Cathay Pacific Airways today announced the successful launch of important new features for both its Online Booking and Online Check-In services. Now passengers can select their favourite seats from an interactive on-screen seat map when they check-in online. The map displays all the available seats for passengers and even when seats were assigned at the time of reservation they can be changed online.

The service is available to all passengers who book their tickets via the airline`s Website, members of the Marco Polo Club and the Asia Miles travel reward programme. Although some airlines already offer limited Internet check-in services, Cathay Pacific was the world`s first airline to offer a comprehensive Online Check-in service covering almost all outbound and inbound international routes. The airline has opened dedicated boarding pass collection counters at all but 10 of its destinations.

In addition to the new Online Check-In seat map, the Cathay Pacific`s Online Booking service has been enhanced to allow easy fare comparisons for different dates, or in different travel classes. Asia Miles members can now also book their travel reward tickets and upgrades directly through the Website. The service is available in English, Chinese, and Japanese. It is also possible for passengers with particular religious and dietary needs to request their special inflight meals online.

In addition as a special promotion until the end of July passengers who purchase their tickets at www.cathaypacific.com can earn an extra 1,000 Asia Miles for every booking. Full terms and conditions of the offer are available on the Cathay Pacific Website.

Cathay Pacific Director Service Delivery Robert Cutler said: “The new booking features make it even easier for passengers to book flights online and the interactive seat map is a great addition to our existing Online Check-In service. Now passengers both have the added comfort of a confirmed seat number up to 48 hours before departure, and they can choose the exact seat they want, all from the comfort of home.”

Cathay Pacific has just been ranked first in the “Best E-commerce Strategy” category in Asia`s Best Companies 2001, a survey conducted by FinanceAsia magazine. The airline also came in second place in the “Best Managed Company” category. The survey was conducted amongst investors and executives in Asia, Europe, and the USA.

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