Hong Kong Airlines Launching Nonstop A350 Service to LAX
If you haven't traveled through Hong Kong (HKG) within the last few years, there's a very good chance you've never heard of Hong Kong Airlines (I'll refer to it using its airline code HX for short). The airport's most ubiquitous tenant is Cathay Pacific, of course, but decade-old regional carrier HX is making a push for long-haul service, having recently launched a flight to Vancouver (YVR) and sharing plans for another major North American destination.
HX's current service is fairly limited, as evidenced by the airline's route map — with its own flights labeled in blue:
Come December 18, 2017, you'll be seeing HX's livery on US soil, when the carrier begins flying to Los Angeles (LAX). The flight will be operated by the Airbus A350-900 — and with a total of 21 on order, we're likely to see the carrier announce other destinations (perhaps even more in the US) soon. The planes are reportedly being configured with 33 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration in business class and 301 in economy.
Flights will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday through January 15, 2018, at which point HX will move to a daily schedule, with departures as follows:
- HX069 Los Angeles (LAX) 10:45am Departure ⇒ Hong Kong (HKG) 6:20pm (+1) Arrival
- HX068 Hong Kong (HKG) 12:10pm Departure ⇒ Los Angeles (LAX) 8:55am Arrival
This new route is now available to book, and even shows up on Google Flights. I'm seeing round-trip fares from LAX starting at $743 in economy and $4,675 in business class, which are a hair lower than LAX's existing flights to Hong Kong, including one on American's 777-300ER and up to four operated by Cathay Pacific.
HX has a frequent flyer program called Fortune Wings Club, and offers award flights on all of its routes, including LAX. A round-trip economy award will run you 65,000 miles, while business class goes for 125,000. You can earn points by flying HX and on some Virgin Australia flights, along with select partners (primarily for Hong Kong residents). The airline isn't part of an alliance, so unfortunately redemption opportunities are limited for flyers based in the US.
Will you be booking a flight on Hong Kong Airlines?
Featured image of Hong Kong Airlines' A350 in production courtesy of Alex Macheras.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month