Cheap flights coming? - China’s back

Slightly off topic but not completely, I noticed the hotel prices in HK are dirt cheap in Feb/Mar.

Unfortunately have to do double covid tests (one inbound, one outbound).
Wrong. No tests required if u travel to HK. However u need to take one going back to
Australia as required by the Australian government. I took cx last month and no tests required when I landed at hkia and back but that obviously changed as the Australian government imposes the requirement due to spike of covid cases.
 
Yes, Hong Kong hotel prices are unusually cheap - do I really want to go somewhere where outdoor masks are compulsory with a HKD10000 fine for violation - in the fourth year of the pandemic?
They are going to ditch the outdoor masks rule by first quarter of 2023. But masks inside public transport will probably stays.
 
Wrong. No tests required if u travel to HK. However u need to take one going back to
Australia as required by the Australian government. I took cx last month and no tests required when I landed at hkia and back but that obviously changed as the Australian government imposes the requirement due to spike of covid cases.

HK government website clearly states it's required for inbound travel:

 
I'll believe they ditched the mask requirements when I see it. Either way I'm not flying a mainland Chinese airline if I can help it, my family and I have been burned enough times. If it brings down cost of flying on viable airlines, then good.
 
HK government website clearly states it's required for inbound travel:

There’s no more inbound control upon arriving to HKIA unlike 2 months ago where everyone needs to line up and perform PCR tests on the spot.

Nowadays you just land and go straight to passport control then pickup ur luggage and head out.


You need to take a RAT or PCR which
  1. Retain the photo showing the RAT result or the PCR test report for 90 days
💡 May declare test result via the voluntary electronic Health Declaration Form
 
There’s no more inbound control upon arriving to HKIA unlike 2 months ago where everyone needs to line up and perform PCR tests on the spot.

Nowadays you just land and go straight to passport control then pickup ur luggage and head out.


You need to take a RAT or PCR which
  1. Retain the photo showing the RAT result or the PCR test report for 90 days
💡 May declare test result via the voluntary electronic Health Declaration Form

So yes, I was right, you do need to get a covid test in both directions. I never said you had to do it at the airport.
 
They are going to ditch the outdoor masks rule by first quarter of 2023. But masks inside public transport will probably stays.
Can't believe any country on earth can justify outdoor facemasks, and their citizens put up with it. HK is loony tunes. Couldn't pay me to go there if I had to wear a face mask outside.
 
Can't believe any country on earth can justify outdoor facemasks, and their citizens put up with it. HK is loony tunes. Couldn't pay me to go there if I had to wear a face mask outside.
In places where people have chosen to wear masks during cold & flu season for decades it isn't as much of an impost as places that have been conditioned to see it as a nasty hardship.
 
In Japan people still wear masks while driving ALONE.
People were getting upset about others doing that here; I guess if what others do that doesn’t affect anyone else is all that said people have to be upset about, then they’ve got a pretty good life. :)

My observation of those “others” was that they were going places where the mask was needed, and assume they just put it on the once rather that the on/off/on/off/on/off/on/off that you’re not really supposed to do & is annoying as well. eg. the community nurse that arrived already wearing her mask for a 15-minute visit with my octogenarian neighbours, then would’ve headed off for another 15-minute visit with someone else’s octogenarian neighbours etc etc.
 
CZ will be adding another service from MEL and SYD:
 
MU will be adding more services from MEL and SYD:
 
CZ will be adding another service from MEL and SYD:
CZ resuming BNE:
 
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I do not know if there's a connection, but looking at airfares to Europe for mid 2024, it seems they are starting to reduce across a range of carriers. I have only looked at a few examples, and would like to have a bigger sample size.

In some cases, CZ (China Southern) is the cheapest, even for J.

Of course it could also be related to the level of overall demand, but is it just a coincidence that with these mainland communist Chinese airlines increasing flight frequencies to Australia, long distance airfares seem to be dropping?

I don't reckon many Australians (of non-Chinese ethnicity) will use these mainland Chinese ones (unlike the Taiwanese carriers China Airlines and EVA Air, which are used by many Caucasians and other Australians) but if their increased presence brings down airfares a bit, good.
 
Of course it could also be related to the level of overall demand, but is it just a coincidence that with these mainland <redacted political nonsense> Chinese airlines increasing flight frequencies to Australia, long distance airfares seem to be dropping?

I don't reckon many Australians (of non-Chinese ethnicity) will use these mainland Chinese ones (unlike the Taiwanese carriers China Airlines and EVA Air, which are used by many Caucasians and other Australians) but if their increased presence brings down airfares a bit, good.
I have trimmed (for brevity) and edited (to remove political irrelevance) your original post above @Melburnian1

I think you’re correct that there’s a very direct link between the downward pressure Chinese airlines put on airfares and the additional supply they bring to the market. That’s just basic economics isn’t it?

I also think you severely overestimate the decision making of the broader market with your second paragraph. Whilst political points may influence your decision making, I would suggest the broader market could not care less about where an airline is domiciled. Instead, it’s simply the price point. If Xiamen Air is cheaper to get to a destination, lots of people will use it and the majority probably have no idea where Xiamen is. Or care. Taiwan based airlines are a little popular at the moment (and have been for approximately the past year) because they are often cheaper than most other airlines. If China Southern, Eastern, Air China etc flood the market with cheaper fares, we’ll likely be back to pre-Covid where plenty of people, from all counties, will be using them.
 
Seeing that China has just opened up group tours to the world for their citizens I think it possible that the increase in passenger numbers is larger than the rise in available seats.
 

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