CATHAY PACIFIC OFFERS FREE DOWNLOADABLE TRIP PLANNER

Cathay Pacific Airways today officially launched its new Downloadable Trip Planner giving users access to a huge database of travel-related information from around the world. This includes airline flights, airport maps, Cathay Pacific worldwide contact details, and lounge information. The Trip Planner can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet in three different versions and brings together information that was previously only available to certain frequent flyers.

The three versions of the Downloadable Trip Planner are "Cathay Pacific flights only", "Cathay Pacific and Dragonair flights" and "Cathay Pacific, Dragonair and oneworld flights". The Cathay Pacific version, created for passengers who fly almost exclusively with the airline, saves download time and hard disk space. The files are 2.9MB, 3MB and 4.2MB in size. The largest version will take between 14 and 20 minutes to download. With a broadband connection the download could be complete in seconds.

The Downloadable Trip Planner will be updated in the middle of every month to reflect schedule changes, new telephone numbers, and additional service information. Travellers can download the latest version of the software at any time from the Cathay Pacific Website: www.cathaypacific.com.

Cathay Pacific's General Manager e-Business Tim Fitzsimmons said: "The Downloadable Trip Planner is another valuable addition to the suite of travel tools we are offering all our passengers. With this new free software passengers can plan their travel anytime, anyplace and anywhere. Valuable services like these are the things that make Cathay Pacific Asia's leading e-Business airline."

The Downloadable Trip Planner will allow, say, a businesswoman on a train in Korea to use her computer to review the various options for a complex business trip, without having to connect to the internet. She can see maps of Heathrow Airport in London, or check the facilities on offer at the Qantas Captain's Club Lounge at Auckland Airport.

The new Trip Planner is just one of the many ways in which Cathay Pacific is using e-Business to give its passengers more choice and convenience. Earlier this week the airline announced the launch of the world's first comprehensive Online Check-In service allowing passengers to check in for flights via the Internet before heading to the airport. The new service gives passengers the confidence of knowing they have a confirmed seat 48 hours in advance and saves them valuable time before departure.

Cathay Pacific and global Internet Service Provider Tenzing Communications also recently demonstrated inflight email and Internet technology on board a Boeing 747. This was the first demonstration of its kind and included sending text messages and a digital photograph. The services will be available in the second quarter of this year.