciality doctor bills, goes broke, husband and dog leave her, son grows up to be an alcoholic and she gets put on the no fly list.. if they don’t put a stop to it now, she won’t be the last one to try this little get rich quick scheme.
Lasting damage?? Is she nuts?
No, she’s just seeing an opportunity for a huge payday. I hope the airline doesn’t play along. This is ridiculous.
Is this serious? They better nip this is the bud right now before these horrible parents own the company.
When my niece was a toddler she once went around the table after the meal was over and emptied the wine glasses….she probably consumed a total of a couple of mouthfuls….she is now a teacher and school administrator….so no harm done… what a drama Queen the mom sounds like….
To me this seems to be a money grab. I had friends who started giving sips of beer to their kids at three. They were American of German descent and it was a cultural thing. The kids turned out ok. Some liquid medicines have a high alcohol content as does some mouthwash. Some foods also have a high alcohol content.
They’re definitely going the way for a honest mistake. They want the golden egg to drop.
Her kid is just gonna grow up to be glued to TikTok on a phone, anyway. Which is BEYOND brain-damaging.
It was a common practice to give babies small amounts of alcohol, particularly in the Victorian era (1837-1901). Reasons for this included:
–Soothing colic and teething pain: Alcohol was believed to have sedative and analgesic effects that could soothe babies.
–Promoting sleep: Alcohol was thought to make babies drowsy and help them sleep longer.
–Treating digestive problems: Alcohol was used as a digestive aid for babies with diarrhea or vomiting.
Here are a few examples of alcohol content in cough syrups:
Vicks V44 Cough Syrup: 10% ABV
Robitussin DM: 3.5% ABV
Nyquil: 25% ABV
Sudafed with Guaifenesin: 2.4% ABV
I hope the Mom not only loses her suit, but goes broke paying her ambulance-chasing lawyers.
I rubbed whiskey on my babes gums when teething. One sip can not harm the child. Even The Holy Bibles says to drink a “little” wine for ones stomaches sake. I was raised with a tiny bit of wine at our formal dinner at home nightly for, as our parents said, its better we girls learned how to properly drink in modest portion before we came of age so we would not get drunk then and none of us ever did. I am 70 and still really do not drink. It does seem as though the mother is looking to be paid off…
Folks in 2025 over react….
As if they have not made a mistake…in their lives…
Jason you’re wrong about the McDonald’s scalding coffee incident. Victim and family only ever wanted medical bills paid. McDonald’s stalled and faught back even after acknowledgement that coffee was kept at dangerously hot temp. Victim experienced life changing injury.
And this is what’s wrong with the world today. Goodness gracious.
This is a huge overreaction on the part of the mother. She’s definitely seeking a monetary enrichment. I hope that she is having a very difficult time finding a quack doctor that is willing to state that this could cause irreparable damage to her child.
If she does take this to court, the case should be thrown out as frivolous, and she should be counter sued by Cathay Pacific for legal expenses.
I can remember my Italian grandmother/grandfather+ mother and father, letting me sip a bit of vino since I can remember
First time traveling from Brazil to USA I was served an alcoholic drink instead cranberry juice…Since I was totally unfamiliar to cranberry juice and alcoohol, I got woozy and wondering if cranberry juice was supposed to get people “dizzy”…✌
I talked to the flight attendant and she recognized she made a mistake, than apologized, and life went on, as it should be…
So sad that this is all a parent has to worry about, I pity the child’s future teachers, this is just beyond ridiculous. I feel for the poor CX flight attendants, they have enough to worry about
these days.
The part about the mother look for “pediatric specialists seeking one who will support a claim for delayed neurological, developmental, and physiological effects” tells the whole story. They are looking for a “cash cow” over a relatively minor mistake that majority of sane parents (and doctors) know will cause no lasting effects or issues.
Anyone sincerely concerned about this child’s welfare should get then away from this mother ASAP.
