Hong Kong Airlines
, which is a member of the

HNA Group
(Hainan Airlines), operates a modest network of international destinations from its home at Hong Kong International Airport
. With a fleet of 35 aircraft and 47 destinations, it’s now reaching as far as North America.

Nonstop to North America with Hong Kong Airlines

On January 18, Hong Kong Airlines resumed its popular direct flights between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Vancouver International Airport
(YVR), located in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The first flight took off with much fanfare from Hong Kong’s airport, with members of the Airport Authority Hong Kong and other senior management from the airline itself. The celebration that was at the boarding gate excited the many passengers onboard the inaugural service.

A330-300-Hong-Kong-Airlines

Photo: Airbus

Special souvenirs were distributed to the first passengers, and the airline’s Chairman, Mr. Yan Bo, commented on the special occasion, as reported by PRNAsia:

“We are delighted to reinstate the Vancouver service, offering passengers more flight choices. Vancouver was Hong Kong Airlines’ first North American destination, which was first launched in June 2017, and has always been popular. Resuming this route not only marks our official return to the North American market but also demonstrates the progress of our strategic transformation from a regional to an international airline earlier this year and boosting our confidence in expanding our global route network coverage.”

The carrier will connect Hong Kong with Vancouver twice-weekly, following the schedule below:

Flight number

From

To

Departure Time

Arrival Time

Days operated

HX80

Hong Kong

Vancouver

22:10

18:10

Tuesday

HX80

Hong Kong

Vancouver

23:50

19:50

Saturday

HX81

Vancouver

Hong Kong

01:05

07:00 + 1 day

Wednesday & Sunday

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History of Hong Kong Airlines

Hong Kong Airlines was established 23 years ago by Robert Yip, who at the time was the chairman of China Rich Holdings. The airline received its air operator certificate in 2002 and began operations with a Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopter. The airline was the third commercial helicopter operator in Hong Kong and the first to receive an AOC following Hong Kong becoming a special administrative region of China
.

Initially called CR Airways, the airline commenced charter operations to the Philippines in July 2003 with a leased Bombardier CRJ200 from GE Capital Aviation Services. The airline followed by applying for traffic rights to facilitate scheduled services to Jinan, Naning, Meixian, and Wenzhou in China. Yip eventually sold 40% of his interest in the airline to his company. In 2005, the ATLA (the Hong Kong Air Transport Licencing Authority) granted the airline a five-year license to transport passengers and cargo to China.

This allowed the airline to apply for traffic rights to ten different cities in China. It also announced soon after that it had purchased two Bombardier CRJ700s from Maersk Air. By the end of 2005, the carrier signed an MOU with Boeing, looking to buy ten Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 30 Boeing 737-800s for an estimated list price of around $3.28 billion.

In 2006, Hainan Airlines
acquired a 45% holding in the airline due to convertible notes from Yu Ming Investments. This saw the airline officially change its name to Hong Kong Airlines Ltd in September 2006. The airline introduced a new logo and livery, which included the bauhinia flower, which is a symbol of Hong Kong. The airline then made its biggest aircraft order in history, with 51 narrow and widebody aircraft ordered from Airbus. It subsequently changed its IATA code from N8 to HX on May 27, 2007.

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Experience onboard Hong Kong Airlines

Next time you are traveling on Hong Kong Airlines, there are two cabin classes you can pick from, keeping it nice and straightforward: Economy or Business. Let’s break down what to expect below:

Economy class

Economy class passengers are offered what you could expect from any mainline carrier. While you are charged to pre-select your seats at the time of reservation, the carrier is very generous, offering passengers (on routes to North America) two pieces of checked baggage per person. Changes are permitted to flight reservations (for a fee).

Complementary snacks and beverages are offered onboard; depending on the length of your flight it can be a light snack or as much as a full meal. Complementary soft drinks, juice, tea, coffee, and water are available onboard.

Business class

Sitting up the front, business class passengers enjoy a large, luxurious business class seat, with up to two pieces of checked luggage per person. Hot meals and drinks are on offer, and access to the airline’s VIP lounge is eligible for all business class passengers. On arrival at the airport, priority check-in is available, along with priority boarding to ensure you are onboard first. Changes and refunds are permitted (for a fee) depending on your booking reservation.

