CHECK IN:
I found Terminal 2 at Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport very quiet, upon arriving for my
flight to Bali via a fairly packed Airport Express train. (Hongkong
Express is among the few airlines which require passengers to check in
at Terminal 2 and then head to Terminal 1 for their departing flight.)
I reached the airport at 11.50am for my flight UO709 scheduled to
depart at 1pm, and was swiftly checked in at counter P.
BOARDING:
After a train transfer from Terminal 2, I took a lift to level four for
boarding at Gate 11, all of which took less than 10 minutes.
I arrived at the gate at 12.20pm, but boarding had not yet begun. The area was crowded, with passengers mostly at Gate 10 waiting to take a shuttle bus to the SkyPier at Hongkong International Airport for their ferry to Macau or Mainland China, while Gate 12 served China Eastern passengers heading to Fuzhou.
At about 1.08pm, boarding for the Bali flight began and we boarded the minibus that ferried us to the aircraft. I was in my seat by 1.18pm and the aircraft was shortly airborne.
THE SEAT:
In addition to eight Business
Class seats, the B737 also offers 156 in Economy. Seats are in a 3-3
configuration, 17 inches wide and have a pitch of 31 to 32 inches. Click here for a seatplan of the aircraft. My
aisle seat 14D in the middle of the cabin is located immediately after
the emergency-exit rows and halfway to the washrooms at the back of the
aircraft.
WHICH SEATS TO CHOOSE?
Row 14 is perfect
for passengers who don’t want to be seated below the TVs (at rows 10
and 11), yet want a clear view of the screen. Row 28 at the back of the
aircraft is next to the washrooms, and not ideal if you want to stay
away from the constant stream of people heading there.
THE FLIGHT:
Inflight service commenced soon after takeoff, thanks to an efficient
cabin crew, including a Korean. Some 45 minutes later, we were served
lunch – a choice of Polin beef noodles with oyster sauce and Fu Yu
chicken rice with marinated tofu, plus Chinese tea, coffee or wine.
For entertainment, a Chinese movie was shown during much of the flight. It failed to keep me entertained, however. Audio channels are offered on selected flights, which in this case, there was none.
ARRIVAL:
We
touched down at Ngurah Rai International Airport about 30 minutes later
than the scheduled 6pm arrival. But we got off fast enough and
disembarked at the airport terminal.
VERDICT:
This is a good flight, and we hope to see an improved TV programme selection in the future.
PRICE:
Online return fare in mid-May is HK$4,344 (US$560) including tax.
CONTACT:
www.hongkongexpress.com
Julian Tan
