BUSINESS travellers are highly prized customers, and more airlines are offering club-style facilities to woo them.
In effect, it means the usual inflight facilities associated with business class have been extended to ground service.
A pioneer in this approach is Cathay Pacific, which offers the prestigious Marco Polo Club.
Membership is based on the number of kilometres a passenger flies in a given time period, and there are three different levels: green, gold and diamond.
A passenger must fly 40,000 km in six months for green membership, 80,000 km in a year for gold and 250,000 km in a year for diamond.
The benefits range from an exclusive travellers' hotline and priority check-in by phone or fax, to luxurious lounges to which gold and diamond cardholders can invite guests, and advanced seat reservations for groups of up to five.