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Robin Lynam

THE distinctive Asian style of first and business class service has been defined largely by SIA, Thai and Cathay Pacific. Each is continually fine-tuning and, occasionally, completely revamping its premium product in keen competition for the corporate dollar.

  It is now over a year since Cathay redesigned its first class cabins and opened its luxurious lounge at Kai Tak.

  Since then, the airline has been tinkering with Marco Polo Business Class and the privileges extended to members of the Marco Polo Club for Cathay frequent flyers.

    The airline has just announced plans for a new 900-square-metre lounge adjoining the 2,000 sq m facility opened in March last year.

    The new lounge will be reserved for first class passengers and what Cathay describes as ''the top tier of Marco Polo Club members''.

  The aim of the extension is to allow the airline to offer lounge facilities at Kai Tak to all first and business class passengers and Marco Polo Club members.

    At present, only first class passengers, Marco Polo Club members and holders of business class tickets for long haul flights are invited to use the existing lounge, which Cathay's passenger product manager, Bill Hemmings, describes as ''the most luxurious and spacious in Asia''.

   But, with effect from July 1, access will be extended to all business class passengers travelling to destinations more than 21/2 hours flying time from Hongkong.

    ''This change will greatly improve the pre-flight experience at Kai Tak for many Cathay passengers,'' claimed Mr Hemmings.

  ''Since opening the lounge last year, we have adopted a step-by-step approach to allowing access to new categories of ticket holder so that we could monitor useage carefully.

  ''We are delighted now to be able to invite in the majority of our business class passengers.''     On the aircraft themselves, in Marco Polo Business Class, five centimetres of leg room between seats has been added.

    Cathay research established that, for most business travellers, seat comfort was a key consideration, and the seats themselves have been redesigned.

    On Boeing 747 aircraft, the seat back contour has been improved to give better shoulder and lumbar support and each seat now features an adjustable leg and foot rest.

  A new swivel table makes the tricky business of getting in and out of a seat when the table is unfolded a little easier. A leg rest has also been added to seats on the Lockheed L1011 TriStar aircraft Cathay uses on regional routes.

    The upper deck of all Cathay Boeing 747s is now a non-smoking business class cabin with a comfortably spacious 2.2 seating configuration.

    Check-in convenience has also emerged as an executive passenger priority and first class, Marco Polo Business Class and Marco Polo Club members carrying hand baggage only can now check in by fax.

    Several enhancements to membership of the Marco Polo Club will be introduced on July 1, including automatic mileage tracking through passenger bookings, which dispenses with the green stickers attached to tickets previously used for this purpose.

    Holders of the Diamond card - the most exclusive of the three categories of Marco Polo membership and comprising just two per cent of the total - will have access to the Cathay Lounge for themselves, parents, spouse and one guest, irrespective of the carrier with which they are travelling.

  On Cathay, they will also receive first priority baggage handling regardless of class of travel.



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