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Tag: Hong Kong

  • Singapore-Hong Kong leisure travel bubble to commence ‘soon’

    Singapore-Hong Kong leisure travel bubble to commence ‘soon’

    No quarantine required, but pre-trip Covid-19 tests and booking of ‘dedicated flights’ required if you want to go

    In a surprise move, Singapore newly-minted Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung announced on Thursday (15 Oct) that it has confirmed a travel arrangement with Hong Kong to allow ‘general travel’ for residents between both countries.

    The most salient point of this agreement is that there will be “no restrictions on travel purpose”, effectively making this the first leisure ‘green lane’ for Singapore and Hong Kong residents, since the COVID-19 closed most borders this year.

    Travellers will be subject to Covid-19 PCR testings that are recognised by both governments, but will not need to serve any isolation requirements nor be subjected to movement restrictions under ‘controlled itineraries’. Travellers can also only travel on dedicated flights that only serve travellers under this Air Travel Bubble (ATB) arrangement.

    No firm timeframe yet

    Both governments have not confirmed nor indicated any firm date to start the ATB flights. However reports have suggested that the bubble could comments in ‘weeks’, even though Hong Kong needs to go through a legislative process first.

    Airlines are gearing up, but not sure which will be ‘dedicated flights’

    Given the ‘dedicated flight’ requirement under the ATB agreement, you definitely shouldn’t be rushing to book any flight given that airlines will almost certainly need to no firm details of those services or the airlines involved at this stage.

    At present, there are about two flights a day between Singapore and Hong Kong:

    • Singapore Airlines is currently operating a daily service,
    • Cathay Pacific operates three services a week, while they are projecting to increase this to twice daily towards the end of year, and,
    • Scoot is operating three services a week at the moment.

    Since the announcement of the ATB yesterday, economy class fares on SIA has already gone up to about S$530-S$588, depending on when you want to fly.

    Our sense is that all three airlines will certainly offer these ATB dedicated flights, although it remains to be seen whether that means mounting additional services on top of those already published, or converting these existing frequencies to ATB-only passengers.

    In addition, it may be possible that Jetstar Asia may throw their name in the hat as well to offer ATB flights, given that low-cost carriers are already point-to-point carriers, so meeting the ‘dedicated flight’ requirement will be an easy feat by Jetstar Asia.

    It’s far too early to say whether these flights will be sold at a different fare level, or whether miles redemptions will be available for these flights. After all, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung did mention that these fares will be a ‘commercial decision’, and that there will be a quota for the number of travellers allowed on these flights per day.

    Final thoughts

    This might just be the first sign of light in a very long tunnel of 2020.

    More importantly, the ATB, once began, will help to pave the way for similar arrangements with hopefully more countries, and giving a much needed reboot to tourism sector.

    According to analysts, the reopening of this very popular air sector between the two giant Asian financial hubs will provide a financial lift to both Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, in a new silver lining for the aviation sector.

    In the meantime, if you really need to get some booking done to make yourself excited, why not check out the hotels in Hong Kong first?

  • Hong Kong airport to accept transit passengers from 1 Jun

    Hong Kong airport to accept transit passengers from 1 Jun

    The airport joins Singapore in opening up air passenger transit traffic once again

    Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam announced on 26 May that transit services at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will “partly resume” from 1 Jun.

    This announcement came weeks after Singapore announced a similar move to allow transit traffic from 2 Jun.

    Hong Kong implemented a ban on all non-resident visitors into Hong Kong, as well as transit passengers through HKIA since 25 Mar. All returning residents were also required to go to AsiaWorld Expo site for a compulsory Covid-19 test, before they were dispatched home to serve a 14-day self-quarantine.

    Cathay Pacific group to benefit

    Since the ban on transit passengers kicked in from 25 Mar, Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon collectively saw a drastic drop in passenger numbers, well over 99% compared to same period last year.

    Cathay Pacific, which has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, has since April operated to “a skeleton schedule” of barely a dozen destinations served by just a handful of flights per week.