Maybe the flight attendant was trying to knock the little brat out. I’d have added sugar to make it less sour and told him it was grape juice. My mother would put watered-down beer in a baby bottle and my siblings and I turned out fine. Well, except for the snarkiness and sarcasm. But I’m pretty sure that is a result of adulthood experiences, like children in theaters and on airplanes.
Ah! Excuse me?! Where were the parents when all of this was going on? Were they paying attention? Mom’s not satisfied with compensation offered by the airline? Sounds like a money grab to me. IMHO!
Good grief, what an obvious attempt at a money grab.. true the airline was careless but the mother was also.. and the worry that one tiny sip of wine doing permanent medical and psychological damage seems completely absurd to me.
They just want money from the Airline! Trying to get the quick buck.
It’s encouraging to me that the majority of comments are about the parent’s behavior. The kid is fine, but likely won’t be long term with parent’s like this. For the child’s sake I really do hope this is a money grab.
I strongly believe that the mother is totally over reacting to something that she apparently is try’n to get a huge pay out which is not gonna happen because she’s going too far with crap
I’d have to think that this is not true unless the parents probably switched the cups. Definitely sounds like they are money grabbers! Frivolous law suit
So much drama and overreaction. Was this Marjorie T-G? No, she would fly to/from Asia and is too busy setting up trades each time Trump stops a tariff.
You have to be kidding me… my mom rubbed bourbon on my gums as a kid. Dad gave me a sip of his beer we had sips of wine as kids. I think your child is going to live…. it was an accident. I would have laughed and finished the glass myself.
The mom is looking for $,$$$,$$$.$$$. Crazy mom – go to HELL, Mom!!! WTF??
What a Karen!!!!
Total money grab and poor parenting. Mom…. Step up to the plate and explain to us why you weren’t watching your 3 year old. Quit blaming the airlines for your poor parenting and learn a lesson from this. Maybe it is preparing you for the future when something worse could happen. A sip of wine is NOT going to hurt your child so enough with the drama.
That’s her kid!!!! Whether payday or not what if it had been worse or allergic reaction !!! No excuse for serving alcohol to a child no excuse for attendant not paying attention! How do you know only one sip? Sound like you critics either have no kids or not good parenting !
As others have noted…this mother is looking for a payday and sounds like a major drama queen
It seems like this situation could’ve been avoided with a little more attentiveness. While we completely understand a parent’s instinct to panic, especially when it involves their child, this feels like it’s escalated into a full-blown trauma saga over what the doctor described as essentially a harmless sip—or maybe even just a whiff!
We’re all for advocating for your child’s safety, but turning this into a dramatic episode with potential million-dollar overtones might be a bit of a stretch. Let’s take a deep breath, trust the medical advice given, and maybe focus on prevention rather than a production
Good lord there’s probably more alcohol in a dose of cough syrup than a sip of wine that the child probably spat out…
Hope these grifting opportunists don’t manage to find a doctor to support this nonsense.
Good grief! It’s a sip of wine!
The mum have a mental health problems, she needs to see the doctor. And tried to claim the compensation that why and greedy woman.
Must be someone made in China
The mother is looking for a big pay day. One sip of wine will do nothing. Growing up the grandparents would have you drink tea with whiskey in it for anything from a cold to a tooth ache. I hope the airline fights on it and wins.
This is absolutely ridiculous. Not that anyone from Cathay is reading the comments, but do NOT offer this family anymore than you already have.
Do not make that flight attendant apologize again. That mom needs to have a Coke and a smile and shut the F**k up!!!
Greedy, money grabbing parents. No deal. Bye
This story seems beyond ridiculous.
The HK government should impose a serious fine…lets say 500.000 HKD on this mother for giving a bad reputation to the residents of the SAR….lol
Some people just don’t believe in karma.
Consulting my magic ball I’ve located this, probable, maybe, perhaps, ‘not headline’.
