Hong Kong Airlines is a small carrier that competes with Cathay Pacific in the lucrative route from Hong Kong to Asia and also competing with its parent company (HNA) owned airline, HK Express. The airline is using a new fleet of Airbus A350s on these routes and it recently started offering Premium Economy on this flight to Bangkok.
While the premium economy cabin on a short regional flight may seem strange, it is an increasingly common option with full service airlines in Asia. Simple Flying blogger Justin Hayward tried the premium economy cabin on a recent flight to Bangkok and was impressed with what he found.
Like most other modern aircraft, this A350 features reverse herringbone seats in the economy section of the plane. There is a small area in the right armrest that is perfect for storing your phone and other items. There is a USB port in the armrest as well for charging your devices on-board.
The in-flight entertainment system on this A350 was adequate but it could have been better. The selection was a bit light and there were no recent Hollywood hits to be seen. There were a few older classics like Crazy Rich Asians and Ant Man and the Wasp but that’s about it.
The boarding process was smooth and organized thanks to a well-planned system of lanes. This was my first time flying Hong Kong Airlines so I was a little confused by the fact that there were three separate lines for different classes of travel. However, the crew was very friendly and helpful in directing us to the correct line.
