[christ]

Previously, I used Cathay.

However for frequent travellers on this route, who do you recommend for business. I am tempted by Emirates now that it has returned to an A380 and I have never flown Emirates – however it is always a late flight at about 2130. I am not sure which lounge Emirates uses at HK?

I have heard good things re Thai Airways and they mostly seem to use long haul planes.

Or is it best to stick to Cathay which is only maybe HKD 2,000 higher than Emirates.

[AndrewinHK]

Christ, I have flown CX/EK/TG on the route, to me on a short sector, price/schedule and also the option of trying something different are important factors for me. EK the J class is tacky in my opinion, but it is always nice to be on the 380, though the departure from HK is a bit late for my liking. Thai, in general, has the long haul J product, and I find pricing and schedule to be quite good. Flying Thai, especially departing from BKK, the lounge is right after security, so it is very convenient. My most recent flight was on CX, the lounge in BKK was serene, and overall standard high-quality CX service, and CX has the most comprehensive schedule, loyalty of course is a big factor, but a HK$2k price difference on a short sector, I think would test my loyalty.

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Bullfrog, sparkyflier, AMcWhirter, christ

[sparkyflier]

Another benefit of the EK A380 is that it has the on-board bar and lounge, but considering the flight is not much more than 2 hours you may not have much time to enjoy the meal service as well as the bar. And as you say the flight is pretty late and maybe too late to then get to your hotel on arrival and check in etc in time for a reasonable sleep.

Adding to Andrew’s point about the CX lounge in BKK, when I was in BKK a few months ago it was still closed (Covid etc), and I tried the Qatar and JAL lounges (as Oneworld partners) well as a few others. JAL was a bit disappointing but Qatar was truly excellent.

Re Thai – as AndrewinHK said above good schedules – it seems the 12:45 out uses A350 and the 19:05 uses 77W. Their J product allows some seats to be right by the window which is good for a) looking out it and b) privacy away from aisle traffic.

The very excellent http://www.aerolopa.com for seat plans can be very helpful indeed in giving an idea of the onboard hard products of different aircraft.

The Thai J seat plan is going to be far smaller than the EK A380 and so service may be prompter. And the TG lounge in BKK must be worth investigating!

Another option could have been… Ethiopian, however their 787 is even later than the EK flight so not practical in this instance but could have been a nice change.

4 users thanked author for this post.

Bullfrog, christ, AMcWhirter, AndrewinHK

[sparkyflier]

Another factor to bear in mind on this is loyalty clubs. If you flew EK the points would only be accrued in their scheme. But if you flew TG they are in Star Alliance, so you can more easily build status and earn points/miles etc. Regional members include ANA, Air China, Eva Air, Asiana, Singapore and arguably Air India for example.

Let us know what you decide and how the trip went – your feedback on HK Express was very interesting to read!

[Author]

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