Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - The New and Biggest Competitor of CX and HKG

Here is a link to the MainLand Chinese Forum with some pics of the New GuangZhou(Canton) Internation Airport

http://www.cameraunion.net/forum/showthread.php?threadid=203625

Hope the link works

er.... I just don't see where your thoughts have come from.

1) Gongzhou is quite far away from HK. I'm sure First-class european pax will love to fly mainlind airlines, arrive in PRC, and take a several hour train ride to Kowloon.

2) What exactly is a competitor of CX? Buddy, all you've showed us is an airport under construction.

3) Structurally, I don't see anything fabulous. The roof trusses do not seem particularly efficient, and what's with all those columns in the center of the passenger terminal??? Shouldn't modern design opt for open-ness?

Hong Kong Airport does expect Guangzhou airport to post some degree of competition to them. As I read in a newspaper article (local HK paper) they are saying that once this new airport is opened it will bring the airport the potential to increase its overall capacity and therefore flights. In fact, some European carriers such as Lufthansa are adding more flights to Guangzhou. Competition exists because they can steal the transit passengers to mainland China to use their airport instead of HKG. Also, for those passengers who are going to Shenzhen/China, they need not to go through immigration and customs twice if they fly into Guangzhou.

However, the article also states that in the short run HKG's still has its advantage as it still has more international destinations. Guangzhou is more focused on its extensive domestic network. Afterall, the Pearl River Delta area (HKG, SHenzhen, Guangzhou, Macau) has between 30-40 million population, if New York itself can support JFK/LGA/EWR, I am sure the HKG area can sustain 2 airports. However, in order for HKG to remain competitive, Hong Kong and Chinese government will need to have open skies.

It will be competition, but perhaps not for people with a final destination of Hong Kong.

I often get to Shenzhen for business and I have to travel from Hong Kong by train. Increasingly, I won't have to do that anymore.

Already, NONE of our customers are in Hong Kong anymore.

The Pearl River delta is THE location for manufacturing at the moment - particuarly in my sector (clothing). Flying to CAN helps avoid some of the cross border hassle - either a long bus journey or a boat ride. While CX's position is still pretty secure both LH and AF now fly to CAN and I can see more and airlines doing so in the future.

Let me know when mainland China drops their visa requirements and then it will be a real competitor. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Mainland established a visa waiver for Japanese passport holders in September last year, after the Sars thing. For us, mainland destinations are now the same as HKG and TPE for short-term travel.

The real threat is with Air Cargo---CX earn's serious money form these operations.

millionmiler

I fly to HKG then train to Shenzhen to take domestic China flights. As you use the same route, can you tell me if there are good connections HKG land to Guangzhou's new international airport. Start from the HKG/Shenzhen border going north, as the part in HKG is known to all?
Sorry to trouble you. I travel frequently to Shanghai/Qingdao/Jinan.