New airline shakes up Sydney-Hong Kong flights

If it was a 2-2-2 config then dated, yes. But it’s a 1-2-1 with an older, albeit bearable, configuration that works just fine. 

Why would you not pay 200 bucks more to fly Cathay?

Totally agree with SYDINI

Latest and greatest seats?  Of course not.  VERY DATED...no way.  It is a fully flat all aisle access configuration that quite a few airlines use.  QR, EK, MH, LH, LX, OS all fly long haul aircraft without direct aisle access for all and these I would consider VERY dated.

And let's be honest - it isn't as if QF's hard product is industry leading either.

I wish Hong Kong airlines luck on the route.

The fare difference between them and Cathay is minimal and does not seem to justify the massive difference in both hard and soft product 

Agree they need to undercut CX by more than $200 to attract Aus based flyers, particularly those with QF status.

If I had been told about this(I am in Adelaide)and held off booking my Hong Kong flights on Malaysia Airlines this is something I would as a Velocity member I could consider although the timings over to connect through Sydney are awful on the way over but coming home is decent.

Agree with previous. If Hong Kong Airlines were serious about making an impact, the price difference to Cathay would be far greater than $200.00. 

As a VA gold Im pissed there's no lounge access to Hong Kong airlines there lounge is 1 of the best of been in sleeping pods, chefs make dumpling soup right in front of you meals made to order spacious lounge shame there tie up with virgin doesn't Inc the lounge like it use to when virgin flew to Hong Kong I must of done 10-12 trips with Virgin from Melbourne to HK then HK airlines to both Manila and Shanghai Hong Kong and Hanain airlines both very good airline good to see them both flying back into Australia 

If Hong Kong Airline eat its piece of pie then may be Qantas start to release true Reward Seats to/from HKG?

If $200 is the mere difference between them and CX, I think CX will have no trouble hanging onto its pax. A couple of hundred bucks is no incentive at all. As an aside, when I used to search and compare SQ and QF fares for SYD to SIN, the difference was usually always.......$200(!) I don't think many SQ pax would've sacrificed for a mere $200 either. 

I vaguely recall flying them to back from Hong Kong to Sydney via the Gold Coast in 2018 in business class (on a VA ticket, with outbound leg on all VA metal via Melbourne, and OOL-SYD on VA too). They were serviceable, but the hard product looks exactly the same seven years later. For reference, at the time I paid $3,000 return.

This  year"Hong Kong Airlines will fly four times per week between the Gold Coast and Hong Kong from 17 January to 15 February 2025  ." for  Lunar New Year schedule for 2025   (Hong Kong Airlines Press Release, 27 August 2024)

It would be good if Hong Airlines do the same for Lunar New Year schedule for 2026 (Tuesday 17 February to Tuesday 3 March) add. –Townsville-to the service Gold Coast –Townsville-Hong Kong, would be very welcome.

The deluge of low-cost carriers is getting way out of hand, due to parent airlines cost cutting on schedules, which would be fine if they were increasing the service level in the main brands. The low cost are all going the way of Ryanair except for the cost! 

It’s about to cause a headache for a lot of corporate employees and travel departments… $200 cheaper still makes it the lowest available fare. Some people will wrangle their way out of it, some companies will make the employees cover the $200 themselves. But enough, especially local HK Chinese businesses will be firm it’s the lowest J seat or nothing for corporate travel policy.