BACKGROUND Early this year, Sky Shuttle unveiled a new aircraft and upgraded its almost 20-year-old facilities – which included an improved helipad, terminal and lounge – at the Hongkong-Macau Ferry Terminal. The new lounge is now six times bigger.
CHECK IN Passengers must reach the departure gate at least 15 minutes before takeoff to collect tickets, then proceed to Immigration downstairs. I arrived at 10.15am.
After weighing my carry-on luggage and also myself – necessary to ensure a weight limit safe for the helicopter – the friendly staff showed me to a lounge on level six.
THE LOUNGE The exclusive lounge was comfortable with many sofas. I made use of the complimentary Wi-Fi to check emails.
BOARDING My 10.30am flight was delayed, which hardly bothered me. At 10.45am, the staff informed us the flight was ready for boarding. Before moving up an escalator to the helipad, we were provided with a set of disposable earplugs for protection against the loud noise emitted from helicopter engines. Curious to check the noise level, I removed the earplugs and quickly placed them back on – yes, the earplugs did help.
THE SEAT Sky Shuttle’s new Agusta Westland 139 helicopters each have a total of 12 seats in three rows of four, with the first two rows of seats facing each other. Passengers will find that there are no seat numbers printed on the tickets, as seats are assigned according to each passenger’s body weight to allow for even distribution to keep the aircraft balanced when airborne.
Fortunately, I was assigned to a right-side window seat which would give me a bird’s eye view of what was to come. The leather seat, although a little narrow, was very cosy, complete with an over-the-shoulder seat belt.
THE FLIGHT Takeoff was a little wobbly, but we ascended vertically with amazing speed once the pilots had achieved a stable hover. Turbulence during the flight was noticeable due to the small aircraft.
ARRIVAL The landing was deftly executed. After disembarking, we were led downstairs to the customs.
VERDICT A genuinely enjoyable 15-minute experience. Even with the 15-minute delay, the journey took only 30 minutes – which is half the time taken on a Hongkong-Macau ferry but 10 times more luxurious.
MACAU TO HONGKONG
CHECK IN Wanting to experience the lounge more this time around, I arrived a good half hour before my 12pm flight. The staff took my weight and that of my bag before sending me off to the lounge.
THE LOUNGE As I was rather early, I was able to enjoy the complimentary finger food and drinks provided. Although smaller, the lounge felt cosier than the one in Hongkong. There is a separate lounge for passengers on Sky Shuttle’s 1.15pm Macau-Shenzhen flight.
BOARDING There was a 15-minute delay, the result of one delay that carried on into the rest of the flights. We were again each given a pair of earplugs before proceeding up an escalator to the waiting chopper.
THE SEAT This time, I had a left-side window seat and more room as the cabin was less crowded – there were five passengers compared to eight on my previous flight.
THE FLIGHT Pretty uneventful, though I was surprised that the helicopter drove from the helipad where we got on to an adjacent helipad for takeoff. I was later told that the same system will be put in place in Hongkong once a second helipad is built on top of the ferry terminal.
ARRIVAL The staff brought a stepladder to the left side of the aircraft for our disembarkation, just as they did when we arrived.
VERDICT Definitely a much quicker and more convenient way to travel between the cities – I’d take this over the ferry any day.
PRICE HK$2,300 (US$297) one-way from Monday to Thursday. An additional HK$200 (US$26) applies on Friday to Sunday, Hongkong and Macau public holidays and designated holidays). Tax included.
CONTACT www.skyshuttlehk.com
Joshua Tan