Parents who pay so little attention to their child and what he/she is putting inside it are suing the entire internet for highlighting things like “your child was more observant & self aware than you. Maybe you should of asked your toddler as they seem better at parenting” ( Jane Doe, WI, USA). This from a Mr Joe Blogs, Durham, UK who was very mean when he posted on FB. “If you’re going to try scam money out the airline you could’ve at least let the kid have the bottle. He’s gonna need it with you as parents! And the infamous viral meme of a drunk baby being shaken at cabin crew by a middle aged Asian lady and the text: One sip. Gimme moooneyyyyyy!.
Today those same parents are speaking out about what they say is unfair treatment. After the incident where crew called a medical team on the ground who assessed ‘no issue’ and a fellow passenger who was a Dr from France confirmed this whilst also suggesting the parents get a grip on reality. They say that having spent $50,000 on unnecessary tests & hoping they could find a medical practitioner incompetent enough to agree with them they have been left in huge debt.
Mr & Mrs Phone-it-in say they didn’t mind spending their life savings as they hoped to get upwards of $1M for their made up cr*p & were left devastated when CX advised them “That unfortunately we felt our initial offer was overly generous for such bollocks & that’s all your going to get, despite not deserving it”.
In other news Child Services in Hong Kong have announced they’re opening an investigation into child endangerment linked to two, currently undisclosed, parents for allowing a toddler to consume so ‘much’ wine apparently it could’ve done permanent damage.
Thrse “people” are oblivious looking to make a big issue out of nothing. Hawkers. I do hope it gots to court and the judge hives them a gine for wasting his time.
Clearly accidental and the child have distinguished the taste immediately so an insignificant quantity could have been imbibed.
Greedy persons really exists.
Complete overreaction. Ridiculious
Stupid
Easy to go after Cathay for a staff mistake. You got the apologize already. Now, dear passenger, do you date to publish your name? Should not be a problem if your claims are supported.
I hope the parents get embarrassed in court and have to pay court fees for frivolous lawsuit.
I’m pretty sure the poor kid will present delayed neurological, developmental, and physiological effects derived from an overprotective cash-hungry mom. The kid should definitely sue his mom once he’s old enough to do so.
Wonder if the women who enjoyed her flight so much she didn’t have time to look after her kid has spent time in the US?
Disgraceful people. One sip!!! Are all europeans who have experienced this in their youth out of control? Unreliable? Stupid with neurologic disfunctions? N O she is full of stupid nonsense
One sip is going to have zero effect. Someone looking for a payout. No judge would allow the case to proceed and no doctor will testify of any harm. Guarantee there’s more alcohol in some of the cough medicines. Just like the doctor said, there are some countries where alcohol is consumed by very young children.
Long time ago, when my kids were very young, we holidayed at a resort island. My kids ordered Iced Coffee. Later we found the kids in a very happy mood and wanting more. We found out that the resort adds a tot of wishkey when preparing iced coffee. We simply found it hilarious. Another time, when the kids were more grown up they emptied the mini bar. After that we made sure that the mini bar in their room had only juices and fizzy drinks.
Kids will be kids and parents should learn that these incidents is what makes life interesting.
Anyone with a working brain can see straight through the games that this mother is playing. Did a mistake happen? Yes. Of course it did. Did the airline apologize and.accept responsibility? Yes, they absolutely did. So quit with the ridiculous agenda already, mom. Also, it’s just as much your own fault as it was theirs. It is your responsibility to know what your child is ingesting. C’mon people, let’s use our brains on this one!
The mother is trying to cash on the mishap $$$$$!!! This type of passengers is found on any airline. Over reacting and greedy. My sisters and I grew up in a French household drinking some wine at meals as it is not uncommon in our culture. The wine is cut with water and as we grow older the water diminishes in the glass. So drinking is no longer a taboo and we do not need to make a show in public – like the young English students I saw in Cambridge – getting drunk at parties!
She is obviously looking for a payday.
Mistake happenes, if crew staffs are apologized for the same matter then mother should forgive them.
Suppose parents are drinking the alcohol at home infront kids and by mistake if that kids take one sip, to whom these parents will blame ? They can’t blame anyone and they don’t worry also because it’s just alcohol but if these incidents happened outside then it’s a big crime for these parents.
