Cathay Pacific Airways has announced that it will be making changes to its Marco Polo Club loyalty programme to “reflect the evolving travel needs of its most loyal customers”.
The airline aims to “enhance the overall membership experience through more effective recognition of the contribution made by individual members”, according to a statement.
The Marco Polo Club - with effect from April 15, 2016 - 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.
The statement notes that 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, and 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.
The changes will not impact accrual and awards redemption under the Asia Miles rewards programme.
