Typhoon Mangkhut Shuts Down the 8th Busiest Airport in the World, Hong Kong
Hong Kong is getting a thrashing from Typhoon Mangkhut, which was at one point the world's strongest tropical system of 2018. The typhoon hit the Philippines with top winds of 165mph, which would have made the storm a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. The landfall sparked widespread flooding and landslides and has killed at least 40 people.
After weakening a bit, the typhoon is passing just south of Hong Kong. Overnight Sunday, the Hong Kong Observatory raised the storm signal to its highest level (T10) for just the 16th time since 1946. However, from all indications so far, Typhoon Mangkhut will be the strongest storm that the city has faced since records began.
A thread of videos showing some catastrophic damage around Hong Kong and Shenzhen — including buildings crumbling, a crane crashing down and hotels being flooded by storm surge — have been posted on Twitter:
While the full impact of the storm on Hong Kong is yet to be determined, we know one thing for sure: the typhoon has shut down Hong Kong's international airport (HKG) — the world's eighth busiest — as well as the airports in nearby Shenzhen (SZX) and Guangzhou (CAN).
Combined, the three airports have at least 1,130 flight cancellations for Sunday according to FlightAware's flight cancellation tracker. However, this is likely understated as FlightAware only shows 30% of HKG's departing flights and 16% of its arriving flights being cancelled. FlightRadar24 shows that there has been just one commercial flight departure — a Singapore Airlines 777 that departed at 8:00am — from 3:46am through 7:00pm local time.
Arrivals are similarly shut down, with just 11 flights landing at HKG between midnight and 7:00pm. The last arrival: a Singapore Airlines flight from San Francisco (SFO) which landed at 5:45am, the same 777 that then took off to Singapore at 8:00am.
In an effort to evacuate aircraft, quite a few flights departed overnight Sunday, such as this Singapore Airlines flight that departed nearly eight hours early:
According to FlightRadar24 data, 63 aircraft were on the ground in Hong Kong at the time the storm passed through. Of the aircraft that had landed within 36 hours of the storm, all but three of these aircraft were Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon aircraft — including Cathay Pacific's second Airbus A350-1000. The other three aircraft to arrive shortly before the storm and remain on the ground were two private planes — a Bombardier Global 6000 (VP-CJY) and Dassault Falcon 900EX (N28VL) — and a Bombardier Challenger 605 (B-LVA) owned by the Hong Kong government.
There were at least four United aircraft on the ground: two Boeing 767-300s (registration N641UA and N654UA) and two Boeing 777-200 (N774UA and N76021). All four are in Hong Kong for Polaris business class cabin retrofits and arrived more than seven days before the storm. Hong Kong Airlines seems to be the only other passenger airline that had an aircraft on the ground, with an Airbus A330-200 (registration B-LNF) that's been on the ground for the past 13 days.
There's one notable aircraft that's currently inbound to HKG: the inaugural Cathay Pacific A350-1000 flight between Washington DC's Dulles (IAD) and Hong Kong — the airline's longest flight, at more than 8,100 miles with a flight time of 17 hours. Delayed in DC for almost five hours, it seems that airline officials are hoping that the Hong Kong airport is operational when the flight is due to arrive at 10am local time on Monday.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.