Flights to Hong Kong, fees and surcharges?!?

Obviously_the_best

zepsgal wrote: »

Just looking on Malaysia Airlines website for flights for two to Hong Kong.

Flights for Jan/Feb time next year (return for two people) = £749
Taxes Fees and Surcharges = £884.38 :eek:

When I clicked on the taxes part, it comes up saying -
Fuel and Insurance surchargeGBP 285.60 each
Admin Surcharge GBP 5.20 each
United Kingdom: Air Passengers DutyGBP 81.00 each
United Kingdom: Passenger Service Charge GBP 34.49 each
Malaysia: Passenger Service ChargeGBP 26.20 each
Hong Kong SAR: Air Passenger Departure Tax GBP 9.70 each

!!!!!!? I knew flights were expensive but..... It's costing more for the taxes and charges that the actual flights!

Why don't they just lump it all together, so the flight is £x rather than £x + £xx?

That's why you book through travel agents, https://www.skyscanner.net are nice, they find the cheapest travel agent for you.

totallybored

TomC5 wrote: »

Wow, thanks very much for the help, I'll be sure to be careful with the booze then if it really is that expensive!

That aside, HK in general, is it a welcoming place for the average white tourist? I know all places have good and bad areas, but I've read people saying everything from they had the trip of a lifetime, to they got stared at and made to feel awkward quite often!

While I wouldn't say HK is an overly welcoming place to anyone in general, you'll be fine and people certainly don't stare. I have a friend who lives there and her family are originally from HK and she said people were more polite to me than her when we went out.

I went to some very non-touristy places (and a bizarre wishing tree that I doubt had had a single foreign tourist ever visit as it was a bit rubbish) and it was fine.

TomC5

totallybored wrote: »

While I wouldn't say HK is an overly welcoming place to anyone in general, you'll be fine and people certainly don't stare. I have a friend who lives there and her family are originally from HK and she said people were more polite to me than her when we went out.

I went to some very non-touristy places (and a bizarre wishing tree that I doubt had had a single foreign tourist ever visit as it was a bit rubbish) and it was fine.

Thanks for the tips!

I never expected it to be the most welcoming touristy place on Earth, just one of those places I'd love to experience...a toss up between there and Tokyo if I'm honest!

totallybored

TomC5 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips!

I never expected it to be the most welcoming touristy place on Earth, just one of those places I'd love to experience...a toss up between there and Tokyo if I'm honest!

Tokyo in that case! I've just been and it was amazing. I also went to Seoul which I loved even more than Tokyo. I did them on the same trip as HK and I'd choose both over HK every time now. HK is good to experience but Tokyo and Seoul were just so much more interesting. Seoul is probably my favourite city in the world now, I'd put HK near the bottom along with London (and I live here!). I find it like London, some days it's amazing and you think its a great city but others it's just awful and crowded with rude people.

Doshwaster

totallybored wrote: »

Tokyo in that case! I've just been and it was amazing. I also went to Seoul which I loved even more than Tokyo. I did them on the same trip as HK and I'd choose both over HK every time now. HK is good to experience but Tokyo and Seoul were just so much more interesting. Seoul is probably my favourite city in the world now, I'd put HK near the bottom along with London (and I live here!). I find it like London, some days it's amazing and you think its a great city but others it's just awful and crowded with rude people.

How easy did you find it to cope in Tokyo and Seoul for when you don't speak a word of the local language - and can't read it either? At least in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore language isn't a problem.

I've travelled extensively in SE Asia but have always been put off going to the Far East due to the language problems.

shaunskankdog

totallybored wrote: »

Tokyo in that case! I've just been and it was amazing. I also went to Seoul which I loved even more than Tokyo. I did them on the same trip as HK and I'd choose both over HK every time now. HK is good to experience but Tokyo and Seoul were just so much more interesting. Seoul is probably my favourite city in the world now, I'd put HK near the bottom along with London (and I live here!). I find it like London, some days it's amazing and you think its a great city but others it's just awful and crowded with rude people.

Would love to do Japan and S Korea....Is it t shirt weather (at night) when the cherry blossom are out, and the same for S Korea?

