Cathay Pacific Airways today launched a new Internet booking service accessible through its Internet site. The new service allows passengers the ease and convenience of purchasing their air tickets 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. The Internet booking service can be used for all Cathay Pacific flights from Hong Kong and selected flights from other destinations.

Cathay Pacific’s Internet site is located at http://www.cathaypacific.com. Upon accessing the Internet booking page, customers first register themselves as a user and then select their chosen dates and destinations. They are then given a choice of applicable fares, and asked for their credit card details. After they have made their selection a confirmation message is shown on the screen and sent to their email address.

Customers can choose to have their tickets delivered to them by courier or held at their airport of departure. In selected markets, they can take advantage of Cathay Pacific’s electronic ticketing service where a printed ticket is not needed and they simply present their passport at check-in. In some cases, tickets can be purchased through the Internet booking page as little as 3 hours before a flight’s scheduled departure time.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer Internet booking to our customers as it gives them an additional channel for booking and purchasing their air tickets,” said Peter Buecking, Cathay Pacific’s Director Sales & Marketing. “The new Internet booking service offers the ultimate ease and convenience of being able to buy tickets anytime, anywhere.”

The Internet booking service will initially apply to all Cathay Pacific flights out of Hong Kong and selected flights from the following destinations: Bangkok, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, Singapore, Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Manila, and Cebu. Additional destinations and new features will be added periodically.

Cathay Pacific has long been at the forefront of Internet use among airlines. The company established a CyberTraveller programme in the United States in 1995, and was the first to hold an Internet auction for air tickets. Cathay Pacific was also the first airline to hold an Internet auction in Asia when it launched its new Internet site in 1998.

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