These is happening for over a decades, if someone goes to restaurant, hotel , airlines or any hospitality sector if these people find any mistake they treat as a big crime and end of taking lot of compensation from the company. Hospitality company will agree because they don’t want any bad advertisements the socal media.
Mother probably actually gave her own wine to the child. Then cried foul.
Reading all the above comments, fills my heart with joy, due to the simple fact that the vast majority still have common sense! CX compensated the family more than generously from my point of view!
I, as a parent also make sure that none of my 3 kids drink my glass of wine at the table and would never hold the waiter responsible. I also find it hart to believe that the flight attendant came with an empty glass and poured wine into it all while a 3 year old was sitting there alone!
I agree wholeheartedly with all the above comments .She is just looking for the jackpot payout . The airline should rescind the medical payments .This is what encouraged MissWong in the first place . Utterly Shameful. And I’m embarrassed by the greedy actions of said person. I hope to god No one will support her claims . .
Better than picking up soda cans from recyclable put out for garbage. Some groups of people are noted for this. ( make money, make money. )
Better than picking up recyclables from curbside pickup.Some groups of people do this to make money, make money!
We Italians grew up having wine on our diningroom table and we were allowed a small glass on special occasions and not one of us 6 kids became an alcoholic.
One day we were at Mike’s Kitchen and my son ordered coca cola. He was about 8 years old. He took a sip and spat it out, we tasted it and it was Brandy and Coke. Of course we complained to management but we never expected a free dinner or to take my son to a Dr!!! #$%^$#
She definitely over reacting
I agree with the comments, this mother is typical of her type trying to cash in on a harmless mistake, I live in France and our two children, now 21 and 24 yrs old, grew up with a little wine mixed with water at evening dinner. This ritual satisfied there curiousity of alcohol and now as young adults they do not consume alcohol that often, as to their health, excellent and no neurological problems,.
This mother should be held accountable for not supervising her child, probably enjoying her own drink, she has the bad American ethic of greed though legal action in a court of law so to line their pockets.
I fly Cathay to Hong Kong from JFK several times a year with my kids in Biz Class. The staff work hard and the service is exceptional. A sip of wine? My kids have all taken a sip of wine at times..you have to be joking or on a money grab. Catjay should ban these idiots from flying. Parents are responsible to monitor their children…not the flight crew. The crew has enough work catering to morons..like this family.
Wonderful comments from sensible, pragmatic and understanding parents. We also allowed our children in South Africa to have a sip of my wife’s wine or my beer. They didn’t like it! No problems existed later in their lives and drinking in moderation are their options now, with children of their own.
Out of interest not a medical recommend but parents use to put scotch on a babies dummy to ease the teething pain. Interesting to know, did the mother switch the drink as find it hard to believe the stewardess actually did this on CP, they are very professional.
The article did not explain that parents and crew let the three year old child sit across from an aisle next to the window. While the parents sat in the middle section together. 1-2-1 configuration.
If the child was often moving between the two seats it is conceivable the window seat was the original seat assigned to an adult?
A little over the top in my opiniin. With a mother like this, the kid could probably use a drink…
Looking for big pay day. Greedy person. Should take responsibility and check what 3 year old puts in his/her mouth.
This headline should read ” Woman seeks payout for silly mistake.” Greedy and unethical. Meanwhile, she probably gives her kid artistically colored Trix cereal and goldfish crackers. There’s the poison.
Beyond idiotic. Even if he drank the glass it would not hurt him. They are looking for a big payout. People make mistakes. That is what parents are for….looking after their babies. Mom caught it. Good on her…now let it go.
This lady is nothing more than a greedy money chaser. One sip… Really? So basically they are looking for a fake Dr to lie and say there are long term effects from one sip of wine so they can squeeze money from the airline. You just KNOW she’s absolutely unbearable in person.
