Any experience with Hong Kong Airlines?

15 replies

xtfer

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 14 Mar 2017

Total posts 159

Has anyone flown Hong Kong Airlines and have any experience with them? I booked a return ticket to Shanghai via Hong Kong flying partly VA metal, however I'm already regretting it. The HK websites booking information system appears to be broken, and I've already had one leg moved to Economy from Business with no warning.

apacau

Member since 02 Jun 2013

Total posts 38

I haven't flown them but have heard only good things around their product and service. It will be interesting to see how you find them. I believe they are also soon to open a new lounge in HKG; I'm sure it won't take long for the folk here on AusBT to post a review!

New Mint

Member since 24 Feb 2012

Total posts 66

Haven't flown them yet but am booked to fly a VA combo from MEL-HKG-BKK with them in September. The website is terrible and can't seem to open a "manage my booking" page. Had to book through travel agent as unable to book on VA or HK website. I'm a Velocity platinum and the agent can't add my Velocity number to the booking and can't confirm if I'll even earn status credits or points from my booking. Early days of the alliance so hopefully this improves. I'm booked in Business class so can only hope I don't have the same problem of being downgraded to cattle class! Also if anyone has any advice on adding Velocity/Manage my booking workarounds please let me know :)

Packetman21

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 28 Jul 2016

Total posts 68

Hi!


Flown with them before, they are excellent. You can look for reviews of Hainan Airlines, it is the same product. 

Safe travels!

Jonqye

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 08 Aug 2017

Total posts 1

I flew with them only once from PVG-HKG, I was the last one to arrive at the gate and they upgraded me to first class ( I'm not a frequent flyer member with them, booked the ticket through a third party website). Good food , outstanding service and very comfy bed, best flight I ever had :)

Last editedby Jonqye at Aug 08, 2017, 03:23 PM.

NQPsych2U

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 11 May 2017

Total posts 10

I've had similar issues to some of the other posters with their website.

Eventually I gave up in frustration and booked through SQ instead to maintain platinum.

The reviews on their hard product are generally positive with some negative feedback directed towards their online content and some on their customer service.

Please post a review afterwards as they are quite affordable and easy to access from CNS or OOL as opposed to only capital cities.

BLAMEX

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 25 May 2017

Total posts 5

I also had issues booking and adding my VA Platinum details and I also gave up and booked SQ.  VA flying to HKG on such limited service and only halting doing things is a disappointment.  Stick with SQ or even CX.  Other option if you with one world is book Emerits using QF  flight numbers.  Would like to try the VA and Hong Kong airlines products obviously to soon

xtfer

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 14 Mar 2017

Total posts 159

Now a 2nd leg also downgraded. The obvious explanation is a change form an A330 to an A320. It does make you wonder, however...

backload

Member since 12 Jul 2017

Total posts 4

I used to fly HK -Tianjin directquite frequently and while making bookings myself had no problems with HK aiways,   but when company decided to use a travel agent, they found it easier  to make half a dozen stops around China with other airways than deal with HK airways.

Although the wrong alliance, I enjoyed flying with them.

xtfer

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 14 Mar 2017

Total posts 159

So it seems the summary is... they are horrible to book with but good to fly with. Okay. Thanks everyone.

Ian_from_HKG

CX

Member since 05 Jun 2012

Total posts 61

Haven't flown with them myself, but the Memsahib has, several times, in business.  She isn't good at writing flight reviews, but we have discussed the flights at some length and her experience can be summed up thus:


Crap.  Totally, utterly crap.

The seat was uncomfortable.  The service was woeful.  Despite an astonishingly high crew-to-passenger ratio (presumably because they couldn't get enough passengers) it took three requests and 40 minutes to get a cup of coffee.  When it finally arrived, it was cold.  

The crew was apparently more concerned with telling us that they had learnt some martial art or other so we had better not attack them, than providing us with the sort of service that would stop us wanting to.

The IFE was poor.  The lounge (in Hong Kong) was basic (by Hong Kong standards, but then we are spoilt by CX!) and not very clean (although I think it may have been recently refurbished).  Outstation lounges were outsourced, and crap.

The food was - and this may be a literal description - crap.

I don't think there is any conceivable situation other than dire emergency and a complete lack of other options that would convince her to try them again.  She isn't (despite what you might think!) the fussiest traveller, but she was deeply, deeply unimpressed.

HugoDrax

Member since 14 Oct 2016

Total posts 4

I've flown with them many times in J and would have no hesitation to do so again.  The J product is like the Etihad J before the latest update, so horizontal bed, aisle access, maybe a bit thin.  There are a couple of older Js on the 330s with big recliners, but for regional it was fine.  
I find the service rather timid, particularly in terms of dishing out the wines, but the food choice and quality was fine and if you pressed the bell the drinks soon kept coming.  The crew didn't have the best English, but then it's way ahead of my Mandarin or Cantonese!
The HK lounge is ok, I don't rate it as highly as many seem to, and I've found all the outstation lounges to be equal or better!  
The IFE wasn't over-endowed with choices, but it was up to date and perfectly fine.
They price J keenly, and from my wallet they have it right!
The 350s are arriving soon and (I have no idea but) I'd assume a new J product will come with it.

mmacca

Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer

Member since 11 Aug 2017

Total posts 1

I have flown them on numerous occasions from HK to Bangkok, Bali, Cambodia and a few locations in China. They are a privately owned budget airline, so you cannot expect too much. I use them when travelling with the family.  The food is 3 star and you need to get used to drinking very sweet apple juice.  The most frustrating part is you almost always have to get to the plane by bus and, as they usually fly early or late in the day, this means you can wait for 20-30 mins for the bus to arrive when you return to HK. They are also often late departing. I was once travelling to Bangkok in Business Class with the family and they told us that two of us were going to be moved to Economy and there would be no compensation. I made sure that didn't happen and someone else got shunted...but imaging them even trying to do this.  Again, they are a budget airline, and you get what you pay for.  I still fly with them as they are the cheapest way to get the family from A to B. I wouldn't use them for a long haul flight.

PERflyer

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 15 Aug 2017

Total posts 47

Fair points re the product but let's not make out they are some small private affair. This is the HNA group we are talking about. 

xtfer

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 14 Mar 2017

Total posts 159

After 2 downgrades out of 4 sectors, I finally gave up on this one... I have cancelled my flights and rebooked on Singapore.

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