Originally Posted by
rkkwan
The fact that HKG-PVG flights are often delayed (hours if Chinese military shuts down some airways, often without advance notice) makes the CX option questionable.
Ah, yes. How could I forget about last summer? I ended up killing all non essential HK-SHA trips in July, August, and September because I got so fed up with the delays. The situation is better now, but hour+ delays are still the norm, and the occasional 3 hour delay also pops up if you do the drill often enough.
I actually do try to fly CX whenever possible, but only in at least premium economy, and if I have a true reason to be in HK (my company is based there so this is usually easy to justify).
About 10 years ago, I flew JFK-PEK via HKG, and JFK-HKG went right over PEK... 8 hours before I ended up on the ground there. This real life lesson taught be how silly the routing was/is.