Hong Kong Airlines Review - Flight Ratings

Our personal Hong Kong Airlines review

I fly Hong Kong Airlines when the fare beats Cathay Pacific and the schedule works, which happens more often than most business travelers assume. Hong Kong Airlines took its current name in 2006 and spent its first decade as a regional carrier nobody outside Asia had heard of. In 2017 and 2018 it went after the long-haul market with six A350s and new flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, undercutting everyone on the Pacific and forcing rivals to move their prices. That experiment is over. San Francisco was cut in October 2019, Los Angeles followed in February 2020, and the last A350 went back to its lessor in August 2023. What remains is a leaner Asia-Pacific airline that spent 2024 and 2025 rebuilding, and it is better than that history makes it sound. Skytrax has certified it four-star since 2011 and has not taken the rating away.

Ownership explains some of the turbulence. The airline sits under HNA Aviation, but the real controller since 2021 has been the Liaoning Fangda Group, which took over after HNA Group’s bankruptcy restructuring. The entire A320 fleet was grounded in June 2021. The recovery since has been real: the fleet has grown back to roughly 32 aircraft, and long-haul flying restarted in January 2025.

Where Hong Kong Airlines actually flies now

This is the question worth answering, because most of what is published about the route map is years out of date. As of July 2026, Hong Kong Airlines serves one domestic destination and 32 international ones across 13 countries. The center of gravity is Asia-Pacific: mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Maldives, Palau and Saipan.

Long-haul came back in 2025, but not to the United States. Gold Coast resumed on 17 January 2025, Vancouver on 18 January 2025 with a twice-weekly A330, and Sydney launched that June, going from four flights a week to daily by March 2026. Melbourne followed in December 2025, three times a week on the same aircraft. Australia is where the growth went. Read the schedule before you commit, though, because Melbourne and the Gold Coast run as seasonal services rather than year-round ones. Vancouver is the only North American city on the map. If you are flying from the US, you are connecting, most likely through a partner or through Hong Kong on someone else’s metal. Plan accordingly rather than trusting an old route map that still lists LAX and SFO.

Pros of flying Hong Kong Airlines

• The fare. On Hong Kong routes it is usually the cheaper ticket, and that is the whole argument.
• Cabin crew are fast and attentive, and clear trays promptly.
• Amenity kits with socks, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a sleeping mask and earplugs, plus complimentary earphones.
• Seats are comfortable and spacious compared with other Asian carriers, with good neck and head support.
• The airline’s app is easy to navigate and gives useful flight updates.
• Punctuality is good. The only delay I have taken with them was a typhoon, which is nobody’s fault.
• Selected A320s and A330s now carry the Bluebox Blueview system, which streams films and shows free to your own phone or tablet.

What are the cons

• There is no inflight internet Wi-Fi. Reviewers through 2025 and 2026 report none on the A330, not even as a paid extra. The airline signed a fleet-wide connectivity deal in early 2020 and nothing came of it, so do not book on the assumption it is about to appear. Do not confuse this with the streaming entertainment either, which works over an onboard network with no connection to the outside world.
• Legroom in economy is tight, and taller passengers will feel it on a long sector.
• The food is ordinary, and the cabin hardware looks its age next to what Cathay Pacific is flying.
• The fleet is not new. Most of it is A320-200s, an out-of-production type, and the A330-300s were brought in second-hand during the rebuild.

Business class on the A330

The A330-300 is the only widebody in the fleet now, and its business class is the reason to take this airline seriously. There are 32 fully flat beds in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, so every passenger gets direct aisle access. On an intra-Asia sector that is a genuinely good product, and it is frequently available at a fare that would buy premium economy elsewhere. Since May 2025 the business cabin has also carried a seasonal Cantonese menu built with the Michelin-starred Ming Court, which is a real step up from what used to come out of that galley. Economy sits behind it in a 2-4-2 layout. There is also an “Economy First” product, which buys extra legroom, priority boarding and the business class food without the bed.

Hong Kong Airlines vs Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is the better airline. It took World’s Best Business Class for its Aria Suite in the 2026 rankings and was named the world’s second-best carrier. Its lounges, The Pier especially, are among the best anywhere. Reviewers who fly both describe the Hong Kong Airlines product as second-rate against Cathay on cabin condition, amenities and entertainment, and they are right.

That is not the point. The point is the gap in price against the gap in product. If Hong Kong Airlines is meaningfully cheaper on your route and you want a flat bed to arrive rested for a morning meeting, the trade works. If the fares are close, book Cathay. The people who get burned are the ones who expect Cathay’s experience at the other airline’s fare.

Baggage allowance

The allowances improved on 7 May 2025 and are now competitive. Economy includes one checked bag from 23kg, one cabin bag up to 7kg at 56 x 36 x 23 cm, and a personal item that fits under the seat. Business class gets two checked bags totaling 64kg with no single bag over 32kg, plus two cabin bags totaling 15kg. Read your fare conditions anyway, because the cheapest fare buckets are where allowances get trimmed.

The airport experience and the lounge

Check-in at Hong Kong is quick, whether online or in the queue, and the ground agents are efficient about passports and bags. Club Autus in Terminal 1’s Midfield Concourse is the airline’s lounge, with hot buffet food, showers and quiet workstations. It is decent and it is not The Pier. Older guides also send you to Club Bauhinia, which no longer shows up in the airline’s own lounge information, so do not build a layover around finding it. One more thing on lounges: through 31 March 2026 the airline ran a promotion giving economy passengers on the Melbourne, Sydney and Vancouver routes four hours of Club Autus access on a Hong Kong layover. That end date has passed with no announced extension. Treat lounge access as something you buy or earn, not something the fare includes.

Conclusion

Hong Kong Airlines is a competent four-star carrier selling at a three-star price, and if you understand what you are buying, it is good value. Book it for the fare and for the flat bed on Asian sectors. Do not book it expecting Wi-Fi, a new cabin, or a flight to the United States.

Layover in Hong Kong?

Flying in on HX usually means a night or two in Hong Kong before you head to the mainland. A private Hong Kong tour turns that dead time into the city, instead of an airport hotel and a phone.

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Flying into Hong Kong or onward to the mainland to do business? Line up a Chinese interpreter before you land so meetings and factory visits go as smoothly as the flight.