Originally Posted by
TomYoung
Unbelievably useless. As a Life Time Diamond (renamed Invitation) member I had an AMEX card which I used regularly. That was cancelled, or rather converted to a new AMEX card which I shall cancel because I do not want to pay annual fees. I have not received any emails about a new card, perhaps I am too old. Anyway it does not bode well for the future of Cathay Pacific. Their ability to run the airline declines steadily and Swire have shown that they are not much cop at running anything else apart from property. Comes of moving Oxbridge graduates from tea plantations, to Cathay Tokyo reps, to PNG shipping managers, to Australian whatevers every three years, I guess. No wonder Merlin ran away to London when the going got tough.
I think it's a mixture of things. Swire cannot escape the blame; poor management has plagued the airline for years now, despite the reputation it has built up in the 90's and early 00's. The aviation industry is tough to compete in not just as a private company with no state support, but sometimes also with the Chinese government looking to get you. Then property in Hong Kong is just absurdly profitable for developers; really, Swire continuing to run Cathay despite being a private company looking to turn a profit is just down to pride (they consider it their flagship business) and the publicity it brings around the world.
With regards to lifetime diamond, unfortunately it's a case of "what have you done for me lately". They would love to get rid of the LT diamonds who contribute nothing to their bottom line now but expect special service or treatment. Of course, this is the fault of the airline (and I disagree with them, I feel Cathay should continue to offer LT status) but they probably only focus on current Diamond's who can spend and not those who spent money 25 years ago.