Should I stay or should I go - Hong Kong [protests]

[sietes]

I'm due to be transiting through HKG on Monday as part of a not yet commenced 280k (commences this Friday). Don't see any way to re-route proactively, so will have to commence the trip as planned and hope for the best.

 

[Melburnian1]

I wonder how long it will take Hong Kong to recover , tourism wise ,from this
Huge impact on economy for them , plus all the issues associated with this situation

The untold story - because the Marxist mainland Chinese government's figures are often suspect - is how much the mainland Chinese economy is also hurting, and how this compounds the tariff wars. The latter have almost certainly hit mainland China a lot harder than the USA because of the trade imbalance.

Xi and his thugs have no experience in quelling this sort of situation in a quasi-democracy. Vast numbers of the demonstrators are young - so they won't give up as easily - and mainland Chinese who travel as close as Taiwan and as far away as Europe, USA or Oz see the demonstrations and HK police brutality on their TV screens, something that is apparently blocked in mainland China.

One result for Australia with these economic constraints could be that mainland Chinese traveller arrivals start to decline. They're already off their high, but at least two or three months ago were still rising at four to six per cent per annum, but that's lower than it was.

 

[Irishbazz]

I'm due to be transiting through HKG on Monday as part of a not yet commenced 280k (commences this Friday). Don't see any way to re-route proactively, so will have to commence the trip as planned and hope for the best.

Transiting seems to be working fine as long as you remain airside

 

[sietes]

Transiting seems to be working fine as long as you remain airside

As long as the flights don't get cancelled.

 

[JB expat]

Transiting seems to be working fine as long as you remain airside

but it does one no good if they are booked on a cancelled CX flight - their overall cancellation numbers are huge.

 

[Irishbazz]

Sorry guys, stuck in my own thought bubble with the previous post regarding my own flight with SQ

 

[qaz]

In case it helps or interests anyone unaware, International SOS is the first website/app that I check for risky places - they are considered the premier medical and travel security assistance company, used by major multinational organisations/corporations and government agencies

There is also the Chubb Connect website/app that can send security risk updates, as well as provide free wi-fi worldwide

Both of these services are available for free

 

[RooFlyer]

In case it helps or interests anyone unaware, International SOS is the first website/app that I check for risky places -

Thanks! I'm a UTAS student and wasnt aware of that!

 

[get me outta here]

For anyone trying to work out what may happen to fix their travel plans, the short answer is that it is still complicated. But, stand by. You can hear an interesting interview with this author who has written the biography of Xi Jinping. It will be repeated at 1300 today on ABC Radio National, after the news.

Richard Macgregor: He talks about the difficulties facing China with this unrest and mentions why the upcoming Taiwanese elections make it complicated in the shorter term.

You may be able to hear it here too: WED 14 AUG - What will Xi do next?

Richard McGregor | Lowy Institute

www.lowyinstitute.org

 

[harvyk]

So here is an interesting one. I have my flights book, and my travel insurance sorted, but no hotel booked. Importantly my TI policy was purchased on the 29th July, well before the 7th Aug cutoff imposed by Alliance.

So if I book a hotel, and then decide to cancel, would I be able to claim? Part of me says yes, in that I have a trip booked, and TI sorted before the cut off date, and therefore I have no choice but to book a hotel to still go on the trip. The other part of me says no, in that I could limit this particular loss by simply cancelling the entire trip up front.

But that then brings me into a second interesting question, given my trip is booked for 3.5 weeks time, I could in theory cancel altogether knowing that there is a chance I could get stuck there, and therefore have limited the insurers losses if I need to stay additional nights.

Has anyone ever being in this situation and have any advice they could give, the "general advice" given to me by the insurer was pretty much useless.

 

[qaz]

In case it helps or interests anyone unaware, International SOS is the first website/app that I check for risky places - they are considered the premier medical and travel security assistance company, used by major multinational organisations/corporations and government agencies

There is also the Chubb Connect website/app that can send security risk updates, as well as provide free wi-fi worldwide

Both of these services are available for free

Sorry, forgot to give the directs links for current advice and alerts:

• Travel Security Online - Hong Kong (China SAR) | Overview

Travel Security Online

www.travelsecurity.com

• Chubb Connect | SOS Alerts Board/Map

Chubb Connect | SOS Alerts Map

SOS Alerts Map

connect.chubbtravelinsurance.com

 

[get me outta here]

Is there a reason you don't do a refundable hotel booking? I'd say there may be bargains to be had.

