Cathay Pacific Airways has announced a new codeshare arrangement with Dragonair that will bring significant benefits for passengers travelling to and from a number of key regional destinations.

The new arrangement is the latest initiative to result from the integration of Cathay Pacific and Dragonair that has already resulted in a number of developments to benefit passengers and the Hong Kong aviation hub as a whole.

The codeshare applies to seven cities in total and is effective on flights to Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen, Tokyo and Kota Kinabalu from December 1, 2006. The codeshare will also apply to two new Dragonair destinations: Phuket, which launches on December 15, and Busan (subject to Government approval), where flights begin on January 19, 2007. All the codeshare flights will carry both the "CX" and "KA" codes.

The codeshare will extend the Cathay Pacific network by three destinations to 105 and give passengers more choice on the routes on which both carriers operate. For example, on the Shanghai route passengers can choose to fly on the Cathay Pacific daily service, which launches on December 1, or on the other 16 flights each day that are codeshared with Dragonair.

Overseas passengers, who are perhaps more familiar with the Cathay Pacific brand, will be able to book a Cathay Pacific ticket through to the codeshared destinations, enjoying seamless connections through the Hong Kong hub. Other advantages for customers include being able to book flights online to the codeshared destinations through the Cathay Pacific website.

Dragonair became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific on September 28, 2006.