HKG Protests disrupts AC flights
 

AC: "We're sorry, this flight is cancelled due to political instability."

Now an aircraft and 450 pax and crew are stuck in HKG.
If this continues, I suspect it will have a bit of an impact on AC at least in this quarter.



https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...04bc872beb.png


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...22570fd456.png

AC is risking the wrath of the Chinese government by calling this "political instability" rather than simply saying the airport is closed.
--
13F

SCMP showing pax stranded everywhere. A'EX back up but MTR was halted in some places and the roadway to/from HKIA was full of protesters walking.
Some flights inbound to HKIA have been diverted, others turned back (e.g. to SIN).
Photos here https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...d-mass-protest

Even if HKIA cancelled flights and AC 8 was among them, there could also be the issue of some of the 450 pax not being able to get to the airport.

As of now, AC2008 is scheduled to depart HKG to YVR on the 13th @ 14:00, and today's flights to HKG are, so far, operating, but AC15 is delayed awaiting HKG arrival clearance.

Well, at 16;15 YYZ time, AC website is still showing "political instability".

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...55a577f3db.png

EF says


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fae088a880.png



Meanwhile, AC 16 is enroute and:


AC0016/12AUG EQU ACA77LB01
CTY TML ARR DEP GRND AIR CABINS J O Y
HKG - 1510 - 15.05
YYZ 1815 TOTAL TIME HKGYYZ 15.05

RMKS/FIN702: DELAYED AWAITING LATE I/B ACCT APU INOP, FURTHER D
ELAY IN HKG ACCT SEQUENCING BAGS, ALSO APU INOP AND FURTHER DUE
ANH AWAITING UO TAXI

HKG 1525 00:15L YYZ 1818 00:03L 77L ANH AD EA
DEP TML 1 GATE --/69

Travel to HKG notice/waiver from AC:

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/...hong-kong.html



https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b7562817a8.png


BTW, UA has this message on their site. I really wish AC also had things like this. Sure, not all pax may bother looking on AC.com for something like this but if AC could push a notification in the app or email customers on the flights affected, it would help. IMHO and AC IT notwithstanding.
.

• Citywide protests and strikes in Hong Kong may affect your travel plans. Please check your flight status at united.com or the United app before heading to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). We also recommend leaving early to make sure you have plenty of time to travel to the airport and get through check-in and security.​​​

AC 8


Mother and daughter among Canadians stranded in Hong Kong during violent protests

Global News - August 12, 2019 4:24 pm


QUOTES:

"Ly said that they arrived at the airport a few hours early and checked in through security before they saw that it was cancelled on the departures board.

She said she and her mother haven’t received much information about where to go from there.

“No service at all,” said Ly.

“We were lining up to see what’s going on, to see if were getting our money back or if were going to get the next flight,” said Ly.

.......
“A guy came and told us either we leave the airport or just stay at the airport but he said staying at the airport was no use.”

Ly and her mother have set up makeshift bed at one of the airport gates and said they are two of many Canadians who are waiting at the airport for a flight back to Vancouver.

......
Meanwhile, Air Canada said there are two flights daily from Canada to Hong Kong, one each from Toronto and Vancouver, and that it is monitoring the situation closely for any further cancellations.

The company added it has put in place a flexible re-booking policy for customers wishing to change their travel plans to or from Hong Kong."


Full article
https://globalnews.ca/news/5755176/h...sts-canadians/

(video in article is just scenes at the airport)

Maybe AC needs to temporarily re-route to Shenzen or Guangzhou and have people take the train if they can get into China.

Macao would probably be easier for Canadians that don't have China visas?

Canadians can get 5-day visas on arrival for Shenzhen only at the port of entry. But yeah, Macau is probably easier.

I'm wondering: would travel insurance cover this reason? Amex explicitly excludes rebellions, which I guess would include protests? HK sounds like a bad place to be stuck for a night, given the cost of hotels over there...

Currently delayed 50 minutes

AC0016/13AUG EQU ACA77LB01
CTY TML ARR DEP GRND AIR CABINS J O Y
HKG - 1510 - 15.05
YYZ 1815 TOTAL TIME HKGYYZ 15.05
HKG 1600 00:50L YYZ 1905 00:50L 77L EQI ED EA
DEP TML 1 GATE --/-----
ARR TML T1 GATE --/-----

RMKS/FIN701: DELAYED AWAITING LATE I/B ACCT AWAITING CLEARANCE
TO ARRIVE IN HKG DUE TO POLICAL UNREST.

When Macao airport first opened TAP Air Portugal was running A340 on the Lisbon-Brussels-Macao so the airport has handled large overseas wide body aircraft. An AC flight would be interesting.

The insurance is also interesting. Would Amex insurance company do the assessment based on their knowledge of the situation or what AC identifies as the reason for the cancellation? If AC is honest and transparent it would be "political unrest". If AC is playing games to keep China happy it might be claimed to be "staff availability", "airport closure" or some other non-confrontational politically acceptable reason.

BR already flies MFM-TPE. All AC needs to do is add an extra frequency to TPE and put its code on the BR TPE-MFM flight if they haven't already done so.