    The reopening of transit lanes will allow Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon to purposefully open up routes via Hong Kong once again, especially as China is poised to be one of the first few countries to reopen its borders to a limited selection of countries.

    How will the transit experience be like?

    At the time of writing, there has been no details as to how the transit arrangements will be like, either from Hong Kong’s civil aviation authorities nor the airport.

    Neither is it announced if transit passengers will be required to take a Covid-19 swab as well. This in itself may not be practical if the transit time is only a few hours, given that it takes a while before the swab test results may be available.

    Don’t expect to be able to spend time in Cathay Pacific’s lounges in HKIA if you are passing through

    HKIA will have a slightly easier way of handling transit traffic, given that the airport’s layout has already segregated arriving and departing passengers.

    Some speculation online says that it is likely that transit passengers will not be able to enjoy transit facilities such as lounges or duty free shopping, and may be escorted to their next flights.

    Final thoughts

    Hong Kong has been cited internationally as one of the stellar examples of managing its Covid-19 situation, given that it has gotten its infection numbers under control, with the city recording a total of just over 1,000 cases with four deaths. Hong Kong is also reopening businesses cautiously, with crowd-pulling venues such as bars and clubs set to open this Friday (29 May).

    The reopening of the airport for transit traffic is a step in the right direction, as the sector prepares itself to reopen international air travel. While travelling in June may not be possible given many countries still have border control restrictions in place, this definitely paves the way for a new normal in air travel in the months to come.

  • Cathay Pacific to close three Hong Kong lounges temporarily

    Cathay Pacific to close three Hong Kong lounges temporarily

    Customers will still have access to two business class and one first class lounge at Hong Kong International Airport.

    Cathay Pacific has taken yet another measure in the face of Covid-19: lounge closure of half its lounges at Hong Kong International Airport.

    This came not too long after it announced that it will be reducing flights worldwide.

    The lounges that will be closed until further notice are:

    • The Deck (near Gate 6)
    • The Bridge (near Gate 35)
    • The Pier First Class Lounge (near Gate 63)

    Customers, Marco Polo Silver members and above, as well as oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members can still access the remaining three lounges:

    • The Wing business and first class lounges (near Gate 2)
    • The Pier business class lounge (near Gate 65)

    First Class passengers now have only one lounge – The Wing, located near Gate 2. This is directly accessible right after immigration, on the left side.

    Map of Cathay Pacific lounges at Hong Kong International Airport

    Cathay Pacific is one of the few airlines that offer an excellent lounge experience in their home port. For First Class passengers and Oneworld Emerald members, they had the option of two lounges, one nearer to the immigration counters (The Wing) and one that’s at the other end of the terminal (The Pier).

    With the closure of The Pier first class lounge, these top tier passengers can only use The Wing, which means a very long trek to the other end of the terminal if their flight departs from there.

    Changes to lounge operations

    Along with the closure of the three lounges, there will also be slight changes to the operations at the other three lounges, as well as lounges in Shanghai and Beijing.

    While the noodle bar will continue to serve cooked-to-order meals, the buffet spread will now be replaced with disposable food packs. This is obviously not the most environmentally friendly option, but given the current climate this is probably the best way forward.

    Final thoughts

    Well, given the increasing number of countries that does not even want to admit passengers who transit through Hong Kong, it’s no wonder their passenger numbers are plummeting, so closing some of the lounges is definitely a right move.

    I’m just wondering what does this mean for the number of staff employed at these lounges, given that the lounge operations is outsourced to SATS.

    This is definitely a bummer for elite Oneworld members and premium cabin customers, but even with the reduced number of options, I would certainly expect significantly less people in the remaining lounges.

  • Cathay Pacific reducing flights worldwide by 30%, including flights to Singapore

    Cathay Pacific reducing flights worldwide by 30%, including flights to Singapore

    About 3 flights cancelled daily between Singapore and Hong Kong, out of eight

    With the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (or some call it the Wuhan Virus) all the rage right now, my original plan of visiting China is now bust, so I was looking at alternative destinations, including Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

    This is when I found that it seems like Cathay Pacific is looking at cancelling some flights.