I am Chinese and I can understand for the parents reaction. They both have Chinese spicy sausages up their rectum. Greedy!
I understand that this reply is just one in many lol. But I feel better having said it. Shame, shame, shame on those parents. Not for not watching the kid take a sip of wine, but for not getting off their judgmental high horse perfect pedestal, and stop trying to take advantage of something so silly. Who remembers nightquil as a kid? Why do you think it works so well? Alcohol LOL LOL. And depending on what the kid eats he could be getting a lot worse in his body than alcohol. Does he use hand sanitizer I bet you he absorbs more alcohol that way than he did from that little sip! There now I feel better.
I’d drink too if I had parents like that.
Meanwhile PARENTAL supervision of a 3 year old is overlooked. I know the culture of the country… once someone else is tasked with serving the child, the parents completely back off. Especially a male child.
Shouldn’t the parents be seeking professional help for themselves? Something is not right with them.
I do not agree with the comments that the parents were negligent in watching what their child drank. If you ask for water, and a cup comes back that looks like water (in the often not best lighting if an airplane), it is totally understandable. I did not go around tasting everything my daughter ate when we went out before giving it to her. However, making a huge deal of a sip or two of wine is ridiculous. There will be no long-term (or short-term) damage from a few sips of alcohol for a normal, healthy child.
Wow did she ever needlessly escalate this. The French dr was correct. And one sip will do exactly NOTHING! What a greedy pain she is.
This idiotic woman should be banned from flying.
I really thought this was a joke, but unfortunately, there are a lot of ridiculously stupid entitled people to think they have no responsibility and that everybody else has to serve them.
I agree with prior comments that the child will have much more psychological and long-term damage from having a mother like this
Well is so nice to read all the comments on this portal . It’s clear to read this greedy mother was on a roll to achieve the best pay day deal she could get . Folks we all know common sense is the best policy served on a plate . Lady if you are reading the comments on here you might just learn something. Be kind .
As Chinese American myself this Chinese American parents definitely earn the “Ugly American” image of litigious Americans mentality out for free stuff like free upgrades, discounts, etc. when an worker made a simple mistake the damn kid took only one sip even the French passenger doctor told them French kids drink wine which is damn high end grape juice! Cathay Pacific should ban them from flying their airlines because these are TROUBLEMAKERS FOR ALL BUSINESSES so they will not go overseas!!! Shame to all nice Asian who are usually reasonable, nice customers of businesses!!!!
Geoff Wills, where did you read that the mother is American?
I’m sure the baby is fine and was at the time of digestion. Not sure how this could have happened in the first place and I can’t understand why the parents didn’t recognize the slight color change if it was white wine in the cup. Water is clear and white wine absolutely isn’t clear as water. I didn’t read the entire article but it sounds like they are sue happy and they will not be satisfied at all. Also was wine served to the parents? Is there a possibility that the water was drank and a parent put some of their wine into the child’s cup? People today stop at nothing if they see a huge payout at the end.
Well the story may not happened literally as it’s told. I doubt a flight attendant would intentionally give wine to a 3 year old Alcohol. Each seat has to be purchased. And the parents likely purchased a seat and and a flight attendant Probably didn’t realized a kid was sitting in that seat since many flights attendants are on a flight. It’s the job of the parents to feed the kid. Maybe 21 and older should be in business
As an American i’ve seen far to mamy frivolous lawsuits and it makes me sick. When my son was 3 he somehow managed to uncork a wine bottle with maybe 2 drinks in it. I turned to see the empty bottle in his hand and realized what had happened. He was happy and quite relaxed. I just had to laugh. No damage done.
OMG, you can tell they just want money, and that’s why air flights cost so much because stupid people Sue everybody and anybody. In Europe children drink wine all the time with meals or celebrations because they have the right mindset knowing a little bit won’t hurt and it teaches the children that alcohol consumption done at a celebratory level is perfectly okay otherwise children who never see it never touch it never taste it grow up to be alcoholics because once they get a hold of it it’s a big deal. These parents are despicable, and they are not teaching that child the correct way to do things except the apology and Let It Go. A sip of anything unless it’s bleach or cleaning item is not going to hurt a three-year-old.
