Plane sailing on the fast track to China (hktdc.com)


	Hong Kong provides even faster access to key mainland cities following the Cathay Pacific/Dragonair merger

	Augustus Tang of Cathay Pacific announced reduced waiting times between connecting flights

	Stephen Hammond-Parker of ABT-Travel says business travellers will gain an edge through the streamlined connections

Hong Kong is surging ahead as the fastest gateway to China, further elevating the city's status as Asia's leading aviation hub.

Streamlined connections through Hong Kong International Airport have reduced waiting periods, ensuring that international business travellers arrive in key mainland cities in record time. These efficiencies are among the early, tangible benefits of a recent merger between Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and China's Dragonair.

The merger leverages Cathay Pacific's strong international network and Dragonair's extensive network of destinations in the Chinese mainland to customer advantage. The resultant time savings have allowed for an extra of 451 more connections each week between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

For example, travellers arriving in Hong Kong on CX889 from New York will be able to connect with Dragonair's daily KA802 flight to Shanghai within 50 minutes. Similarly, passengers arriving from Kaohsiung in Taiwan on KA439 at 09.50 will be able to catch Cathay Pacific's daily CX739 Hong Kong-Singapore service within 50 minutes.

Cathay Pacific's Director of Corporate Development Augustus Tang said: "One of the key aims of the Dragonair integration is to create synergies between the two carriers that will benefit passengers and the Hong Kong hub in general. The reduction of Minimum Connecting Times from the winter schedule will reduce the time passengers have to spend in transit and at the same time open up a greater number of connections between Cathay Pacific and Dragonair."

Stress-free travel

The news was welcomed by Stephen Hammond-Parker, Managing Director of the Hong Kong-based Association of Business Travellers and the Frequent Business Travellers Club, who says the improved connections will benefit business travellers from around the globe who use Hong Kong as their platform to China.

"Any improvement in waiting times and availability of flights for travellers and specifically business travellers is a positive step," said Mr Hammond-Parker, whose association has offices in Hong Kong, Sydney and the UK providing travel and accommodation services to ABT members worldwide. "With the expanding market in China, strategy is important to any business plan today, and faster access into and within the mainland is a key consideration for the business traveller for a successful trip."

In addition to maximising business "up time", streamlined connections help reduce costs for travellers and ease their stress levels, Mr Hammond-Parker said.

"As you will appreciate business travellers are normally on a tight schedule and delays can be expensive. An additional one-night stop over to connect with a flight leaving the next day can add several hundred dollars to the trip. More frequent connections can help reduce any stress if the arriving flights are delayed."

Ingenious SkyPier

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has itself earned kudos for getting business travellers swiftly into the Chinese mainland. HKIA's SkyPier, a cross-boundary ferry transfer service connecting passengers to and from the Pearl River Delta (PRD), this year won a Passenger Transport Excellence for its ingenuity and outstanding customer service.

Launched in 2003, SkyPier provides transit passengers with added convenience by streamlining the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) procedures, thereby creating a seamless passenger flow between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Last year, SkyPier introduced the world's first cross-boundary check-in service at Shekou port of Shenzhen, allowing passengers to obtain their boarding passes and check in their luggage at the PRD port. "The cross-boundary check-in service, together with the CIQ-free arrangement and high-speed ferry service between HKIA and five PRD ports, enables mainland travellers to enjoy a truly relaxing and enjoyable airport journey when transiting at HKIA," Airport Authority Hong Kong's Airport Management Director Howard Eng said.

Even more services

In addition to Cathay Pacific, other airlines have been spreading their wings in Hong Kong this year. Qatar Airways launched its new luxury service flight from Doha to Hong Kong as the Middle Eastern carrier looks to establish itself as one of the region's elite airlines. Air New Zealand announced a second daily service to London via Hong Kong.

Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, the city's first low-cost, long haul carrier, made its first non-stop flight to London in October 25. And in November, United Airlines launched a one-stop service from Hong Kong to Washington D.C. Shanghai Airlines, the mainland's fifth-largest airline, began a thrice-daily Hong Kong-Shanghai service last week.