    Cathay Pacific has since come out to say that it will be slashing 90% of flights to Mainland China, and dropping 30% of its services worldwide given the sluggish demand due to the virus.

    Cathay Pacific stops selling some flights

    While Cathay Pacific has not published the cancellations, I was looking through Expertflyer and notice something rather interesting: Cathay Pacific has zerorised some of the inventory to and from Singapore.

    Seems like Cathay Pacific has stopped selling seats on CX710, CX690 and CX636 for 12 Feb 2020

    Cathay Pacific runs up to eight flights between Singapore and Hong Kong most days, including one CX712 that operates via Bangkok.

    While the airline has not officially reduced capacity between Hong Kong and Singapore, a quick look on Expertflyer seems to suggest that the airline has canceled some flights right up to end of March.

    For instance, in the weeks beginning 17 February and 9 March 2020 respectively:

    DateDep Time17 Feb (Mon)18 Feb (Tue)19 Feb (Wed)20 Feb (Thu)21 Feb (Fri)22 Feb (Sat)23 Feb (Sun)
    CX7140125YYYYYYY
    CX6920640CCCC
    CX7100800CCCCCC
    CX6581000CCCCCCC
    CX6901255YYYYY
    CX7121405YYYYYYC
    CX7341640YYYYYY
    CX7161800YYYYYYY
    CX6362015CCCCCC
    DateDep Time9 Mar (Mon)10 Mar (Tue)11 Mar (Wed)12 Mar (Thu)13 Mar (Fri)14 Mar (Sat)15 Mar (Sun)
    CX7140125YYYYYYY
    CX6920640CCC
    CX7100800CCCCC
    CX6581000YYYYYYY
    CX6901255YYYYYYY
    CX7121405CYYYYYY
    CX7341640YYCCCCC
    CX7161800YYYYYYY
    CX6362015CCCCCC

    Note: Y – operating; C – zeroed inventory (likely to be cancelled); blank – not scheduled to operate

    Taiwan is now imposing mandatory quarantine for passing through Hong Kong

    Taiwan has announced 7 Feb that it will be requiring all passengers passing through Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China – even in transit – to be quarantined for 14 days.

    This makes a trip on Cathay Pacific to Taiwan now impossible, given that you will need to change planes in Hong Kong.

    Final thoughts

    This is certainly only the beginning, as we continue to see more cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus being reported globally.

    I expect to see more airlines cancelling more services as people are slapped with travel restrictions, or are simply afraid to travel for the fear of getting the virus.

    If you are intending to travel anytime soon, as usual, it’s best to check the status of your flight before you go.

  • PROMO: Cathay Pacific is giving away a million miles to Singapore Asia Miles members

    PROMO: Cathay Pacific is giving away a million miles to Singapore Asia Miles members

    Singapore-based Asia Miles members stand to win up to 300,000 miles if they purchase a Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon ticket from now until 26 August 2018.

    Cathay Pacific will give out a total of one million miles to a total of 11 members. The lucky draw is only open to Singapore-based customers, and travel must originate from Singapore

    D2FB6F82-6C4D-4811-B514-8B9CA17A92B1.jpeg

    One key thing to note is that you will have to manually enter the contest using the online form here.

    The good news is that the lucky draw is open to customers who booked through any booking channel, whether they do on Cathay Pacific’s website, mobile app or through a travel agent. And also, looking at the T&Cs there doesn’t seem to be a restriction on the travel dates.

    CX-HKG-TheWing-15
    Don’t forget to check out Cathay Pacific’s lounges in Hong Kong!

    The top prize of 300,000 miles is good for a round trip first class ticket to US or Canada, or six round trip tickets in business class to Hong Kong. That’s enough Hong Kong trips to get you sick and tired of wanton noodles and dim sum.

    So if you are already planning to buy a ticket with Cathay Pacific, don’t forget to take part!