Cathay Pacific compensation for non-working IFE

For those who don't know, Cathay Pacific has a fixed rate of compensation for flights where the IFE isn't working. This covers a faulty screen at your own seat or a cabin-wide or even aircraft-wide IFE outage, for all flights of more than three hours. The form of payment is a 'service voucher' which is valid for two years for 'purchase of products or services on any Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon operating flights, at any of the worldwide ticketing offices, worldwide airport check-in and ticketing counters.'

These vouchers can and will mainly be used for buying duty-free but as mentioned above, they can also be used for a discount on buying a ticket, excess baggage or other related CX services.

* first class passengers and Marco Polo Club Diamond members travelling in any cabin get USD$150 in vouchers

* business class passengers get USD$100 in vouchers

* premium economy and economy passengers get USD$50 in vouchers

It appears that there is no special allowance if you have high Oneworld status such as Oneworld Emerald (eg Qantas Platinum), the only status bonus is for Marco Polo Diamond.

So if I'm flying business and for 8 hours the IFE doesn't work, they apologise by giving me $100? Wow, what a crock.

I think IFE is a privilege not a right. I have had faulty ones from time to time; it goes with the territory. I am glad they gave you a $100 most would not.

Call me crazy (and many do), but this is why I still carry an old book in the cabin bag... some brain candy by Frederick Forsyth is excellent for knocking over a few hours or putting yourself to sleep.

They do offer slightly more if you have MPO status, I got US$75 last year for a faulty IFE in PEY

It is better than Qatar airways where I got a free in-flight internet voucher when there was no signal for the whole flight and an iPad full of Arabic movies.

Yes, I experienced this last year on a flight from SIN to HKG, personally on such a short flight I thought it a reasonable offer of $100, especially as they were given out as we deplaned and the Cabin Manager had come round to apologise personally to every one in Business Class. I had an iPad and some work to deal with so may not even have used it, but it would probably irk me on a much longer flight. I know that it isn't in the Contract of Carriage but there's no doubt that all (ok, most) airlines play heavily on their IFE experience to entice you to their offering.

I've done SYD-LAX with Delta and no IFE and received $50USD, it was pretty brutal going 14 hours with nothing not even a book.

Last May travelled with Ethiad FC from LHR TO SYD. IFE went down received 20,000 air miles. This seemed about right, maybe Cathay should also offer Airmiles.

I haven't had non-working IFE, but I have had non-working wi-fi twice now on A350s (on day flights when I wanted to work) and received 10k Asiamiles as compensation each time.