So here is an interesting one. I have my flights book, and my travel insurance sorted, but no hotel booked. Importantly my TI policy was purchased on the 29th July, well before the 7th Aug cutoff imposed by Alliance.

So if I book a hotel, and then decide to cancel, would I be able to claim? Part of me says yes, in that I have a trip booked, and TI sorted before the cut off date, and therefore I have no choice but to book a hotel to still go on the trip. The other part of me says no, in that I could limit this particular loss by simply cancelling the entire trip up front.

But that then brings me into a second interesting question, given my trip is booked for 3.5 weeks time, I could in theory cancel altogether knowing that there is a chance I could get stuck there, and therefore have limited the insurers losses if I need to stay additional nights.

Has anyone ever being in this situation and have any advice they could give, the "general advice" given to me by the insurer was pretty much useless.

 

[Isochronous]

The court’s injunction came a bit late for AA to request the police to clear out protesters. Any bets on them returning at 1300 HKT for another day?

One of the two so-called PLA/Chinese police that were illegally detained by the protesters turns out to be a Global Times journalist. Oops.

Not much difference - the Global Times is a propaganda rag; its employees cannot be called journalists. If Goebels were alive today he would be in charge of the Global Times.

Carrie Lam seems to be in an impossible situation. She has no answers. Although in retrospect if she had been allowed to pull the Bill instead of just shelving it in the beginning all of this may not of happened, until the next problem.

Correct.

1m people came out to protest - Lam not only ignored them, she continued to expedite the bill and bring on a rushed vote

2m people came out to protest - Lam again ignores them and police respond brutally

As some of the graffiti says - when peaceful protest is ignored, legislators are expelled from parliament and people arbitrarily banned from standing for election, you give the people no choice but to take to the streets. Then when the police wantonly brutalise them, including innocent bystanders and reporters, its inevitable that people get fed up and decide they have to fight back to protect themselves and their friends.

 

[harvyk]

Is there a reason you don't do a refundable hotel booking? I'd say there may be bargains to be had.

Given I tend to stay in cheaper places, I'll probably book it as something that I can lose if needs be (although I will fight the TI for it if it comes to that given the rest of the trip had already been booked).


At this stage my intention is very much so I'm still going.

 

[get me outta here]

I'd be calling up your fav hotel after finding a good online price and asking them to match it refundable all things considered. They'd prob be pleased to get yr call. Eg, for 12 Sept this is $102 on QF site and 303 QF pts just eg :
Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong

Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong

Book accommodation now. <strong></strong><p>With a stay at Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong, you'll be centrally located in Kowloon, steps from Victoria Harbour and 9 min...

www.qantas.com

Given I tend to stay in cheaper places, I'll probably book it as something that I can lose if needs be (although I will fight the TI for it if it comes to that given the rest of the trip had already been booked).


At this stage my intention is very much so I'm still going.

 

[harvyk]

I'd be calling up your fav hotel after finding a good online price and asking them to match it refundable all things considered. They'd prob be pleased to get yr call. Eg, for 12 Sept this is $102 on QF site and 303 QF pts just eg :
Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong

That's a good point, I've just looked up the refundable prices, and they are less than the non-refundable prices of 3 weeks ago.

 

[UP4014]

China reported as moving troops to the mainland Hong Kong demarcation line. Personally I wouldn't be going.

 

[33kft]

Court injunction has the legal protest locations in the airport down to two designated spots which are away from passenger check-in facilities and passengers/staff are being checked at the entrances to the airport. I suspect the airport will no longer be a useful facility for the protesters, and it will likely move elsewhere. Perhaps more MTR disruptions instead?

 

[Isochronous]

Court injunction has the legal protest locations in the airport down to two designated spots which are away from passenger check-in facilities and passengers/staff are being checked at the entrances to the airport. I suspect the airport will no longer be a useful facility for the protesters, and it will likely move elsewhere. Perhaps more MTR disruptions instead?

Injunctions were used in 2014 as well to aid with clearance operations.

Given the "be like water" philosophy it would seem that they will have to move somewhere else.

 

[ellen10]

I'm due to be transiting through HKG on Monday as part of a not yet commenced 280k (commences this Friday). Don't see any way to re-route proactively, so will have to commence the trip as planned and hope for the best.

We are due to transit in 2 weeks time and yes on a 280 point award. I also don't see any way around it. It is our flights of a multi trip.