Cathay Pacific Overview
Cathay Pacific is a Hong-Kong based airline that has the distinction of being one of the only six airlines worldwide to carry a five star rating from Skytrax. The airline was founded on September 24, 1946 by Roy C Farrell and Sydney H De Kantzow in Hong Kong. Though Cathay Pacific airways had a modest start with a single Douglas DC-3 flying to Manila, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai, the Cathay Pacific Group including Dragonair and Air Hong Kong, now operates more than 150 aircrafts to some 130 destinations across the globe.
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Fleet and Destinations
Cathay Pacific plies regular flights to a total of 116 destinations worldwide with its strong fleet of over 120 aircrafts. The average age of the passenger aircraft in service is 10.8 years. The airline connects 36 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and Oceania on a daily basis. In India, the airline offers flight services to Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Its fleet comprises of Airbus A330-300, Airbus A340-300, Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-300, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 747-400BCF and Boeing 747-400ERF .
Services and Facilities
The services offered by Cathay Pacific make flying with it a wonderful experience. Passengers are treated with delectable in-flight meals that are provided by the Cathay Pacific Catering Services(CPCS) in Hong Kong. Apart from this, Cathay Pacific is among the first airlines to have put rice cookers, toasters and skillets on board enabling the flight attendants to prepare freshly cooked rice, toast and eggs. First class passengers can go a' la carte and choose their own meals and dine anytime they wish. It also offers fresh Espresso, Cafe Latté and Cappuccino on most of the flights and provide Chinese tea in all travel classes.
Inflight Entertainment
Cathay Pacific's in-flight entertainment system StudioCX is equipped with personal TVs (PTVs) in every seat. Flyers get to select from the latest Hollywood blockbuster movies, popular Asian and Western TV programs, music and over 70 computer games. They are also offered good reading material that includes a range of different newspapers and magazines from around the world and the in-flight magazine 'Discovery'. Visually impaired passengers are provided with a copy of South China Morning Post in Braille.
Technology
Cathay Pacific is one of the most technically advanced airlines in the world today. It has launched many modern methods to check-in for flights including self check-in through a kiosk at many International Airports or through a mobile phone. The airlines has also launched a Mobile Boarding Pass application called CX Mobile, which allows the user to check flight arrivals and departures, check-in for their flights and gather information about the destination they are flying to using City Guides. Currently working on its brand image, the airline is utilizing a range of social media tools to share ideas with customers. Through a virtual tour, the airline enables passengers to experience Cathay Pacific's new cabins and services without even having to step aboard the aircraft.
Loyalty programs
The Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles (their travel reward program), are the two loyalty programs run by Cathay Pacific. Marco Polo Club is divided into four tiers--Green, Silver, Gold and Diamond. There is a joining fee of US$50 for a Marco Polo Club membership. Members are given privileged treatment with benefits such as a dedicated 24-hour club service line for flight reservations, designated Marco Polo check-in counters, inflight duty-free speacials, excess baggage allowance and lounge access redemptions and priority boarding. The higher tiered members are given additional benefits that include guaranteed economy class seat, additional baggage allowance, priority flight booking and airport lounge access. Under Asia Miles travel rewards programme, members can collect mileage credits by flying on Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or a partner airline. These credits can also be earned by spending on a number of hotels, credit card companies, car rental agencies, telecommunication companies and other non-airline channels. The miles can later be redeemed for flights or other products and services.