Dragonair unveils enhancements to cope with future expansion

30 Jan 2013 2066 | Business & Trade Fairs

Dragonair has unveiled a major new product enhancement, its biggest since 2005, that will see the introduction of New Business Class and New Economy Class cabins together with a brand-new inflight entertainment system named StudioKA.

“When the exciting new products are in place, our passengers’ journeys will be even more relaxing and enjoyable. The inflight facelift demonstrates our commitment to offer superior products and services to our passengers. The latest investment also underlines Dragonair’s commitment to long-term expansion and development,” said Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Patrick Yeung

Commenting on the airline’s performance in 2012, Mr Yeung said: “Dragonair grew at an unprecedented pace last year. We launched or resumed eight destinations, expanded our fleet with six aircraft and broke our previous record of passengers carried in a year. As we increase our regional links, we also strengthen Hong Kong’s status as an international aviation hub and contribute to the city’s infrastructural development. The groundwork laid in 2012 puts us in a stronger position to reap the benefits of eventual economic upturn in the areas we operate in. While we remain cautiously optimistic, the business environment in 2013 will continue to be extremely challenging in view of the uncertain world economy.”

“With the addition of Zhengzhou and Yangon this month, the 11th and 12th new or resumed destinations since early last year - Wenzhou in the Mainland and Da Nang in Vietnam - will be launched tomorrow and on 28 March,” said Mr Yeung.

“Dragonair continues to keep a close eye on China and the Southeast Asian region, two areas of high potential and dynamic traffic flow. With the launch of Wenzhou, Dragonair will serve 22 destinations in our core market of Mainland China,” Mr Yeung added.

The New Business Class product is specifically designed around the needs of passengers flying within the region, greatly enhancing their ability to dine, work, rest and be entertained. The product is the result of an intensive passenger-led design process that involves input from the airline’s Marco Polo Club members to refine comfort, versatility and function. The principal feature of the New Business Class product is the seat, which offers an extensive recline, extended legrest and innovative cradle motion that ensure passengers can rest in comfort. The whole New Business Class concept is aimed at making passengers feel that their every need is taken care of.

The New Economy Class product offers greatly improved living space compared to the existing Dragonair Economy Class along with more personal storage space. The new seat features a cradle mechanism to enhance the level of comfort in the recline position.

The airline’s New Business Class and New Economy Class products adopt the same designs used by sister airline Cathay Pacific for its new Regional Business Class and new long-haul Economy Class products. This will create a more consistent and harmonious inflight experience for passengers connecting between the two airlines through the Hong Kong hub.

Both the New Business Class and New Economy Class products will feature StudioKA, a widescreen on-demand inflight entertainment system shown on high-resolution touch-screen personal televisions - 12.1” in size in Business Class and 9” in Economy Class. This is the first time that an entertainment library with audio and video on demand has been made available on Dragonair flights, offering passengers a whole new inflight entertainment experience.

StudioKA offers passengers a wide range of exciting entertainment options through its extensive library, with more than 100 Hollywood blockbusters and popular Asian movies, 500-plus Western and Asian TV programmes, 888 music CDs, 22 radio channels, and programmes in nine languages.

Along with the new seats and entertainment system, Dragonair passengers will also see new designs for the inflight meal service ware in both Business Class and Economy Class starting from March. The design of the new service ware complements the new cabin elements to offer passengers a refreshed dining experience on regional flights.