That mum can really f off, i would compensate them with reasonable level then ban them flying from my airline forever
Our dogs drink more alcohol than this kid did by knocking over our wine or beers occasionally!
Put them on the no fly list. Accidents happen and this kid is not the first to taste (not drink) alcohol. Airline should put them on notice they will ignore all requests for medical testing and evaluations.
Mistakes like this should not have been made. Common sense tells a person not to serve a three year old any alcoholic beverages … come on crew … get it together.
Another bunch of ambulance chasers trying to extract cash for a minor mistake
Just another example of overreacting, entitled helicopter parents out to make a statement in their boring ordinary lives. Oh and probably out to increase their existing wealth by expecting compensation.
Monitor to make sure the flight attendant is not fired by the airline. Put the family on a no fly list, they are in humane humans.
Money grab by the parents
Something very wong about this story!
They, the parents, found their opportunity to make some good money and nothing will stop them until the price is right.
I grew up in a country where children drink alcohol with parental permission. Like on Passover.
This is just extortion. Cathay screwed up but offered to fix it. The wongs are nuts for wanting more.
Also having read other comments no Cathay doesn’t need to show or prove anything. The FA made a mistake. It was fixed. Patents got a generous offer.
Enough whining. Nobody was hurt. Parents won.
The parents are obviously trying to go for big bucks!!! Disgusting and greedy
Good luck with a Chinese/ Hongkonese mom! She is looking for a private airplane as compensation!
Sounds like Mommy and Daddy are looking for an easy payout!
This is absolutely ridiculous. Giving them 1st class upgrades is too much compensation. A simple apology is enough, maybe a refund for the kid’s ticket. The Wong family is absolutely wrong for doing what they are doing going to multiple doctors trying to find one that will help them sue for millions.
The kid probably spit it out., as most children hate the taste of alcohol. Greedy money hungry parents. They need to chill. Psychological medical assessment needs to be performed on the Mother. I agree, “no fly list” for them.
My youngest brother accidentally threw back a glass of Vodka thinking it was water at around the same age. Knocked the wind out of him. As far as mental damage is concerned he was in a PhD program when he decided to go to medical school instead. Practiced medicine for thirty plus years.
Milk it for all you can, that kids going to need life long care from being an alcoholic from the time there five.
Why the airline caved in is beyond me, kid should’ve been given a set of pencils and a model plane at best.
This mother is a bitch. Just unfortunate for Cathay to handle this kind of passenger despite all necessary actions taken. It’s not a major mistake. For God’s sake, it’s just a sip. Her action is exaggerated. I don’t condone such extreme actions taken by this stupid woman. One sip and now she is taking long term neuro development sequelae ? Is she nuts? A good doctor will disagree with her theory and tell her to fxxx off.
They’re out to try to make quick cash. A sip off alcohol isn’t going to do a darn thing to that kid and if they are able to find a physician willing to say otherwise then I’m embarrassed for my field.
Another Karen moment. People like this make flying ( and life in general) a misery for everyone in their path.
This is insane.
No, it shouldn’t have happened, but it did (apparently), apologies were made, compensation was offered.
Heck, my Mom said I liked beer when I was two years old! One sip of alcohol isn’t going to kill this kid, but these overreacting parents just might one day!
gotta love the comment from the French doctor.
I had to laugh when I read the Dr. attending was French. One sip of wine is not going to harm, intoxicate, or turn kid into an alcoholic. The parents are way overreacting looking for a payday. Granted the kid shouldn’t have been served, but damn the parents are going overboard in their demands.
Oh golly.
Hope the parents (con-artists?) enjoyed their son’s water more the he their wine. Cathay, you have addressed the issue, have apologized- now withdraw your financial offer. Period!!
Clear attempt to blackmail CZ over an error. They’ve done more than enough for these greedy parents. Shut it down and ban them from flying Cathay.
