Hong Kong's Dragonair Becomes Cathay Dragon
Update 11/11/16: Cathay Pacific is reporting that the Dragonair brand will be discontinued on November 21, 2016.
Cathay Pacific's regional arm, Dragonair, is about to rebrand. The refreshed carrier will become Cathay Dragon, and while that'll mean a new logo and livery (to roll out beginning in April), it appears that most other components will remain unchanged. Both airlines are based in Hong Kong, with Cathay Pacific focusing on its long-haul network and Dragonair providing connecting service throughout Asia.
Dragonair has its own planes, its own lounges and its own cabin crew, but shares frequent flyer programs (Asia Miles and Marco Polo) and senior management with its sister airline Cathay. You can redeem miles for Dragonair flights just as you can Cathay Pacific, using American Airlines AAdvantage miles and British Airways Avios, along with other partner currencies.
Cathay Pacific CEO Ivan Chu explains the reasoning behind this change: "We want to rebrand Dragonair into Cathay Dragon, so that we can make it more apparent for customers when they fly through our network, they understand that they are flying within the families of Cathay Pacific Group."
So, ultimately, this is simply an elaborate rebranding. It sounds like the in-flight product will remain unchanged for now, and you'll likely be able to redeem miles for Cathay Dragon just as you did with Dragonair.
What do you think of Dragonair's rebranding?
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