Originally Posted by
CXBA
if you are fine coping with generally lackluster and indifferent service, unnecessary and unexplained delays (courtesy of your friends at PLAAF especially at PVG),dependence on a visa prior arrival and mediocre city and hinterland connections, good for you. In spite of billions of yuans thrown liberally towards oversized structures representing more the inflated ego of the government than a real improvement in travel conditions, HKG remains the best airport in China by a long way, and its services and connections win hands down against the ones offered by any mainland port, and this has been true since I came first in China 15 years ago.
No question that the HKG is the superior airport with superior service--from a passengers point of view (probably airlines also). However, for some itineraries, transiting through HKG just to experience that particular airport makes no sense. If one is travelling long-haul international from most locations to central or northern mainland China--and has no business scheduled for Hong Kong or southern PRC--than it makes little sense to fly through HKG. Particularly if paying for one's own ticket, as the HKG-mainland flight connections are not cheap. There's a reason most of us in northern China needing to get to HKG on our own dime, fly instead to Shenzhen and cross the border overland.
Not sure why you brought up the visa issue, I can't see any relevance.
As for MU joining Skyteam, well...not sure this is really going to be a Great Leap Forward for most flyers. Unless you've got kaboodles of DL FF miles and need to burn them off to/in Asia, now there's an opportunity besides KL and CZ. :-P I find earning miles on any of the Chinese airlines is relatively useless unless you are flying premium fares. Most other alliance program partners only allow earning on the highest of fares. (F, J, full or nearly full Y) And the Chinese own airline programs aren't worth much. IMO