How Cathay is rewriting the loyalty rulebook
Frequent flyers will find it easier to earn and retain status, with a new top-tier into the bargain.
By David Flynn, April 30 2026
Frequent flyers have an almost allergic reaction to words like enhanced, simplified and streamlined.
It’s a conditioned Pavlovian response, learned after years of airlines revamping their loyalty programs for worse rather than better – yet framing those changes in the most positive of ways.
So Cathay Pacific’s sweeping recast of its eponymous Cathay program was surprising for the fact that the airline actually made its rewards program, well, more rewarding.
Fresh benefits landed right across the board, from entry-level Cathay Green members to top-tier Diamonds – along with the lure of a new Diamond Exec level plus a rollover of Status Points from one year to the next.
It all starts on 1 January 2027, and “is designed around how we can also make members feel more rewarded, and want to give us more,” reflects Vivian Lo, Cathay’s Director of Customer Lifestyle.
“If it’s good for our members we will have happy members, and that’s good for the business as well.”
CX loyalty boss Vivian Lo: happy frequent flyers is good for business.
The road to revamp
Work on what Lo describes as “a strategic evolution” of the Cathay program began in late 2023 and involved “thinking through different versions of it… even in 2025 we looked at a few iterations.”
The airline concept-tested various elements among 5,000 members “with different travel profiles to help us understand how important certain needs are, and probably evolved at least four bigger iterations before we got to the final one.”
“So it was very member-led in terms of understanding their needs, how those needs can be addressed, and what would motivate certain behaviours” such as striving upwards from one tier to the next.
That feedback helped reshape the Cathay program, and continues to do so as part of what Lo promises will be “an ongoing review where we look at how we can continue to refine the program.”
“We are now looking at adding ‘milestone’ benefits for Cathay Green members, in between Green and Silver.”
The end of The Great Reset
One of the earliest decisions was the one most welcomed by frequent flyers: Status Points will no longer reset to zero after a member reaches each new status tier.
Having hit the necessary 300 Status Points to attain Cathay Silver, you can keep earning to 600 Status Points for Gold and even soar straight through to 1,200 Status Points for Diamond status, all within the same year.
Lo says this reset “was actually a deterrent” for members to move up the loyalty ladder – “they were having to restart, reset and restart, reset and restart.”
“So this was very much about us making it simpler, and easier to understand, and encourages people to continue to grow with us, and give us more, because they are happy and feel rewarded.”
Status rollovers – and a status pause?
Another crowd-pleaser for Cathay Golds and Diamonds is the ability to rollover excess Status Points from one year to the next.
“A lot of frequent flyers are members of more than one program, and they can have business to give to more than one program,” Lo reasons.
“So elements like Status Point rollover actually encourages our members to fly more on Cathay because they can get a head start on status for the next year.”
“This encourages people and actually rewards people as they fly more and more,” Lo says.
And from January 2027, members who have maintained Cathay Diamond status for a minimum of five cumulative years will be eligible for a complimentary Diamond membership year for every 6,000 Status Points accumulated within their membership lifetime.
“This is a unique proposition that we designed to also go back retrospectively to reward our members for their long-term loyalty.”
There’s no limit to how many complimentary Diamond years they can bank, and they’ll be able to claim that gratis Diamond status year whenever needed – such as in a year when their travel is reduced and they face the risk of dropping back to Cathay Gold.
Related to that, several airline loyalty programs offer a ‘status pause’ which lets members put their status on hold for an extended period when their travel patterns change, which could be the result of a change in jobs or the arrival of a new baby.
Is this on the cards for Cathay?
“There will definitely be elements of the program that will evolve,” Lo reflects. “If that’s something that we need, we'll be looking at that, based on the calendar year.”
“But for considerations about changes like maternity, we are more likely to look at that on an individual, case-by-case basis.”
The Case of the Missing Airport Buggy
A controversial change which stung many Cathay Diamond members was the loss of the buggy service at Hong Kong, which could ferry them from the first class lounge to a distant departure gate.
This comes down to “the consistency of being able to deliver a benefit when we say we offer it,” Lo explains.
“The overall response that we got is that not many members have used the buggies, and of those that have used it, they found it frustrating that oftentimes the buggies are not available.”
Complimentary buggy rides at HKG will soon be an exclusive perk of Diamond Exec members.
“And it’s also quite difficult for them if they are a couple, or if they have a kid, but only one person was invited to use the buggy.”
“We actually don’t control the buggies, it’s a contract given by the Airport Authority and there's a very limited number of services a day, so there’s a big limitation in that there is absolutely no growth in terms of buggy capacity.”
“So it wasn’t a cost consideration for us to take the buggy away from Diamonds, we just realised that not many people use it, and when they do try to use it, it’s very difficult for us to offer it consistently in a way that members can count on.”
Adding shine to Diamond Exec
Airport buggy rides will become one privilege of the new Diamond Exec tier, earned by the highest of high flyers who clock up 2,400 Status Points per year.
Other perks include four Upgrade Passes valid through to first class, and complimentary Cathay Gold companion membership which can be gifted to a partner, family member or friend.
Diamond Exec Upgrade Passes will be valid for a bump into first class.
But the X-factor is a “dedicated Relationship Manager” within Cathay to assist with all travel-related matters.
Inspired by a similar concept in personal banking for high-net-worth individuals, Cathay trialled the Relationship Manager service for more than one year with selected Diamond members.
“You can’t imagine how many letters that I have got, and our CEO Ronald Lam as well, from those members, telling us how valuable the Relationship Manager is, and how they will work towards that (status) for 2027,” Lo relates.
Diamond Exec members will be assigned a dedicated Relationship Manager.
“Each Relationship Manager can truly get to know their members, to serve their needs and be more proactive about some of the service as well.”
“And particularly for disruptions, that extra level of care really makes a stark difference, and makes them feel that their loyalty is meaningful by helping them when help is most needed.”
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