Cathay Pacific announces a new chapter for the Marco Polo Club
Cathay Pacific has been growing its network in recent years, with the addition of many ultra-long and ultra-short-haul services, as well as making a significant investment in the differentiation of its cabin products. The airline believes that the way members earn their status should move in line with changing customer travel patterns and the evolution of its products over time.
Cathay Pacific Director Sales & Marketing Dane Cheng said: “Customer loyalty is the backbone of our airline and we are grateful for the great support and contribution our Marco Polo Club members have been giving us. The travel industry is ever-evolving and we understand there have been significant changes to the way our members travel in recent years. We must adapt to these changes so that we can continue to help our passengers travel well and ensure they feel properly appreciated.”
As part of a comprehensive review of the loyalty programme which has taken valuable feedback from members into consideration, with effect from 15April 2016 the Marco Polo Club will change to a new points-based system, based on a combination of the cabin customers travel in, the fare class booked and the distance travelled.
This more balanced approach will see members who fly in premium classes earn tier status faster. It will allow members to earn club points from a wider range of fares, including discounted fare types that are currently not applicable to club status.
All popular member benefits, including unlimited lounge access for Silver members and above, as well as priority boarding and check-in, remain unchanged. At the same time, Cathay Pacific will further improve the overall membership experience by introducing more flexible and family-friendly benefits, including:
• Extra Lounge Passes for members and their invited guests
• Bookable Upgrades for Gold and Diamond members
• Additional Gold companion card for Diamond members
• “Membership Holidays” enabling members to retain their status for one year, in recognition of those who may need to temporarily reduce their travel activity
• Lower qualifying age for young members, down from 18 to 12
To support members’ transition to the points programme, the Marco Polo Club will convert each member’s mileage or sectors into club points, based on which is the most favourable for individual members.
For example, a Gold member who has accumulated 48,000 Club miles as of 15 April 2016 would have accumulated 80% of the 60,000 miles required for Gold renewal. Under the new system, the same ratio will apply in the sense that his or her mileage will be converted to 480 points – that is, 80% of the 600 points required for renewal.
A number of tools, including a club points calculator, have been developed to help members understand the changes, and members can find out more by accessing www.cathaypacific.com/clubchanges or calling the dedicated service line at +852 2683 6788; +800 2683 6788 (International prefix may apply) or email us at clubchanges@cathaypacific.com
The changes will not impact accrual and awards redemption under the Asia Miles rewards programme.
******
About the Marco Polo Club Changes
1. New Points-based Earning Grid
The current system of status accrual, which focuses on mileage and sectors flown, will be replaced by a points-based system using a combination of cabin, fare class and distance travelled. The Cathay Pacific and Dragonair accumulation grid is as shown below:
|
Cabin |
Fare class |
Distance Zone |
|||||
|
Ultra Short 1 - 750 miles |
Short 751 - 2,750 miles |
Medium 2,751 - 3,700 miles |
Medium-Long 3,701 - 5,000 miles |
Long 5,001 - 7,500 miles |
Ultra Long 7,501+ miles |
||
|
e.g. Manila, Hanoi, Taipei, Guangzhou |
e.g. Beijing, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo |
e.g. Cairns, Male, Dubai |
e.g. Sydney, Perth, Bahrain |
e.g. Vancouver, Paris, Milan, London |
e.g. New York, Chicago, Toronto |
||
|
First |
F,A |
20 |
35 |
70 |
100 |
125 |
140 |
|
Business |
J,C |
15 |
30 |
60 |
85 |
105 |
120 |
|
D,I |
15 |
25 |
50 |
70 |
90 |
100 |
|
|
Premium Economy |
W,R |
10 |
15 |
30 |
45 |
55 |
60 |
|
E |
10 |
15 |
25 |
35 |
45 |
50 |
|
|
Economy |
Y,B,H,K |
10 |
15 |
25 |
35 |
45 |
50 |
|
M,L,V |
5 |
10 |
20 |
30 |
35 |
40 |
|
|
S,N,Q |
5 |
5 |
5 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
2. Comparison of Current and New Tier Benefits
The club will retain all popular member benefits, including unlimited lounge access for Silver members and above, as well as priority boarding and check-in. Members will also enjoy more flexibility than before with a new range of benefits and family-friendly rewards, as shown below:
