Hong Kong Airlines opens half-price luxury route to London

M & G News
Jul 6, 2011, 4:11 GMT

Hong Kong - Hong Kong Airlines Ltd was to launch an all-luxury route to London, undercutting rivals' business-class prices by more than half, a news report said Wednesday.

Three Airbus 330-200 planes equipped only with 18 first- and 98 business-class seats are to begin flying the route in March to cater to the growing number of affluent Chinese leisure travellers, the South China Morning Post reported.

A return business-class fare was to be around 20,000 Hong Kong dollars (2,564 US dollars), compared with around 51,370 Hong Kong dollars for the same trip on Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.

'We believe traditional executive travellers in the business cabin have dropped off and will never come back to their previous level, especially from Europe and the United States,' Hong Kong Airlines spokeswoman Eva Chan was quoted as saying.

'However, the pleasure and leisure travellers from mainland China have shown a growing appetite for premium traffic in light of the growth of China's economy,' she said.

The airline, which is controlled by China's HNA Group Co Ltd airline and hotel group, said 60 to 70 per cent of its existing passengers are from China.

The carrier currently operates flights to Chinese and Asian destinations and has a single European destination, Moscow.

Five airlines currently fly between Hong Kong and London: Cathay Pacific, British Airways Plc, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, Qantas Airways Ltd and Air New Zealand Ltd.

'We just want to provide an affordable price for premium traffic while providing top-class service,' Chan said. 'We are not a budget airline.'