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More free seats for Cathay’s MPC members

11 May 2015 by Clement Huang
Marco Polo Club (MPC) members may find it easier to redeem their miles for Cathay Pacific (CX) flights after the airline confirmed it is looking to set aside more redemption seats for its own loyalty programme. As a member of Oneworld, CX currently allocates a generous number of seats for its fellow member carriers and airline partners. However, this could change soon, as CX said it is conducting a review of the MPC's benefits and operations "in order to ensure that [the] programme continues to meet the changing needs of members". The four travel classes offered by Cathay Pacific The airline is seeking to prioritise its own loyalty programme ahead of all others, and will cut the number of redemption seats designated for partner airlines, in order to set allocate those for MPC members. "We are pleased that the Marco Polo Club is seen as one of the world’s leading airline loyalty programmes, but we believe that there are actions we can take to ensure that it continues to be part of a rewarding travel experience for our members," a CX spokeswoman told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific. B777-300ER - The backbone of Cathay Pacific's fleet It is not uncommon for carriers to favour their own loyalty members. Singapore Airlines restricted redemption opportunities for its Suites class on the A380 to its Krisflyer members only for several years. In CX's case the move could make sense, given that there is a perpetual devaluation of airline miles around the world. Credit card companies in the US are particularly generous in awarding millions of miles to new cardholders every year. Cathay Pacific lounge - open to the airline's premium and loyal customers The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Mastercard allows each cardholder to earn a hefty 30,000 American Airlines (AA) AAdvantage miles after a net spending of US$1,000. As a fellow Oneworld member, AA frequent flyers can use their miles to redeem for flights with CX, at the expense of MPC members. Reaction to the news has been largely positive, with one poster on the aviation forum Flyertalk stating: "[It's] about time that CX [did] something to give/allocate more seats to its royal customers." For more information, visit cathaypacific.com Clement Huang
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