Thousands of ‘free’ Hong Kong flights to be released to Australians
Thousands of Australians will soon get a chance to snap up free round-trip flights to Hong Kong, as part of the city’s global tourism push, paying only for taxes and fees.
The flights will be available to members of Cathay’s frequent flyer scheme from Monday, May 29, at 12pm (AEST). Travellers keen to take advantage of the promotion can sign up on the airline’s website.
Hong Kong is hoping to woo tourists back with its giveaway of thousands of free flights. Credit: iStock
Prospective travellers should get in quick, after more than 100,000 people hit the Cathay Pacific website on Thursday as the airline released thousands of tickets from the US and Canada. Some waited in online queues for more than an hour to try and secure a flight as the airline’s site struggled under the strain, with errors and delays hitting users beyond North America.
More than 6000 free return fares will be offered to Australians, in an effort to help woo tourists and business travellers back to the city following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
The promotion is part of a broader campaign by the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), which includes providing 500,000 free flights to foreign visitors. The campaign launched in March but will only open to Australians at the end of this month.
Fees, surcharges and taxes will still apply. For a return flight in June, these added up to about $500, but the base fare of about $1000 would be waived as part of the promotion.
It’s not just free air travel on the table for prospective visitors.
“A variety of offers are also available through the launch of HKTB’s global integrated campaign – Hello Hong Kong – to make the holiday experience unforgettable for overseas visitors,” said Karen Macmillan, Hong Kong Tourism Board director for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific.
The “Hong Kong Goodies” will come in the form of visitor vouchers for more than 16,000 outlets across the city. This includes complimentary welcome drinks at bars, restaurants and hotels, or vouchers for transport, culinary and retail sectors and local attractions.
The initiative was hatched in 2020 during the pandemic to provide support to Hong Kong’s airlines. Cathay posted a loss of $US2.8 billion ($4.12 billion) that year.
The 500,000 plane ticket promotion will reportedly cost $HK2 billion ($360 million), with the seats provided by three Hong Kong airlines in the form of various promotions such as lucky draws, giveaways, and buy one, get one free offers.
Hong Kong reopened to visitors relatively late, due to largely aligning itself with China’s “zero-COVID” strategy, which resulted in some of the world’s toughest restrictions and lockdowns. Prior to the pandemic, the city also experienced political unrest following plans to allow extradition to mainland China.
Vivian Cheung, chief operation officer for AAHK, said passengers can also look forward to a number of upgraded facilities at the international airport.
“Various new services and facilities are in place at Hong Kong International Airport, and we are looking forward to providing passengers a brand-new airport experience,” said Cheung. That includes an upgraded Qantas lounge, which reopened this month after previous plans to close it permanently were overturned.
Hong Kong lifted its COVID-19 entry restrictions for international visitors in December and has since eased testing and mask mandates.
Just 13,200 Australians returned from trips to Hong Kong last month, 42 per cent lower than for the same period in 2019, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
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