Cathay Pacific ponders tightening rules on lounge access

Cathay Pacific passengers may soon have to fly with the airline almost once a week to qualify for unlimited lounge access, according to proposals in a consultation the airline is conducting on its Marco Polo Club frequent flyer scheme.

That would effectively downgrade passengers who qualified merely for silver-tier membership - broadly equivalent to taking 20 economy-class flights per year - to using the premium airport facilities as few as four times a year.

Unlimited lounge access would become out of their reach unless they rose to the gold tier, the second-highest level on the four-tier scheme that also includes diamond and green.

The possible changes were set out in a survey sent to Marco Polo members last month to collect feedback about the airline's main loyalty programme.

The proposals came as Cathay was honoured in the summer as the "world's best airline" for the fourth time and vowed to overhaul its brand to provide a better experience for customers.

Cabin crew and pilots are already unhappy with pay and working practices and are seeking bigger salary rises from their employer's HK$347 million first-half net profit.