|
Tier |
Key Benefits |
|
|
Current |
New |
|
|
Green |
• Marco Polo Club service hotline • Designated Marco Polo Club check-in counters • Priority boarding |
• Marco Polo Club service hotline • Designated Marco Polo Club check-in counters • Priority boarding New benefits: • One Business Class Lounge Pass at 200 points (for member or travel companion)
|
|
Silver |
• Business Class lounge access (travelling on Cathay Pacific or Dragonair flights) • Extra baggage allowance (10kg) • Extra-legroom seat reservation (subject to availability) |
• Business Class lounge access (travelling on Cathay Pacific and Dragonair flights) • Extra baggage allowance (10kg) • Extra-legroom seat reservation (subject to availability) New benefits: • Two Business Class Lounge Passes at 450 points (for travel companion) • Membership Holiday
|
|
Gold |
• Business Class lounge access with 1 guest (travelling on Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or oneworld partner airlines) • Extra baggage allowance (15kg or 1 piece) • Extra-legroom seat reservation (subject to availability) • Guaranteed Economy Class seat reservation at 72 hours in advance (fare class V and above) |
• Business Class lounge access with 1 guest (travelling on Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or oneworld partner airlines) • Extra baggage allowance (15kg or 1 piece) • Extra-legroom seat reservation (subject to availability) • Guaranteed Economy Class seat reservation at 72 hours in advance (fare class Y only) New benefit: • Two Business Class Lounge Passes at 800 points (for travel companion and Redemption Group member) • Four Bookable Upgrades for regional sectors at 1,000 points (for member or travel companion) • Membership Holiday
|
| Diamond |
• First Class lounge access with 2 guests (travelling on Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or oneworld partner airlines) • Business Class lounge access with 2 guests (travelling on any airlines) • Extra baggage allowance (20kg or 1 piece) • Extra-legroom seat reservation (subject to seats availability) • Guaranteed Economy Class seat reservation at 24 hours in advance (fare class V and above) • Guaranteed Premium Economy Class seat reservation at 24 hours in advance (fare class W only) • Guaranteed Business Class seat reservation at 24 hours in advance (fare class C and above) |
• First Class lounge access with 2 guests (travelling on Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or oneworld partner airlines) • Business Class lounge access with 2 guests (travelling on Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or oneworld partner airlines) • Extra baggage allowance (20kg or 1 piece) • Extra-legroom seat reservation (subject to seats availability) • Guarantee Economy Class seat reservation at 24 hours in advance (fare class Y only) • Guaranteed Premium Economy Class seat reservation at 24 hours in advance (fare class W only) • Guaranteed Business Class seat reservation 24 hours in advance (fare class J only) New benefits: • Two First Class Lounge Passes at 1,400 points (for travel companion and Redemption Group member) • Four Bookable Upgrade for any sectors at 1,600 points (for member, travel companion and Redemption Group member) • One Companion Card (Gold tier) at 1,800 points • Membership Holiday
|
3. Comparison of Current and New Tier Qualification
The more balanced approach will see members who fly in premium cabin classes earn tier status faster. At the same time it will allow members to earn club points from a wide range of fares, including discounted fare types (S, N, Q) that are currently not applicable to club status.
|
Tier |
Qualification |
|
|
Current |
New |
|
|
Green |
US$50 or 4 sectors Example: 2 Economy Class trips to Singapore
|
US$100 or 100 points Example: 5 Economy Class trips to Singapore OR 1.25 Economy Class trips to New York
|
|
Silver |
30,000 miles or 20 sectors Example: 10 Economy Class trips to Beijing OR 2 Business Class trips to New York
|
300 points Example: 15 Economy Class trips to Beijing OR 1.5 Business Class trips to New York |
|
Gold |
60,000 miles or 40 sectors Example: 20 Economy Class trips to Shanghai OR 4 Business Class trips to New York
|
600 points Example: 30 Economy Class trips to Shanghai OR 3 Business Class trips to New York
|
|
Diamond |
120,000 miles or 80 sectors Example: 10 Economy Class trips to London OR 6 Business Class trips to New York
|
1,200 points Example: 18 Economy Class trips to London OR 5 Business Class trips to New York |
