Flights to Hong Kong - Direct of indirect flight dilemma

toothpick

Hi all,

I need to fly back to Hong Kong on the 7th July and Back around the 30th September.

First of all, is using travelsupermakets flight search engine is the best method to make flight cost comparisons, and then booking via a quidco cashback link if possible?

This is the cheapest method, its the best i can think of and was hoping someone could confirm this with me.

The best price I have got so far is with opodo and is with Jet Airways flying via Mumbai for 355pounds.16h and 18h flight

Best direct was 420pounds with BA. 12h and 13h flight

In this situation I was wondering if you guys think its worth while taking the indirect to save around 65 pounds which I could spend while in HK.

Also if you could suggest other sites or methods to save on this flight.

Many thanks in advance

will-in-estoril

The fares you have been quoted are excellent.

The £65 saving is something which only you can work out for yourself. It depends on whether or not you are prepared to sacrifice the extra time and put up with tiredness in exchange for £65.

£65 might be a lot to you, or it might not be. £65 could buy you a nice pair of shoes or trainers, which will outlast the inconvenience of a longer flight. On the other hand it might not be worth the aggro.

It's up to you, but don't dither too long. Get one of the options booked as soon as possible.

Moonchild

Overall with the extra flying and transit you would lose 15 hours taking Jet Airways.

I use a simple a simple formulae of £10 per flying hour is a good deal!

Therefore with what you have in front of you, I would take BA everytime! Plus the connections are tight in Mumbai. So adding the risk of delays, misconnections, lost luggage, and the knowledge their are 4 BA flights a day to HK, yeh, i'd BA it!

cookie_monster

I would go direct for the sake of £65.

Pollycat

I wouldn't choose the indirect flights.
Waiting around in airports can be a pain - very tiring.

I'd choose the non-stop option every time.

Incidentally, non-stop and direct is not the same thing.

Non-stop is EXACTLY that.
It takes off from, say, Heathrow and lands in Hong Kong without stopping.
An example of a direct flight is where you take off from, say Gatwick, stop in Bahrain for refuelling - your hold luggage stays on the plane, you disembark with your hand luggage into 'transit' and then reboard for your onward flight to your destination.

In my experience, not all Travel Agents are clear about this distinction.

Beaker99

Recently been to Hong Kong, and flew via Paris CDG with Air France. All went like clockwork, and in doing so saved a small fortune. - It was J-class, although the principle would certainly be the same in economy.

boombap

I was sent an email from Air New Zealand yesterday alerting me to a new flight promotion that they're running in the style of those reverse auctions that you might have heard of.

The first day of this promotion is Monday when they are selling flights to Hong Kong by this method so could be of interest to the OP.

From the email:

"Bags-it is a completely new way of getting some seriously low fares. It's a bit like an auction, but the prices go down instead of up. The fares drop every 60 minutes until they're sold out. Seems too good to be true doesn't it? Just remember there are a limited number of seats and other people will have their eyes on them as well, so make sure you don't leave it too late.

Our very first Bags-it is happening on Monday 27th April starting at 8am - 6pm with fares to Hong Kong. It's only for one day though and once the seats are sold that's it, so bookmark the Bags-it page now to get a head start"

The site the promo will appear on is here: http://flightbookings.airnewzealand.co.nz/vgrabview/en_GB/home.do but there's not much info on here right now hence I've posted the above text from the email.

Hope this could be of some help to someone,

S.

omelette451

toothpick wrote: »

In this situation I was wondering if you guys think its worth while taking the indirect to save around 65 pounds which I could spend while in HK.

I would definitely take the indirect option, especially for that price, though the NZ option above may be worth considering at least briefly.

richardw

BA, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, Qantas, and Virgin all fly non-stop between LHR and HKG, perhaps double check each of their websites before booking with Jet Airways.

toothpick

woah guys, i cant believe how many of your replied. i am so flatterd and happy. you guys are so kind.

i will take everything in to perspective and consider my flight soon.

i totally agree with many points put forward.

65pounds to me is a considerable amount of money. in hk it will also go a long way.

i have only experienced a return flight to hk with finnair late last year and it was fine, just the time was annoying and tirering.

however, time is not a issue for both my flights and its really hard to decide. the 19hr flight is what i fear most.

the reverse auction is a tricky one because the price falls until all is sold. i will check it out and see whats on offer!

omelette451

toothpick wrote: »

65pounds to me is a considerable amount of money. in hk it will also go a long way.

In that case I think you've answered your own question. As Richard said, be sure quickly to check the airlines' own websites first, but I'd suggest not delaying too much in case the Jet fare shoots up unexpectedly.