HK Express Hong Kong to Ishigaki – took this flight leaving at 740a.m on a Monday morning. Purchased these tickets a while back and they’re quite cheap but that was probably because we didn’t go during a major public holiday. You can upgrade yourself to U-Priority for $35 during online check-in but because it’s not a holiday, didn’t bother. U-Priority gets you priority check-in and first to board but I’ve never encountered a long wait (unlike Hong Kong Airlines) anytime I’ve flown with HK Express.
The few HK Express flights we’ve been on the check in lines and boarding have been good and this HK Express Hong Kong to Ishigaki flight was no different. Not more than a few minutes waiting at check-in and unlike Hong Kong Airlines’ diabolical check in lines and subsequent wait time, HK Express is worlds apart. Check in staff are friendly and efficient. There was no need for the U-Priority but for $35, it might be worth it during peak times.
HK Express Hong Kong to Ishigaki flight was on-time and boarding was quick and easy. Seats on this plane are ok, pretty standard for a budget airline and better and cleaner than I’ve seen on some Cathay Pacific flights. Not much legroom but again, satisfactory and not much less (maybe the same?) as you get on most airlines.
The HK Express Hong Kong to Ishigaki flght time is 2:45 minutes. We took off on time and arrived a bit early. No food is served but you can pre-book meals in advance when buying the ticket or checking in online. We brought some bacon and egg sandwiches and did the trick. At 1:45 minutes, no need to worry too much if you forget to bring a few snacks. What you can buy on the plane is sufficient, usually the beef rice is alright and will fill a gap so again, no need to go into overload with snacks onboard.
The crew on board HK Express Hong Kong to Ishigaki were friendly enough. I wa ssending some messages just before takeoff and instead of getting the telling off you like you do on some airlines, notably Cathay Pacific, you just get a nice gesture and smile. No waka mate! We booked seats up front 2A, 2B and 2C, you have to pay more for those and in hindsight, arriving at about 10:30 when most hotels won’t let you check in, there’s really no need especially when flying during off-peak.
We’ve flown HK Express probably about 3-4 times now and it’s a much more pleasant experience than Hong Kong Airlines, the staff are much nicer, (much nicer than most of Cathay Pacific’s staff) and way less stuck up, the check-in lines are considerably shorter than most budget airlines and I’d have no issues flying them again. UPDATE: Flew from Hong Kong to Chiang Mai HK Express and that was totally fine too, no lines, no drama, HK Express is my new favourite budget airline, well not that I had before…
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