Review: Hong Kong Airlines A330 business class (Sydney to Hong Kong)
The seat is dated but the price is right, especially when business class can be 50% cheaper than rival airlines.
By Sid Raja , July 9 2025
Route
Sydney - Hong Kong
Aircraft Type
Airbus A330
Airline
Hong Kong Airlines
Flight
HX18
Cabin Class
Business
Seat
19H
Notes
The Good
- Lie-flat seats with direct aisle access
- Excellent meals
- Competitive fares
The Bad
- Dated seats and IFE
- No Wi-Fi or USB charging
X-Factor
- Cut-price business class fares can deliver amazing value
Introduction
Hong Kong Airlines is a newcomer to Sydney’s skies, serving up a fresh dose of competition on the popular Sydney-Hong Kong route against incumbents Cathy Pacific and Qantas.
On paper, it sounds promising: there are lie-flat beds in business class, a full in-flight service including two meals and snacks, and the convenience of a daily flight schedule.
A lot of the shine comes off when you step on board Hong Kong Airlines’ Airbus A330, with its seriously dated seats and lack of inflight connectivity.
But with business class fares which can be anywhere from 20-50% cheaper than its rivals, the scales tilt in favour of value on this medium-haul route.
Check-in
Hong Kong Airlines’ business class baggage allowance is two bags at 32kg each – the same as Cathay and Qantas – although with a 15kg cabin allowance across two items, you could comfortably fly in ‘hand luggage only’ mode for a short trip.
On the return leg from Hong Kong, you can take advantage of the airline’s self check-in kiosks or make a beeline for one of the many business class counters – or, if you don’t have any luggage, check in online.
And while there are check-in counters at Hong Kong station, so you can drop your bags early and spend more time in town, be warned that these check-in desks close at 7pm.
Lounge
At Sydney, Hong Kong Airlines’ business passengers are directed to The House lounge located near gate 50.
Many frequent travellers will recall this as the original Etihad Airways lounge; The House is now an independent lounge used by many airlines, as well as welcoming pay-in guests.
Ahead of the 11:30am departure of our flight HX18 The House was not too busy, with plenty of comfortable seating, a decent breakfast buffet and barista-pulled coffee coffee, plus a wide selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Click here to read our detailed review of The House
On the way back from Hong Kong, which sees a 10:25pm departure for flight HX17, business class passengers can enjoy visiting the airline’s flagship Club Autus VIP Lounge, located in the T1 Midfield Concourse.
It’s a well-appointed space with a wide variety of seating, including plush recliners in curtained-off relaxation rooms, and but the pre-flight buffet spread is quite limited and a choice of one type of beer, white wine or red wine.
Seat
Most of the A330s flying between Sydney and Hong Kong feature an old business class design using the Stelia Solstys platform.
However, if you’re lucky you might score one of the A330s which sports a newer Collins Super Diamond model – the same type used on Virgin Australia’s fondly-remembered A330s and Boeing 777s – which combine greater storage space with a privacy-enhancing angled layout.
I was assigned seat 19H: an aisle-side seat with a side console.
If you want a seat that’s right next to the window, choose an even-numbered row.
Waiting at the seat was was the obligatory pillow, blanket and bottle of water; the amenity kit included skincare products from the Rituals brand, along with slippers, an eye-mask, dental kit, and ear buds.
The seat converts into a fully flat bed and included a reading light, AC power socket, and a fold-out tray table that’s very sturdy to work on.
The bed is quite a good one, with no discernible bumps or hard bits that poke into your back, negating the need for a mattress topper.
I managed to grab a good few hours’ sleep on the daytime leg from Sydney to Hong Kong: something that’s always welcome to offset any early morning start and see you feeling fresh for the 7:10pm arrival into Hong Kong.
The main downsides of this older seat are the lack of privacy if you’re immediately next to the aisle, the absence of any USB charging outlet, and the small low-quality video screen.
Meal
The cabin crew took our meal orders while the plane was still on the ground in Sydney, which lead into an efficient lunch service.
The starter of prosciutto and mozzarella and capsicum peppers was light and fresh.
For lunch I chose seafood (scallops, prawn, and fish) in X.O. sauce with egg fried rice; it was all tenderly cooked and mildly spicy, delivering a pleasing little ‘tingle on the tongue’.
This was followed by the choice between a rather average cheese plate, or what turned out to be a delicious pineapple cheesecake.
A light refreshment meal is served a couple of hours prior to landing, with a choice of vegetarian pasta or Chinese-style beef. I opted for the beef, which proved a tasty choice.
The wine list was limited but serviceable, with a choice of red, white, and Champagne (Yves Jacques MCM 32).
Although not listed on the menu, spirits available during the flight included Gordons gin, Bacardi rum, Smirnoff Vodka, Glen Moray whiskey, and Remy Martin cognac.
Entertainment & Service
This is a flight where you really have to bring your own entertainment.
For starters, there’s no inflight Wi-Fi at all.
And the selection of movies and TV shows on the 15.5” video screen is both limited and out of date: what were promoted as the ‘newest’ Hollywood films included 2023’s John Wick Chapter 4 and 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians; even the flight map was disabled.
Our advice? Either bring a good thick book or load up your laptop, tablet or phone with all the video and music you need to help those nine hours pass.
At least the service was good, thanks to a friendly and proactive crew.
Several drinks runs were made between the meal services, and the crew seemed to freshen up the business class bathrooms after almost every passenger.
The verdict
Given obvious shortcomings in ‘hard product’ of the seat and IFE system, we’d rate Hong Kong Airlines as offering “no frills” business class for what can be highly competitive fares.
At the time of writing, looking ahead at spot dates in August, September and October 2025, Hong Kong Airlines often lists one-way business class fares between Sydney and Hong Kong around $2,800 when Cathay and Qantas hover around $4,000 and upwards.
There are also times when those Hong Kong Airlines fares hit around $3,800, at which point Cathay or Qantas can become more obvious choices.
So if there’s a trip to Hong Kong in your future, don’t rule out Hong Kong Airlines: while far from a luxurious experience, it certainly makes business class a more affordable option.
The author travelled as a guest of Hong Kong Airlines
BA Gold
01 Apr 2012
Total posts 209
On the subject of no wifi there is another much well known carrier operating flights from Australia upwards of the 18 hour mark with zero zilch wifi. ;-)
I would not call the HK Airlines seats 'seriously dated'. It certainly is not the most modern hard product but is fully flat with direct aisle access for all. There are many airlines flying aircraft around that do not even offer this - EK (777), QR (still some 777), MH etc.
No USB port is unfathomable.
03 Mar 2021
Total posts 2
I'm a Velocity Platinum member, do I still get any benefits flying on HK Airlines?
10 Jan 2019
Total posts 7
I've just realised that most HNA airlines including HX can indeed earn and burn Velocity credits and points...not sure at what rate though. I'll be trying them out later this month...
Aegean Airlines - Miles & Bonus
16 Jul 2019
Total posts 34
Given Qantas is flying some very old tatty A330s to HKG - this doesn't seem so bad in comparison but it's clearly not a competitor to Cathay's A350s.
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