CATHAY PACIFIC FIRST ASIAN AIRLINE TO TRIAL AIRSHOW NETWORK

Cathay Pacific Airways will become the first Asian airline to trial the new Airshow Network provided by US inflight information and entertainment systems company Airshow Inc. The Airshow Network has the capacity to provide passengers with real-time news, weather, sports, stock quotes and financial data from sources such as CNN Interactive, Bloomberg, Intellicast and Sportsticker. Cathay Pacific will also install an upgraded Airshow moving map display system throughout its entire fleet.

Cathay Pacific will trial the Airshow Network on one of its Boeing 747-400 aircraft. The Airshow Network features route-specific weather, transportation, currency and other useful travel information inflight. The system can deliver up-to-the-minute news updates and will be used to carry content from Cathay Pacific's own web site and a number of other Internet sites.

The latest moving map display system called "Airshow 420" is also provided by Airshow Inc. It receives information through the aircraft communication system and converts it into customised graphics and text. The system uses high-resolution graphics with CD-ROM technology and enhanced storage capacity allowing passengers to enjoy the most detailed maps ever compiled for cabin displays. With Airshow 420, Cathay Pacific will have the technical capability to add the Airshow Network to the inflight entertainment it offers all its passengers.

Cathay Pacific's Manager Inflight Communications and Entertainment Winnie Lau said:" We aim to give passengers the best experience on the ground and in the air. For this reason we are extremely pleased to be able to offer the latest moving map display system Airshow 420 and the Airshow Network."

Airshow President Dennis Ferguson said: "We believe that a trial of the Airshow Network will demonstrate that offering a wealth of inflight entertainment and information provides an improved flying experience for Cathay Pacific's passengers and a distinct competitive advantage for the airline."

Cathay Pacific provides passengers with wide range of inflight entertainment and information including movies, news programmes, documentaries, comedy, music, newspapers and magazines. Early next year it will begin installing a system enabling passengers to access email and Intranet on the aircraft through laptop computers.

Airshow Inc. is the world's leading inflight information and entertainment systems provider. It has passenger information systems in service on nearly 4000 corporate aircraft and more than 130 airlines worldwide. The company is headquartered in California and is a subsidiary of Dynatech Corporation, based in Burlington, Massachusetts.