WHEN DISCOVERY WAS A PLACE曾經有個叫Discovery的地方

PHIL HEARD recalls the heady days of Cathay Pacific’s first airport lounge

THERE ARE CURRENTLY six Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon lounges in the departure zone of Hong Kong International Airport, plus an Arrival Lounge. They offer a range of different spaces with bars, booths, lounges, spa areas and office facilities.

But like many big ideas, they started small. If you were travelling through Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong in August 1970, you’d find a discreet door and ring the bell. Its musical chimes would welcome you to the Discovery Lounge, the first facility of its kind on the Cathay Pacific network.

VIP and Marco Polo Club members were invited to enjoy what the Cathay Newsletter at the time described as a ‘comfortable and carpeted room in soothing neutral colours’. Fixtures and fittings included a ‘writing desk, glass-topped coffee tables, easy chairs and a couch’.

Unfortunately, a very young guest ‘christened’ the sofa on the lounge’s second day. Further excitement came from a metal mural by Hong Kong’s godfather of contemporary art Cheung Yee. This was an interactive piece that played sounds as it was plucked or strummed. As ever with modern art, there were detractors. ‘ What is it? I’ve got stuff like that lying around in my factory yard,’ one guest muttered.

You were greeted by the staff, or the ‘three charming girls’ (pictured), as the Cathay Newsletter described them. Kumiko Yumamato was drawn from the ranks of Cathay’s cabin crew, while Grace Lau and Maina Choi came from Maxim’s and the Hong Kong Hilton respectively. They were retrained for their new roles by the airline’s passenger services department.

There was an air of luxury, champagne and a range of magazines. The lounge staff were cited as the point of difference – ‘they spared nothing to give a fine impression of Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific,’ one guest commented.

The Discovery Lounge was a model that could be rolled out at major points across the network. But that wasn’t always easy. Aircraft were getting bigger; and

airports were smaller than they are today. ‘ The main problem is finding suitable space,’ said marketing manager Keith Sillett at the time.

This was very much the case in Osaka, where a new Cathay lounge opened at Itami Airport in 1971. It offered seating for just six, leading the airport manager to suggest that selecting elite guests from the assembled Marco Polo

Club members and VIPs needed discretion.

Things have moved on a bit. Now eligibility, either earned through cabin class or Marco Polo Club entitlement, meant that around 2.5 million passengers enjoyed the Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong last year. And you don’t have to ring a doorbell.

香港國際機場的離境區內，現時共有六個國泰航空和國泰港龍航空的機場貴賓室，抵港大堂亦設有一間機場貴賓室。這些機場貴賓室提供不同類型的空間，括酒吧、雅座、休憩空間、水療中心和辦公設施。

但跟許多偉大的意念一樣，機場貴賓室起步的時候，規模是很小的。

如果你曾經在1970年8月旅遊時途經香港啟德機場，你會發現一道不起眼的門。你按動門鈴，這道門隨著悠揚的鈴聲打開，將你迎進Discovery Lounge ──國泰航空首個機場貴賓室。

當時的貴賓和馬可孛羅會會員接受邀請，前往被公司通訊《Cathay Newsletter》形容為「鋪著地毯、色調柔和的舒適房間」內體驗一番，房間裡的陳設括「書桌、玻璃咖啡桌、數張安樂椅和一張沙發」。

可惜，那張沙發在啟用第二天就受到一位年幼賓客的「洗禮」。另一個令人眼前一亮的特點，就是由香港當代藝術之父張義創作的金屬壁畫，這件互動作品可透過撥動或敲彈發出聲音。不過現代藝術總是容易惹來批評。有賓客低聲嘀咕：「這是什麽？跟堆在我工廠空地上的東西沒有分別。」

機場貴賓室裡有女接待員熱情地招待每位來賓，《Cathay Newsletter》將她們形容為「三個美麗可人的女孩子」（上圖）。Kumiko Yumamato原為國泰機組人員，而Grace Lau和Maina Choi則分別來自美心集團和香港希爾頓酒店。她們接受國泰乘客服務部門的精心培訓，以適應新崗位的任務。

貴賓室內氣派豪華，提供香檳和各式雜誌，而殷勤服務的接待員正是與別不同之處。一位來賓有這樣的評語：「她們竭盡所能，令客人對香港和國泰航空留下良好的印象。」

Discovery Lounge可說是機場貴賓室的模範，本來可以在國泰飛行網絡的主要航點內推出，不過實踐起來並不容易。因為隨著飛機體積逐漸增加，而機場的空間與今天相比相對細小。當時的市場推廣經理Keith Sillett 說：「最困難的地方是尋找合適的空間。」

大阪就曾出現過這種情況，1971年於大阪伊丹國際機場開幕的國泰航空機場貴賓室僅能容納六人，因此機場經理建議，讓馬可孛羅會會員和貴賓享用機場貴賓室時，要非常謹慎地作出選擇。

隨著時代變遷，旅客只要選乘符合要求的客艙或持有馬可孛羅會會籍，均可享用機場貴賓室設施。去年約有250萬名旅客曾享用國泰航空貴賓室的服務，而且再也不需要按門鈴了。