Cathay Pacific has started trialling an online auction service allowing passengers to bid for seat upgrades.
The service, called "Enhance", is being tested out on nine selected routes across the airline's network.
Economy and premium economy Cathay passengers travelling from Hong Kong to Perth, Toronto, Newark, Moscow, Paris, London, Surabaya, Cebu or Seoul can now bid for an upgrade to the next higher cabin class.
The trial is limited to bookings made on cathaypacific.com or dragonair.com, or through the airlines' local reservation offices and hotlines, for travel between June 20 and November 12.
Only fare classes W, R, E, Y, B, H, K, M, L and V are eligible for the upgrade. Asia Miles redemption bookings are not eligible for upgrades via Enhance.
Eligible passengers who booked online will receive an instant invitation to bid on the booking confirmation page, while those who booked via a local reservation office or a hotline will receive an email invitation seven days before departure.
After accepting the invite, passengers will be directed to the Enhance webpage and asked to submit an offer within a specifically indicated price range. Bidders need to choose a payment option and enter credit/debit card information before participating.
A Cathay Pacific spokesperson said: "The bidding price range varies depending on the routes, flights, schedules and seat availability."
Cathay Pacific will then inform both successful and unsuccessful bidders by email two days before departure. Payment will be deducted from the successful bidder's credit/debit card and a new electronic ticket will be provided.
Clement Huang