又中又英｜A shot of whiskey

It is unheard of for airlines to make passengers pay for alcoholic drinks at their airport lounges. I was shocked last week when Cathay Pacific asked me to pay for a shot of whiskey at Penang’s airport. A shot means liquor in a very small glass (shot glass) intended to drink in one swallow. It can also mean one serving of liquor. Cathay has shut its Penang lounge and uses the Plaza Premium lounge. Plaza Premium charges for entry but has comfortable lounges with food at many airports. Users can choose a package that includes free alcoholic drinks.

I had time to kill for my flight to Hong Kong. If you have time to kill, it means you have extra time with nothing to do. I entered the Plaza Premium lounge for free as a Cathay business class passenger and asked for whiskey. Another Cathay passenger asked for wine. A staff member said we must pay even though we were Cathay passengers. She gave us one free drink each after we complained. Plaza Premium management later told me Cathay’s instruction was to provide only free beer and food.

Cathay should be ashamed for treating business class passengers this way. It has already ruined its reputation by cancelling hundreds of flights last Christmas. As a loyal passenger, I still often fly Cathay business class. Its flight attendants always treat me well. But Cathay should take stock of its uncaring attitude towards passengers. To take stock means to think carefully about a situation before deciding what to do. It needs to take stock on how to become a Hong Kong icon again or lose loyal passengers like me.

乘客在航空公司的機場貴賓室要付費才能喝到酒精飲品，我真是聞所未聞。上星期我在檳城機場，叫了一小杯威士忌（a shot of whiskey），國泰卻要求我付款，令我很震驚。A shot是指很小的一口玻璃杯（shot glass）酒，讓你可以一飲而盡的。它也可以解作一人分量的酒。國泰把檳城的貴賓室關了，轉用了環亞機場貴賓室。環亞在許多機場都有貴賓室，入內要付入場費，但貴賓室都很舒適而且有食物供應。顧客亦可以選取包含免費酒精飲品的套餐。

我飛回香港的那一程，had time to kill——若你have time to kill，意即你有額外的時間可以消磨。我到了環亞機場貴賓室，並點了威士忌，但由於我是國泰的商務客位乘客，所以我進內不用付入場費。還有另一位國泰的乘客點了酒。一位職員說我們雖然是國泰乘客，但也需要付費。我們投訴之後，她給了我們每人一杯免費的飲品。環亞機場貴賓室的管理層後來告訴我，國泰的指示是，免費的就只有啤酒和食物。

國泰這樣對待商務客位的乘客，應該感到慚愧。它在過去的一個聖誕節，取消了數以百計的航班，已經毁了自己的聲譽。身為國泰忠實的乘客，我常常搭它的商務客位，空中服務員待我甚佳。但國泰應該評估（take stock）一下它對乘客漫不經心的態度。To take stock是指，在決定怎樣做之前，仔細想清楚、好好估量一下狀況。它應該要估量一下（take stock）怎樣再度成為香港的標誌性品牌，又或怎樣失去了像我這般的忠實客戶。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