Cathay Pacific Celebrates Non-Stop Service to New York With 500 Guests At Gala Dinner

Cathay Pacific Airways today staged a gala celebration for its new daily non-stop service between Hong Kong and New York, with close to 500 guests attending the event in New York City.

The gala evening was hosted by Cathay Pacific Director and Chief Operating Officer Philip Chen at fashionable restaurant Cipriani. A delegation from the Hong Kong Government, business community and local media travelled to New York with him.

During the event, Cathay Pacific was presented with the Robb Report award, the United States' most prestigious luxury lifestyle and travel award. Cathay Pacific was the world's only airline named "Best of the Best" in the 16th annual Robb Report awards for the "world's most exceptional products and services".

Gala guests also enjoyed the airline's "Walking on Air" stage show that showcases Cathay Pacific's history and cabin crew uniforms through the ages.

With the launch of the new service on 1 July, Cathay Pacific will be the only airline to operate a daily non-stop flight between the two cities as well as a second daily one-stop service via Vancouver.

Cathay Pacific wrote aviation history when it made the world's first ever non-stop commercial flight over the North Pole from New York to Hong Kong on 5 July 1998. In so doing, the airline paved the way that all airlines operating trans-polar flights to Asia now follow.

Speaking at the gala dinner, Mr Chen said: "We are delighted to start the only daily non-stop service that will take passengers only 16 hours to travel between two of the world's most important business hubs on the world's newest commercial aircraft, the Airbus 340-600. The new service will offer unbeatable choice and connectivity, further strengthening links between the two hubs. As the home carrier of Hong Kong, we are delighted to be able to play a part in bringing the world closer together.

"With our existing one-stop service via Vancouver we will be the only airline to offer passengers the choice of two flights between New York and Hong Kong every day. The new service underlines our commitment to give customers greater flexibility and to strengthen Hong Kong as a global hub," Mr Chen said.

The addition of the new flight means that Cathay Pacific will operate 72 passenger and cargo services a week between Hong Kong and North America. The airline serves 24 cities in the United States, either directly or through code share passenger services.

See following page for the full New York flight schedule

Please see following a full schedule to New York. New service in bold italic text.

Officiating guests toast the launch of Cathay Pacific's new daily non-stop
service between Hong Kong and New York at a gala celebration event hosted
by its Director and Chief Operating Officer in New York City.

From left to right: Alan Wong Kam-fai, Deputy Executive Director, Operations,
Hong Kong Trade Development Council; Jacqueline Willis, Commissioner, Hong
Kong Economic & Trade Office; Philip Chen, Director and Chief Operating
Officer, Cathay Pacific Airways; Liu Bi-wei, Consul General/Ambassador, PRC
Consulate of New York; Leung Yu-keung, Acting Deputy Director-General of Civil
Aviation

Cathay Pacific's Director and Chief Operating Officer Mr Philip Chen accepts the
"Best of the Best Airline" award from the Robb Report's Vice President and
Publisher Ernest J. Renzulli (left), and Travel Director, Ms Patsy Metcalf, at the
gala event celebrating the airline's new daily non-stop service.

Cathay Pacific cabin crew perform the "Walking of Air" show at the gala dinner
celebrating the Hong Kong-New York non-stop service.

Cathay Pacific Airways
Corporate Communication Department