Cathay Pacific admitted an error was made in its check-in procedures after a woman in Taiwan successfully flew to Hong Kong on one of its planes when she was supposed to travel on a different airline.
The incident has also put flight boarding procedures in Taiwan in question, and the airline is currently investigating the cause of the error.
In early February, Taiwan resident Ms Hong, 34, arrived at Taoyuan Airport to board her flight to Hong Kong. Her boyfriend had earlier booked a round-trip Hong Kong Airlines flight ticket for her.
At the airport, Hong mistakenly went to the Cathay Pacific kiosk to check in. Yet, a Cathay Pacific employee at the kiosk issued her a boarding pass that was intended for a male passenger with the same surname.
Hong then managed to smoothly board the Cathay Pacific plane to Hong Kong with no one, including local immigration authorities and ground crew at the gate, stopping her.
The error was discovered only when Hong arrived in Hong Kong and her boyfriend received a message from Hong Kong Airlines that she had not shown up.
"[The name on the air ticket] wasn"™t me. Even the sex [on the air ticket] was not right. This is ridiculous," Ms Hong told the Apple Daily in Taiwan after the incident.
She added the incident was very serious, as it appeared that anyone holding a passport could easily obtain a boarding pass without any verification…
