Hello from Japan, as I just flew Hong Kong Airlines’ Airbus A330-300 business class on the 3hr30min flight from Hong Kong (HKG) to Tokyo Narita (NRT). My goal was to get to Japan, but with the Lunar New Year holiday period, flights on All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines, were either entirely sold out, or had outrageous fares and no award availability.
Fortunately I found a fare I was comfortable with for Hong Kong Airlines business class, which presented a fun opportunity to fly with the airline again. Hong Kong Airlines has the same owners as China’s Hainan Airlines, and the airline has had a rough many years. For a short time, the airline was trying to grow globally and compete more with Cathay Pacific, and even acquired A350s (I reviewed the carrier’s A350 business class). However, amid major financial challenges, the company shrunk, dumped all of its A350s, etc.
So, how is Hong Kong Airlines’ A330 business class nowadays? On the plus side, the crew was friendly, and it’s nice to get a flat bed on a flight within Asia. However, when you’re competing in Hong Kong, the product is decidedly second rate compared to Cathay Pacific, in terms of cabin appearance and maintenance, amenities, entertainment, (lack of) Wi-Fi, etc. In this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full trip report.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
