I have an email from CX dated 5 September 2001 which says:

Fascinating, the true end of an era and a salute to the lucky ones who enjoyed lifetime membership and those who are still enjoying it now. If immortality isn't invented within the next several years, that group will keep getting smaller and eventually go to 0 as the last members pass on from this world. I salute you (even though I have no idea who you are)!

Were you invited to be DM Invitation at that time? Or you was still on your way to lifetime status?

As I thought was obvious from the letter, I was on my way, but didn't get there before Lifetime disappeared as a concept. Those that had already made it became "Invitation" Diamond members, which, I believe, effectively maintained their lifetime status.

Very sorry for you. I would be very sad myself if that were to happen to me. Would you mind sharing the criteria back then to become lifetime DM? Thanks!

PS: Yes, I do recall Invitation members (尊請貴賓會員).

We should ask the (still existing) Invitation members for the definitive answer - I think a couple post here occasionally. I don't have any record, but from memory I think it was something like 1M flight miles on CX, where J counted as 1.5 times and F as 2 times. Back in those days that was quite a lot. With the increase in CX's network and the amount people fly I can see that lifetime would have to be much more than that these days.

Longhaul J seats back then were nowhere close to what it is now so I consider those who qualified to be real road warriors even if they mostly flew premium cabins.

I used to rather like the long haul cradle seats - as a seat it was far more comfortable than most current J offerings. Even F was still just a bigger cradle seat - it didn't go flat either in the late 90s.

The thing I miss about that generation of seats is how padded they were compared to the current offerings.

happily would take the 20-yr old cradle J over current regional J

My memory is hazy. Perhaps Old China Hand or another can remember more clearly but I would say it was 2 million credit miles, with Y as x1, J as x1.25 and F as x1.5. In addition one had to have 10 consecutive years of active membership. There were no partners. One could not go away for a couple of years and then continue the route to 10 years. One had to start again.
I qualified in November 1998 which was the date that Cathay announced as the last one for qualification. I was not aware of the date being extended to later but perhaps that was done to assuage those who came so close.
We seem to be pretty rare birds these days. Many Chief Pursers (ISMs) tell me that they have not seen one of us for several months. Recently I was told that by one that she had had to explain what we are to new staff who had not been told or paid any attention during their training. Two of the crew asked to be able to come forward to take a look at me - something like being a rare specimen in a zoo.
Aside from that, one could qualify for Diamond membership by flying 80 sectors in J or F during a year to reward folk based in HK whose travel was almost all regional.

To be fair, the number of Lifetime DMs is going down as time passes. I've never met one either. I wonder how many are left.

Those must have been the "good old days" of flying, when the entire experience was much more exclusive and premium. 2 million credit miles in the 80s/90s is no joke. Would love to hear your stories/experiences from those days.

When there are only a few left due to mortality, CX should host a lavish celebration for each & every one of them.

Celebrate when each of them expire and CX is relieved of an onerous obligation?