Business class meals include a selection of hot dishes using seasonal ingredients. A complimentary bar with a range of alcoholic beverages is also on offer for business class passengers.

Traveling with special needs on Hong Kong Airlines

The airline is committed to providing specialist travel assistance for passengers and can accommodate inflight wheelchairs for aircraft types A32S, A32H, A32Y, A32U, A321, A332, A333, and A33G. The airline, which has a specially trained cabin crew, can assist in providing eating and drinking or administering specialist medication. Any special requirements should be requested via the airline’s customer service center before travel.

Hong Kong Airlines

Photo: e X p o s e | Shutterstock

Pregnant passengers are also welcomed onboard, but we can only accept single pregnancies up to 36 weeks or multiple pregnancies for 32 weeks. Passengers over this term duration will not be accepted for travel.

Destinations you can fly to with Hong Kong Airlines

From its home at Hong Kong International Airport, the carrier operates many short-haul and long-haul international flights. These are outlined below:

Asia

Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Beijing–Capital, Beijing–Daxing, Chengdu–Tianfu, Chiang Mai, Chongqing, Da Nang, Denpasar, Fukuoka, Haikou, Hangzhou, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Nagoya–Centrair, Naha, Nanjing, Osaka–Kansai, Phuket, Sanya, Sapporo–Chitose, Sendai, Seoul–Incheon, Shanghai–Hongqiao, Shanghai–Pudong, Taichung, Taipei–Taoyuan, Tokyo–Narita, Vientiane, and Xining

Oceania

Gold Coast (seasonal), Koror (charter), and Saipan

North America

Vancouver

Hong Kong Airlines

Photo: Sudpoth Sirirattanasakul | Shutterstock

Two unique destinations in the carrier’s network are Koror (Palau) and Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands). While these are both located in Oceania, the carrier names Saipan as a destination in its network for North America. The Northern Mariana Islands, which is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States, is home to around 55,650 people and the airport, Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport (SPN) offers a small number of international and domestic services, connecting it to the outside world.

From Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport, six airlines operate to the archipelago, which includes:

  • Asiana Airlines

  • Hong Kong Airlines

  • Jeju Air

    • Seasonal services to Busan and Seoul Incheon
  • Star Marianas Air

    • Scheduled services to Rota and Tinian
  • T’way Air

    • Services to Seoul Incheon
  • United Airlines

    • Operating year-round services to Guam, and Tokyo Narita, feeding passengers into wider networks available from the respective airports.

Hong Kong Airlines operates the route between Hong Kong and Saipan on a twice-weekly basis with the airline’s Airbus A320 aircraft. Departing from Hong Kong on a Thursday and Sunday as HX76, the flight pushes back at its scheduled departure time of 18:25 for an arrival time of 01:35 the following day. The return flight then departs on a Friday and Monday, as HX77, at 03:05 (ouch, yes, you read that right) and arrives in Hong Kong at 05:55 the same day. The flight time is around four hours and 40 minutes from gate to gate.

HKG-spn
`

Its service to Koror, Palau, connects the Republic of Palau to Hong Kong on a thrice-weekly basis, departing from Hong Kong on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in the early afternoons HX2731 and returning from Koror as HX2732 in the late evening. Palau has emerged as a popular tourist destination that is known for arriving passengers needing to sign the ‘Palau Pledge,’ which is a commitment to environmental protection. The popular diving hotspot also has the JellyFish Lake, which is home to thousands of non-stinging jellyfish, letting swimmers get up close.

Hong Kong Airlines fleet

The airlines current fleet is made up of 35 aircraft, which are all part of the Airbus family, these include 16 Airbus A320-200 aircraft, which are made up of four different configurations, including a business/economy class mix, and all economy class layouts.

Hong Kong Airlines

Photo: DenisKlimov | Shutterstock

HX operates three Airbus A321-200, configured in an all economy class layout, carrying up to 220 passengers on short-haul routes. Eleven Airbus A330-300 aircraft make up the backbone of the airline’s long-haul fleet, which is configured in three different layouts, which are all a mix of business and economy class. The airline’s cargo fleet is made up of five Airbus A330-200F aircraft.

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