While my trip report titles may not be award-winning, my enthusiasm for sharing my experiences certainly is! Welcome to my latest series, where I’ll be reviewing Emirates A380 premium economy and business class, Cathay Pacific A350 premium economy, Cebu Pacific, HK Express, Greater Bay Airlines, and EVA Air premium economy.
On my journey back to Hong Kong to see my family, I aimed to create an itinerary that allowed me to maximize the number of airline reviews I could write. I will be posting each of these reviews in the coming days, but for now, let’s dive into the details of my bookings and how I arranged everything. Since I spent my time at home during this trip, you can expect no hotel reviews.
Booking My Journey to Hong Kong
One of the key products I was eager to review was Emirates’ premium economy, which comes highly recommended. I managed to book this leg from London Heathrow to Dubai.
Emirates A380 Premium Economy Class
However, Emirates does not offer premium economy on flights between Dubai and Hong Kong, and there was no award availability for an upgrade to business class. While I have plans to fly long-haul economy class soon, I didn’t want this to be one of those segments on a premium economy fare.
On the bright side, Emirates does provide premium economy on one of their four flights from Dubai to Singapore, but unfortunately, the timings didn’t align with my plans. I discovered another flight from Dubai to Singapore that had award availability in business class. So, I booked a somewhat unconventional itinerary: a one-way Emirates premium economy journey from London to Dubai, then onto Singapore, with Dubai to Singapore in economy before upgrading to business class for that segment. I was thrilled with this arrangement, as it had been over five years since I last flew Emirates’ A380 business class, and I was keen to see how the product had evolved.
The ticket cost £1160.49 (HK$12,036), and the upgrade required 40,560 Skywards miles, which I transferred from my AmEx Membership Rewards. My itinerary was as follows:
05/08 Emirates 6 London Heathrow – Dubai dep. 22:15 arr. 08:05+1 [Premium Economy Class]
06/08 Emirates 352 Dubai – Singapore dep. 10:05 arr. 21:45 [Business Class]
Emirates A380 Business Class
Once I arrived in Singapore, I needed to find a way to Hong Kong. The Emirates flight was scheduled to land in Singapore at 9:45 PM. While I absolutely love Singapore and would have loved to stay the night, my priority was to get home as quickly as possible to maximize my family time. Thus, I opted for Cathay Pacific’s redeye flight from Singapore to Hong Kong, which was the earliest flight I could take.
This flight had award availability in all three cabin classes, but since it had been a while since I experienced Cathay Pacific’s short-haul premium economy, I decided to book that segment. It cost me 20,000 Asia Miles and HK$380 (£36.64) in taxes. The outline of my journey was:
07/08 Cathay Pacific 714 Singapore – Hong Kong dep. 01:45 arr. 05:15 [Premium Economy Class]
Cathay Pacific A350 Premium Economy Class
For my return flight to London, I found a THB 31,615 (HK$7,523/£724) fare for premium economy on EVA Air from Bangkok to London, which fit perfectly into my plans. I was eager to try another premium economy offering between Asia and Europe! My return itinerary was as follows:
16/08 EVA Air 67 Bangkok – London Heathrow dep. 12:50 arr. 19:25 [Premium Economy Class]
EVA Air 777 Premium Economy Class
There were several options available for traveling to Bangkok, but I couldn’t resist trying out Hong Kong’s newest airline, Greater Bay Airlines, which conveniently offered a flight that aligned perfectly with my EVA Air connection. I went for a Value Go package, allowing me to check in up to 20 kg of baggage if needed, costing HK$1,460 (£141).
Greater Bay Airlines 737
With my plan set, I felt that this trip would provide me with enough new airline experiences, and I was ready to call it a day to enjoy quality time with my family. Or so I thought…
Booking A Low-Cost Airline Day Trip to Manila
While flying with Greater Bay Airlines, I was keen to find a way to also experience HK Express. Luckily, I discovered a reasonable one-way fare from Manila to Hong Kong for PHP 2860 (£39/HK$397).
I figured I could spend a day conducting a review while flying HK Express, and to my surprise, my dad agreed to join me!
HK Express A321 Interior
To catch this flight, I needed to fly to Manila, so I turned it into a day trip with my dad. I decided to treat him to Cathay Pacific business class while I opted for a more adventurous route.
I previously flew Cebu Pacific’s A330 in 2017 but didn’t have the chance to review it properly due to being on a school trip. Since then, Cebu Pacific has replaced its A330s with brand new A330neos, featuring the world’s highest seat density at 460 seats compared to the A330’s 436. Naturally, I had to experience these cutting-edge aircraft. My ticket cost HK$471 (£45.50) for the one-way flight from Hong Kong to Manila.
Cebu Pacific A330neo Interior
The Airline Lounges I’ll Review On This Trip
During my seven flight segments, only one provided lounge access, which I will be reviewing. This will be a revisit of the Emirates Concorde A Lounge at Dubai Airport, an expansive lounge that stretches the entire length of the terminal.
Emirates Lounge at Concourse A DXB
Additionally, I visited a few other lounges that I will be reviewing, starting with the Kyra Lounge in Hong Kong, which my dad and I checked out before heading to Manila. The Kyra Lounge opened its doors in July 2024, is accessible to Priority Pass members, and serves as an alternative to the Chase Sapphire Lounge, which I reviewed last year.
Kyra Lounge Hong Kong
In Bangkok, I also had the opportunity to visit the Oman Air Lounge, also part of the Priority Pass network, which I will include in my reviews as well.
Oman Air Lounge Bangkok, a Priority Pass lounge
Conclusion
In this journey, I embraced seven flights across six airlines in a roundtrip itinerary between London and Hong Kong, along with a spontaneous day trip to Manila. Each airline offered a pleasant experience, and I particularly enjoyed discovering some new ones. I can’t wait to share more details about these travels with you all!
Which flight review are you most excited to read?
