Cathay Pacific Airways today introduced a first in inflight shopping with its new fashion and lifestyle product catalogue. The airline’s “Discover The Shop” magazine goes beyond the traditional boundaries of a simple catalogue to include the kind of short features and an exclusive fashion shoot usually seen between the pages of glossy fashion and lifestyle magazines.

Models sport products available for purchase - many of which are exclusively sold on Cathay Pacific flights and are not available in stores.

Shopping has become as much a part of the inflight entertainment experience as movies, music and food. Over the years, Cathay Pacific has enhanced its passengers’ shopping experience and expanded the range of products it offers.

There are now a record 184 items available for purchase in the current April edition of the magazine. A new fashion spread will appear in every issue. Asia Miles members also accrue double miles when they spend between HK$1,500 and HK$2,499 and triple miles for purchases of more than HK$2,500.

With such innovations inflight shopping has grown ever more popular with Cathay Pacific customers and sales in the first three months of 2005 increased by more than one third over the same period last year.

“Discover The Shop” was the result of six months’ development with Cathay Pacific’s Inflight Services Department and Emphasis Media, which also helps produce the airline’s regular inflight magazine “Discovery”.

Cathay Pacific Director Service Delivery Quince Chong said: “Our Discover The Shop magazine is as much about fashion and lifestyle as it is the products themselves. What our customers look for is still there - exclusive products, convenience and competitive pricing - but we have upgraded the concept to include lifestyle articles, style tips, product reviews and a chic fashion spread. Once again, Cathay Pacific has proved itself to be a market leader and innovator.”
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