Still....amazing Thailand beats all hands down for me:)

totallybored

Doshwaster wrote: »

How easy did you find it to cope in Tokyo and Seoul for when you don't speak a word of the local language - and can't read it either? At least in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore language isn't a problem.

I've travelled extensively in SE Asia but have always been put off going to the Far East due to the language problems.

Language wasn't too much of an issue. It was probably easier in Seoul than Tokyo though.

We ended up eating some random weird stuff in Tokyo as most places don't have English menus. Ordering beers was easy enough by pointing and smiling. We found the noodle bars with the token menus easy, just look at a picture and press the button, then sit at the counter with your receipt. Cokes in McDonalds were ordered by pointing and hand gestures too. Department stores all have amazing food halls in the basement. Also, all 7 11s sell decent microwave meals that people seem to heat and eat there. The hotel we stayed in had a mini kitchen though so i bought Katsu curry and others bits and we heated it up with a bottle of wine one night. I also found a Japanese pound shop and that took a while to figure out that it was a pound (or 100 yen in this case!) shop.

Travel was easy, all metro signs and stops are in English too and ticket machines have an English button. I was told the metro there was very complex but I found it easy enough. Getting from the airport on the airport bus was easy too, it's often harder in Europe. I found that although the Japanese didn't tend to speak English they were all incredibly polite and there was a lot of smiling when buying things.

Seoul was much easier which I didn't expect and people wanted to help all of the time! The airport bus again was easy. The underground had all signs in English and the machines were in English too. All restaurants, coffee shops (there are so many coffee shops!!) and bars we went to had menus with English translations. We went to a market and found a little beer stall and some 60 something Korean men wanted to help us order beers and told us how much they were, at a station we weren't sure which was to go and were looking at a man and some older Korean ladies came rushing over to help us. The tourist office were also eager to practise their English when we asked for a map. We also discovered several restaurant/bars that only serve fried chicken and beer!!

Don't let the language put you off at all, you might have to do a bit of pointing sometimes but I found it no more difficult than Hong Kong and easier than somewhere like Paris if you don't speak the language!

totallybored

shaunskankdog wrote: »

Would love to do Japan and S Korea....Is it t shirt weather (at night) when the cherry blossom are out, and the same for S Korea?

Still....amazing Thailand beats all hands down for me:)

I went in June so I was too late for the cherry blossom. Tokyo was about 27 and Seoul was in the low 30s so weather was lovely. They're not as cheap as Thailand and SE Asia but they're so different. Also not many Westerners or tourists. Seoul seems to still be quite undiscovered.

Doshwaster

totallybored wrote: »

Don't let the language put you off at all, you might have to do a bit of pointing sometimes but I found it no more difficult than Hong Kong and easier than somewhere like Paris if you don't speak the language!

Thanks! I'm already booked up for Thailand in October but maybe next year I will try something more adventurous and off the beaten track. As you say, the worst that can happen is that you end up with some random food off the menu - and I have enough experience of ordering a beer in countries where I don't speak the language through the use of the universal hand gestures (:beer:)

toots666

TomC5 - stay over in the HK island - there's more english translated/english speaking people there. Kowloon have some but rare (although shopping/markets are better there!) New terriority - great to see it, but if you don't know chinese, it might be hard to know what you are ordering etc - not many english translations there - but worth a visit, its abit more rural in parts.
Wishing tree in New teriority is actually very very famous, used to be able to through this wishing packet up to make a wish, but they've banned that now as it damaged the tree.
Alcohol wise, local beer are cheap in cafes etc. not many pubs in NT, there's some in Kowloon and lots in HK island, and they're quite expensive for drinks there, ranging from £5-10 a drink (i've experienced! 0_0) food wise, cafe etc are cheap, of course you get the nicer places and charges more. Make sure you look at resturants on first or second floors of buildings too - some hidden gems, and good deal! (we went for a japanese food buffet in TST and it was only about tenner a head, all drinks and food and dessert, really good fresh sushi and cooked food too!!!)
Recreational activities are expensive if you compare to what you can pay for, for food there, but its relatively standard tourist prices i think. on Wednesdays you can get in museums for free i think - worth checking to see if they still do that.
have fun on your trip!!!

zepsgal - check out emirates for flights as well - when i checked in april for trip, it came back cheapest!!!