The parents just want money
Just trying it on a mistake was made get over it
Grifters
I think it would be better to settle it in a judicial court, if one of the parties considers the incident is so serious that is beyond many people’s imagination.
They just want to make a fast buck.
It can happen to you too some day, make a mistake , someone can sue you and ruin your life
Let it go
Only used Cathay Pacific once and it was not a good experience they lost my luggage for two weeks and despite giving them pictures they got me to travel to the airport which was a 3 hour travel to find out it was not my luggage then when it was mine all the cases was damaged to make things worse they never gave any compensation so I never used them again customer service very poor
I’m probably going to play devil’s advocate here, but on both sides.
Cathay’s entire management needs to get to the bottom of such a mistake, get it resolved and ensure this never happens again. That’s accountability.
The parents needs to realise that mistakes could happen at anytime. Yes, no doubt your child was exposed to alcohol by accident but it could also be a good thing as it helps with two things.
One, it may and very well could discourage the child from developing a taste for alcohol till past teen-hood, eliminate the possibility and temptation of experimenting with alcohol due to peer pressure when the child is coming-of-age.
Two, it’s also important to remember that a little wine does not necessarily mean developmental delays or problems could occur. I’m not a trained pediatric practitioner nor attended any medical school. But a doctor that was a passenger, not employed by the airline, did access the child and was completely fine.
However, I am a trained preschool teacher and a Christian. I have attended churches that allows baptised children under the age of 4 , under the supervision of the pastoral staff and parents, to partake in Holy Communion and the baptismal wine is alcohol.
It’s not like the child was given hard liquor, like whiskey or bourbon, etc…
With that said, again yes, a mistake was made. Don’t make a mole hill into a volcano.
“ but Wong and her husband are currently arranging comprehensive medical assessments with pediatric specialists seeking one who will support a claim for delayed neurological, developmental, and physiological effects”
From one sip of wine???
FFS Wong!
Alcohol us a natural product, no harm was done. That money grubbing shrew should be given a cab chit to f all the way off. PS: I thought brats were not permitted in business class.
I really hope that no doctor will go along with this. The fact that they are actively trying to find one that will tells me that every doctor they have been to has told them it’s not a big deal. Accident happen. I would ban these lunatics from ever flying again. That mom can go f herself. Stupid woman
Most probably a precaution so that she can blame everything in the future on the airline after finding out that the little one is not the genius she was expecting :-(. So sad
Typical of today. Any & every excuse to make a fast buck. How on earth do they expect ANY legitimate doctor to say the child’s tarnished for life!! Even if they found a Cathay Pacific hating doctor, the other 99 who said NO would have ANY judge throw it out!! Talk about “obvious” con artists, they are everywhere today, these people make me sick. Cathay should close the case, they have already more than compensated this vile couple, it is clear to everybody that these two are despicable shameless con artists…disgraceful conduct.
In the Greek Orthodox Church babies after baptism start taking communion (wine) regularly and still grow up to be fine.
Somehow I knew as soon as I read “3 year old in business class” exactly how this was going to turn out.
This shouldn’t have happened, but the airline has taken responsibility for it, and the child was not harmed. The parents are ridiculous.
Delivered the wrong drink to the wong passenger.
Not a money grab I suspect. More like a guilty parent shifting blame for the next 30 years of mental issues the child will continue to have. Imagine this parent as your parent? The child should sue the mom.
This poor kid is going to get a B on a test in high school and the mother will blame this sip of alcohol
Cathay should counter sue for defamation of name! And I wholeheartedly agree, they should be banned from the airline.
Absolutely extortion plain and simple. I will bet the mom ordered the wine and the child got into it thinking it was water. Even of the child was given the wine it was a mistake. A simple apology should have been sufficient. She will have no trouble finding an ambulance chaser to sue the airlines. The airlines will settle just to make her go away. It will just embolder her and others to pull the same stunts. The child was and will be fine, btw.
