Posts Tagged ‘hong kong’

London to Hong Kong: Flight Route Analysis

Monday, September 27th, 2010

Hong Kong (HKG) is one of Asia’s premier financial hubs and a very popular destination with good connections from London. There are a number of airlines flying London to Hong Kong (6,000 miles) non-stop with a flight time of around 12 hours.

In the past, an economy class airfare under £400 was seen as value for this route – however 2010 has seen slightly firmer prices and from November we will get the higher UK Air Passenger Duty.

hong kong flights

Good value business sale class fares have been in the £1,400-£2,000 band – but the £2k-£3k level is standard. In this article we will review all airlines flying London to Hong Kong – but first here are a few factors to consider:

Flight Times – Our preference is to leave London in the late evening and arrive in Hong Kong late afternoon – giving time to get to your accommodation, have an evening meal and then an early night.

Non-stop vs Connections – Obviously it is preferable to fly non-stop but you may find lower fares with a connecting airline. When flying via a hub airport watch out for long connection times.

Alliances - If you have  frequent flyer membership(s), you may want to earn miles/points with your preferred alliance. Oneworld dominates this route with British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas all flying non-stop.

Peak Season – Avoid flying to HKG around Christmas holiday period and also Chinese new year (next dates: Feb 3rd 2011, Jan 23rd 2012).

Exchange Rate – The Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) is pegged to the US dollar. The current rate to pound sterling is £1 to HKD12.25 – during the last year it has ranged between HKD11 – 13. The best time to visit Hong Kong is during weakness in the US dollar.

Airlines flying non-stop LON to HKG:

Cathay Pacific – 4x daily flights from London Heathrow, 3 using Boeing 747s and 1 with B777-300. New economy seats (32″ pitch) are in their own shell – which do not recline into your space. Excellent business class product with full flat seats. New, improved lounges have recently opened at Heathrow T3.

cathay pacific boeing 747

British Airways – 2x daily flights using B747s and a popular option for UK travellers and BA Executive Club members. Economy seat pitch quite tight at 31″ – alternatively you can pay extra for an exit row (£50 fee booked between 14 and 4 days before flying, subject to availability) or choose to fly premium economy with 38″ pitch. BA’s business class Club World, in our experience, is a a very decent all-round product – try to choose a seat on the upper deck (with 2-2 config) as the main deck has a more cramped feel at 2-4-2. Watch for BA sale fares.

Qantas - Daily flight out of London (QF30 using B747). Seat pitch in economy similar to BA – you can also purchase the exit row up to 7 days in advance for AUD80. Qantas has a very good premium economy offering, currently superior to BA’s. Note, Qantas’ business class seat on the 747 is angled lie flat.

Air New Zealand – Non-stop option for Star Alliance members with 5x weekly LHR-HKG flights using B777-200ER. Good economy seats with up to 33″ pitch. Note the Skycouch “economy bed” is being rolled out (in 2011) only on the London-Los Angeles route rather than HKG flights. Pacific Premium Economy has 41″ pitch on the 777 while the impressive business class is a flat seat 1-1-1 herringbone arrangement. Watch for regular fare sales.

Virgin Atlantic – Daily flight to HKG using Airbus A340-600. Standard 31″ pitch in economy – the A340s 2-4-2 config means plenty of availability for couples wanting to sit together in a 2-seater window row. Upper class is 1-1-1 in original herringbone arrangement; on the ground there are the excellent Clubhouse lounges. Prices similar to BA.

Connecting Airlines:

Finnair – This is a viable Oneworld option as Finnair is able to take the shorter northern routes to Asia. Daily flight from Helsinki to Hong Kong using an Airbus A340 taking just under 10 hours. 3 hour hop from London (A320s) with departures spread throughout the day. Good product and service and some competitive prices on offer.

Jet Airways – Flies LHR to HKG via Mumbai or Delhi. Flight from London on a B777 takes around 9 hours; onward flights to HKG on A330s. Offers some good economy and business fares but watch for connection waiting times.

jet airways

Emirates – Flies from London to Hong Kong via its Dubai hub. London Gatwick to Dubai flown with B777-300ER with 10 across economy seating (3-4-3 instead of the standard 3-3-3). Dubai-Hong Kong operated by both 777-200 and Airbus A380, but note the A380 makes a stop in Bangkok.

