H C Chai

Couldn't agree more, I've seen many buildings that are basically left to rot once built. What a pity... Cowshed or not, I hope the design is user friendly and the operator keeps the toilet clean

The artist impression here doesn't look too bad... http://theveritasdesigngroup.com/portfolio/quantity-surveying-and-project-management/transportation/proposed-new-low-cost-carrier-terminal-(lcct)-at-kuching.html interestingly the status of the project is "under construction" On a separate note, AK is discontinuing KCH-SZX in a few weeks time. IIRC the route was launched not so long ago, maybe in Dec 2017?

Beautiful photos and write up! Thanks for sharing and cant wait to see the Wings Air ATR!

Excellent news! What a pleasant surprise, as Penang wasn't even in their list of new destinations planned for 2018 (which includes Medan in Indonesia and Utapao in Thailand) 3x weekly is a good start, hopefully they'll increase the frequency once they build up the load. One question - does anyone know if the A320 has the range to serve this route? Just curious to know if there is a possibility for Qatar to downsize the aircraft during low season

Just had a look at the AirAsia website... Looks like they will be flying the route daily and booking is open until early 2018! I wonder how long this daily frequency will last until AK quietly reduces it to 3x or 4x per week, or cancel it altogether...

I just hope that MAB clean their planes more often, especially the interior.

What a shame, I guess there is just not enough demand from both sides to make the direct flight feasible. The fact that poor timing and lack of advertising from HX also didn't help... This is a stepback for STA... maybe they can approach Qatar Airways and ask them to fly Doha - Kuching direct with their A319LR?

Slightly off topic - does Maswings recognise oneworld Emerald/Sapphire from other airlines FFP, eg. Use of business class check in, priority boarding and lounge access?

I agree... I flew OD 738 and TK 739 before, their configuration on the NB is actually much better than those on the WB of some other airlines. The issues I have with NB are the queue for toilet can be quite long and the overhead compartment gets fills up very quickly.

IIRC the only BIMP-EAGA route maswings is still operating is TWU-TRK. They're code sharing with Royal Brunei on the BKI-BWN route. KCH-PNK was also cancelled quite sometime ago...

Thanks SV! Kenneth, I'm leaving HK for good, contract ends this August... If the tours dries up, my guess is the route will go very soon. Saw it on the local paper today that the ministers are very happy with the load and reckoned the service will soon be expanded to 4x per week. Not quite sure how true is... I also haven't seen much promotion in HK so far. HX has been heavily promoting their recently launched Tokyo / Osaka service and the upcoming Gold Coast / Cairns / Auckland service... by comparison they're keeping the Kuching route very quiet.

Took HX715 HKG-KCH earlier today and was pleasantly surprised that the flight was almost full. Most pax appears to be tour groups from HK. This is in contrary to the same flight I took in June, where tour groups from mainland China made up majority of the pax. Food is pretty decent too...

Strange... looks like I've missed this post! Probably going back to Kch for a little while... it will be a good opportunity to explore my own backyard a bit more!! I'm thinking about Mukah, Mulu or Bario... Btw I'll be taking HX715 in a week's time... lets see.

Oh I just realised that the anniversary is in HK this year!! I'm based in HK at the moment, won't be able to make Saturday unfortunately but if you guys are organising something the night before (24/6) e.g. dinner, please PM me ok..

Yes when are we going to meet up?! I'm leaving HK soon you know... I'll be taking HX715 to KCH at the end of the month. Let's see how the load is like... kind of dreading it already, 0155hrs departure is probably a bit too much to take for me! Prices are really good though, it was HKD370 (just under RM200) all in for HKG-KUL one way throughout June and first half of July. I think it has gone up to HKD470 now. Still pretty good value. On some days buying 2 one ways works out to be cheaper than buying a return ...

Great news for KCH! Personally I don't think there is enough demand to sustain a twice weekly flight... The schedule may look terrible but it actually works out quite well for those who want to connect to other parts of North Asia served by HX ... Hopefully HX will make it work!

Yeah... fingers crossed! At least the tour groups ex-KCH to China and Taiwan now have an option to fly via Hong Kong with HX....

I haven't seen the schedule yet but based on an article in the local chinese newspaper, the twice weekly flight will be operated by the A320, arriving Kuching every Tuesday and Friday night, and returning to Hong Kong the next day. Hmm... doesn't sound like a good timing to me... I'm glad that it is Hong Kong Airlines that operates the flight, not their low cost subsidiary HK express. Hopefully I'll get to fly this route...

They also dropped HKG-PEN, but I remember the timing was terrible Anyway, it is good to know at least there is an airline that is willing to 'test the water' The signing of MOU also made it to the headline of the local chinese newspaper (International Times)

KUCHING: Sarawak will be directly connected with Hong Kong via air beginning April 2016 following the inking of an official agreement on the move. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Hong Kong Airlines here yesterday. The board was represented by its chief executive officer Datu Ik Pahon Joyik, who is also permanent secretary to the Tourism Ministry, while the airline company was represented by its strategy and planning commercial department manager Andre Zhang. For the record, Hong Kong Airlines is a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines Ltd. Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, who witnessed the ceremony, said under the MOU, Hong Kong Airlines would fly passengers on board its 174-seat A320 flight via the Hong Kong-Kuching-Hong Kong route twice weekly. As part of the agreement, the minister also said STB would provide incentives and support as part of the airline’s request to ensure sustainability of this route. “On this endeavour, Tourism Malaysia and Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhs (MAHB) will also offer incentives, apart from STB. The initial agreement outlined the route to be flown between Hong Kong and Kuching on Wednesdays and Sundays, with the time slots to be determined by the airline based on market demands and also the approval by the Hong Kong government,” he said. Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/12/19/mou-inked-on-direct-flight-between-kuching-hong-kong/#ixzz3ukjZnp3w ************************************ Not quite sure whether this is going to work.... at least this sounds like good news for now 174-seat A320 sounds more like the HK express configuration. Hong Kong Airlines A320 has a lower density of 8J / 144 Y

Oh dear oh dear. I just checked my HKG-KCH-KCH booking, all flights are now routed via KL... What a shame. To be honest I took the flight a couple of times, hardly anyone goes to/from KCH anyway....but why also cancel BKI...

Wow less than RM2k is pretty amazing, thanks.... I had a look on their schedule next year, looks like HAN-FRA is 788 and SGN-FRA is 350. And stopover in Vietnam is allowed too, that's a pretty good deal!

Wow they're upping their game... I've never been on a B787 or A350 and I'm quite tempted to fly them to Europe.

Good choice, with kids in tow it can be too much of a hassle to make an extra stop to change plane. Don't forget you also get 1.3% cash back if you book the flights on the CX website through Quidco

I did HKG - KUL and back a few weeks ago on MH. They did serve beers and red wine on both sectors (HKG-KUL was a morning departure). In fact passengers were given a whole can of beer. I'm surprised CX doesn't do that... Their fares ex HKG are ridiculously expensive