Cathay to cut worldwide capacity by 30% [Now 96%]

[Chicken]

Does anyone have any first hand or second hand...or n-th hand experience on what it's like flying Cathay to HK from AU at the moment?

What would you like to know? My father flew J class SYD HKG on June 08

 

[focusedbear]

What would you like to know? My father flew J class SYD HKG on June 08

I suppose I'm just curious how busy/full the flight is. I may have to fly up soon - hotel availability willing.

 

[Chicken]

I suppose I'm just curious how busy/full the flight is. I may have to fly up soon - hotel availability willing.

Warning: advertisement below

I actually used QF classic award to claim that seat on CX metal. Award seat availability via QF wasn't good at that stage, but then again, CX wasn't flying SYD > HKG daily, and having said that, I did find a seat using Award Flight Assist, so

My father said that the J cabin was only about 1/3 full.

Oh, I remember there was a person in front of us in SYD check in, I heard that person was boarding our flight to Bangkak. Flying CX to BKK. So brave

 

[focusedbear]

Thanks for the feedback (and advertisement). Just wondering if I fly Y and hope I get a row to myself.

It seems to be a cough shoot as to whether the route is suspended/a flight is found/a hotel room can be booked. Though not in that order.

 

[Chicken]

Thanks for the feedback (and advertisement). Just wondering if I fly Y and hope I get a row to myself.

It seems to be a cough shoot as to whether the route is suspended/a flight is found/a hotel room can be booked. Though not in that order.

- There is hardly any suspension by the government now (I don't know if you have signed up to any Facebook group for travelling to Hong Kong).
- I searched CX direct SYD > HKG on their web site just now, there are seats daily, you can even fly out tomorrow night, or even tonight if you want, Y seats are all around the AUD $1500 mark, with business around $2200 mark.
- Hotels are not that hard to book if you book 1 month in advance (his quarantine hotel was booked on 10/5 for landing on 9/6, so let's say one month in advance)
So you should not have any problem with flying to Hong Kong from Australia.

 

[focusedbear]

That's great. Sounds like I have to allow myself a month to line things up.

I know about the HK Hotel Quarantine Support Group on Facebook but I'm a rare breed that doesn't use it. I'll have to set up a phantom account to participate

 

[Chicken]

That's great. Sounds like I have to allow myself a month to line things up.

I know about the HK Hotel Quarantine Support Group on Facebook but I'm a rare breed that doesn't use it. I'll have to set up a phantom account to participate

I have given you the link to track flight bans, so that front is not much of an issue anymore.

The most useful thing with Facebook group is to check the feedbacks on hotels. There is a bunch of hotels within a major large chain where people have been asked to provide copies of their credit cards, then people started getting fraudulent charges. There are also hotels which are not the cheapest hotels but the meals they provided were so disguesting that people ended up ordering Uber for every meal. You would want to use Facebook to avoid those hotels. Oh, then there are hotels which refuse to change date or refund when your flight gets cancelled while others do unconditionally, completely going back on their words (whether in T&C or written promises via e-mail). The hotel is the dodgiest part.

 

[focusedbear]

Flight suspensions have been, well, suspended...

12ft

 

[tomlee1986]

Flight suspensions have been, well, suspended...

12ft

suspended until "further notice"

政府加強抵港人士檢測安排和暫緩個別航線「熔斷機制」

政府今日（七月七日）公布，經初步檢視數據和科學分析，認為持續加強為抵港人士進行更頻密的核酸檢測會更有效阻斷輸入個案，因此決定由即日（七月七日）起暫緩個別航線「熔斷機制」，直至另行通...

www.info.gov.hk

(Official release - but in Chinese only)

 

[MJHoops]

I found this article interesting on the financial prospects of CX. Not as dire as I had thought.

I’ve been checking CX178 every few days, and while it does not fly much, it seems to fly on time every time! I can see last 4 flights on FR24

 

[focusedbear]

No more hotel quarantine (allegedly)

As it happened: Hong Kong to end Covid hotel quarantine with new ‘0+3’ plan

Arrivals will not require a pre-flight PCR test but will be screened upon landing under a ‘test-and-go’ practice which will not require them to wait at the airport.

www.scmp.com

 

[tomlee1986]

No more hotel quarantine (allegedly)

As it happened: Hong Kong to end Covid hotel quarantine with new ‘0+3’ plan

Arrivals will not require a pre-flight PCR test but will be screened upon landing under a ‘test-and-go’ practice which will not require them to wait at the airport.

www.scmp.com

yes to the end of hotel quarantine... but after what we saw the governance of hkg since 2019, who would want to visit now??

 

[JackMiles]

Can't dine-in at restaurants during the first 3 days. Presume that means can't have a drink at a bar either. Might be some other limitations buried in the details. Think most tourists will wait for '0+0'...

 

[tomlee1986]

Can't dine-in at restaurants during the first 3 days. Presume that means can't have a drink at a bar either. Might be some other limitations buried in the details. Think most tourists will wait for '0+0'...

even 0+0, i would NOT recommend it even I was born there

 

[JackMiles]

even 0+0, i would NOT recommend it even I was born there

I get where you're coming from and I think most people accept HK has changed drastically from several years back, but I think in time it can regain its allure as a short stay tourist destination. I mean, I have also visited Shanghai and loved it, but would not choose to live there, partly for reasons you have alluded to.

 

[tomlee1986]

I get where you're coming from and I think most people accept HK has changed drastically from several years back, but I think in time it can regain its allure as a short stay tourist destination. I mean, I have also visited Shanghai and loved it, but would not choose to live there, partly for reasons you have alluded to.

I understand your view too... but i dont see that regain of allure until hk is back to pre 2019 days, and that will take many years to do it... the trust with the hk authority including the local police is long lost sadly, trust takes an extremely long time to regain if ever

 

[PineappleSkip]

I got an email about a CX sale this afternoon, and sadly passed although the timing was right. I don't trust the HK Government not to make arbitrary decisions about lockdowns and lockouts at the behest of Beijing.

 

[tomlee1986]

I got an email about a CX sale this afternoon, and sadly passed although the timing was right. I don't trust the HK Government not to make arbitrary decisions about lockdowns and lockouts at the behest of Beijing.

I agree with you completely- I would say to those who would believe it are too simple sometimes naive… i could use stronger words but I am trying my hardest to keep this friendly

 

[Chicken]

I don't trust the HK Government not to make arbitrary decisions about lockdowns and lockouts at the behest of Beijing.

I don't think they will backtrack unless the whole world backtracks due to new COVID. Hong Kong had 10000 cases per day one week ago, 5000 cases per day in the last few days. The ship sailed long ago, and Beijing would have said something if them in Beijing were to object to Hong Kong opening up.

Hong Kong would still be the quickest route for us to go to Europe (provided CX timetable their schedules correctly).

So the driving point would be:
- could CX make their schedule work for intercontinental connections
- could they entice non Chinese passengers back on and believe that they won't go broke.

I didn't join Asia Mile just because it was hard to earn points.

 

[aus_flyer]

Cathay website is so popular there's a waiting room!