It’s hard to imagine the parents are really doing this for their kid (or other kids) at this point. Sure, the flight attendant should have been more careful, but they cannot be perfect. How far will the parents subject their child to needless medical testing to feel right and justified?
I have read the.story, but believe that the woman’s behaviour is MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Why the F a 3 year old is in business class, good for the airline, no child should be in business class, twice in one year going to Asia and a kid is in business class….kid should have drink the hold bottle.
money money money…. the root of all evil…. Wong is wrong… time to move on… karma is a bitch…
When he doesn’t become a high-powered lawyer, doctor or engineer, his parents will blame this moment.
What a crock of horseshit for someone to escalate a irrelevant situation of a child having a sip of wine , it happens in real life at homes everyday.
This airline must ban these from airlines for creating public nuisances and make it public to other airlines to also ban them. What a waste of time and money to be spent of crazy people just looking for attention and easy mo ey
Has anyone checked to see if the mother actually gave the child the wine on purpose specifically to file a lawsuit?
My Brother at 6 months old drank my mother’s Xmas present from my Dad – A bottle of Channel No 5 – 59 years ago, kids and very healthy life style…I think the kid after taking a sip of wine will be ok.
Parents – Are you serious
“The boy has shown no immediate symptoms, but Wong and her husband are currently arranging comprehensive medical assessments with pediatric specialists seeking one who will support a claim for delayed neurological, developmental, and physiological effects.”
—————–
They’re gold diggers, and are doctor shopping, looking for what that will commit fraud.
The parents should not be sitting separately with their son in the first instance as the child is only 3 years old. Either mum or dad should be sitting with their son to look after him during the long haul flight. If they did, this should not have happened. Even it goes to the court, there is no pre-test and pro-test to prove the sip of alcohol consumed by the child was attributed to the damage of his brain after the once off consumption of alcohol. Think about what you want to achieve at the end of the day.
I remember my father giving my baby sister a sip of wine when she was a little over one year old, it made her brave enough to walk. Actually, we were on a trip and my mom came back to find her running in the hotel hallway. A few days later, she took her first (unintoxicated) steps. She’s now in her 40s. My mother let us have a bit of alcohol when we were kids. One sip will not and did not harm this child. This is only an attempt at a money grab.
Oh please, come on you fkng money-grabbing parents. Your kid is fine. Everyone knows you’re using this as a potential opportunity to make some free cash. The airline’s compensation offer was more than you deserve. Idiots!
Why is a 3 year old in business class? I feeling like the mom is scamming the airline. They always serve wine in business class all the time so why would you not check for your baby? I was pregnant and they tried to give me wine, but they didnt know. My responsibility is to take of my baby not the flight attendant.
Nothing but an attempt to collect big time settlement from the airline. These people should be placed on the No Fly List!
There is no shame to their game!
refund, apology, flight credits, etc… Next a lawsuit… Was this plane flying to Tel Aviv?
There is a tinge of “taking advantage” here. Too snowflakes and abusive parent. If a stewardess handed him something on what looks like a glass of wine, shouldnt they be alarmed? Where were they? And i saw one post with a picture of the kid holding the tulip glass!! Who took the picture?
Cathay Pacific should give a professional opinion instead and ignore these irresponsible-user couple!!
This mom is typical of the reason our world is so screwed up. She’s also destined to be the mom of a major.ELS (My own acronym…Entitled Little
S**T)…. that she’ll unleash on an unsuspecting world. She’s just one of way too many parents that think that the universe revolves around them and their progeny.. Unfortunately, the rest of us have to live on the same planet with them. Grow up lady. Cathay and its beleagured flight attendants owe you nothing but an apology. You’re lucky they gave you way more than that.
Flight attendants can make mistakes and get confused. After what the airline has offered you want MORE???? Oh God. Karma awaits you
One sip of wine never hurt anybody, even a 3-year old kid. French kids drink wine and probably many other cultures too. These parents need to get a life. Trauma? The kid won’t even remember being on a dang airplane!