Qatar Airways – Operates London (Gatwick and Heathrow) to Doha flights with a variety of aircraft (A340s, A330s, B777s) and then Doha-Hong Kong on A330s. When choosing flights watch for long connection times – total journey times range from 17 hours to 38 hours. If flying business choose the lie flat seats on the 777 (rather than the angled seats on the A330/A340s).

Other European carriers serving Hong Kong are Air France-KLM (via Paris or Amsterdam), Lufthansa (via Frankfurt or Munich) and Swiss (via Zurich). Other main Asian carriers that can get you from London to Hong Kong are Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines and Malaysian Airlines.

Some more “offbeat” options from London to Hong Kong:

Turkish Airlines – Occasional competitive fares in economy and business via its Istanbul hub.

China Airlines - Flies London to Taipei (A340) and then the short hop to HKG. Business fares can be on the lower side.

Royal Jordanian – Another Oneworld carrier with flights via its Amman hub using Airbus A330s. Note the Amman-Hong Kong flight makes a stop in Bangkok.

China Eastern Airlines – Flies London-Shanghai-Hong Kong and offers some low business fares. Be aware of long total journey times of circa 30 hours.

Aeroflot – Skyteam’s Russian carrier flies London Heathrow to Hong Kong via Moscow using Airbus aircraft. Can offer reasonable business class fares but watch for some overnight connections.

Air Asia X – Discount airline flying from London Stansted to Kuala Lumpur using an Airbus A340. Special promo fares can occasionally be quite cheap. From KL, parent Air Asia flies 3x daily to Hong Kong airport using A320s. You need separate bookings for both legs so always allow ample time for connections and any delays.

London to Hong Kong Special Spring Airfare Deals

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Now is an excellent time to book a trip to Hong Kong from London – with oil prices having dropped fares on the route are now lower (sub-£400) than for some time – at least since Oasis Airlines was flying.

Qantas Airlines is aggressively pushing their Hong Kong hub on the long hop to Australia. A special offer LHR-HKG fare of £378 return is available for travel dates 11 Apr 09 to 21 Jun 09 and bookable by 27 Jan 09. Travel between 06 Jan 09 to 02 Apr 09 is priced at £408.

Fellow Oneworlder British Airways is currently holding their worldwide winter sale until 27 Jan 09. Return fares to Hong Kong are set at £429 return, although we found lower BA fares (£406) on some of the major online agents. Don’t forget though – you only earn 25% miles for discounted economy tickets with BA.

Air New Zealand have a similar fare offer to Qantas with LHR-HKG available for just £376 return for travel 11 Apr 09 to 21 Jun 09. Book by 28 Jan 09. They also offer a business class return for £1,698 to November 09 but you must book by 07 Jan 09.

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific have a fare of £379 for travel 13 Apr 09 to 11 Jun 09, bookable until 28 Feb 09.

There are some Virgin Atlantic fares in March and April around this level – the lowest we found was £386.

Hong Kong

If you live in the UK regions then you could consider flying with KLM via Amsterdam. Flights from Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle are all offered at just under £400. Depart between 5 Jan 09 and 15 Jun 09, return by 15 Jul 09. Emirates also offer departures from the regions via Dubai, but prices are a little higher at the £420 – £475 level.

The lowest price to Hong Kong is £359 with Qatar Airways, book by 31 Jan 09 for travel up to the end of June.

On the downside for UK travellers is that the Hong Kong dollar is pegged with the US dollar so due to sterling weakness, your expenses in Hong Kong will be higher than 12 months ago.

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines New Year Deal

Sunday, December 2nd, 2007

Oasis Hong Kong are currently offering a new year deal on London Gatwick to Hong Kong flights. Returns are available from £336 all-in (economy) and £1196 all-in (business class).

You must book by December 15th and travel between January 6th and March 12th 2008. Checking their site we found it was a little difficult to find the £336 deal (only a few dates are available) but the biz class offer is easily found.

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines ‘Free Flight’ to Singapore

Saturday, July 28th, 2007

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, the budget long-haul carrier is offering a free return flight to Singapore from Hong Kong. Passengers who fly a round trip with Oasis to HK from London Gatwick or Vancouver are entitled to the ‘free’ economy flight with (Qantas) Jetstar Asia.

The offer is valid until August 15th 2007 and travel must be between August 15th and November 30th 2007. The Jetstar flights must be taken within the dates of the Oasis round trip. Note, the passenger must pay the additional taxes and charges for the flight. Checking Jetstar’s website, taxes for the trip should be around HK$ 545 (US$ 70).