3pm vs 1am departure ORD HKG
 

Hello I need to be in HKG for a Monday morning meeting in October. Debating on times to book.

CX has departures from ORD at 330pm and then also at 115am on some days.

option a: I can either leave on Saturday's 330pm departure and arrive at 830pm Sunday evening (overnight it at a hotel, be ready for Monday morning meeting)

option b: Or, I can leave 1am-ish Sunday morning, arrive Monday 550am HKG time and proceed to meeting.

I'm booking in biz class

option a downside: my body clock will be at 8am eastern usa time so would I really sleep at a hotel Sunday night?
option b: downside: my body clock will be at 5pm eastern but I'll have slept in my biz class seat...

Has anyone done this before from either ORD or EWR, pros/cons either way?

thanks

i haven't done exactly the same route, but done plenty of yvr - hkg routes that have similar time (one in the afternoon arriving in evening, one leaving in the early morning arriving around 6am)...

option a: you would force yourself not to sleep on flight.... that way you can probably sleep at the hotel at night
option b: force yourself to sleep on the plane.... but you would be arriving quite early in hk, can probably freshen up in the arrivals lounge before heading to the city

i guess it all depends on whether you can sleep well on the plane

Consider giving yourself some buffer time just in case of IIROPS and take drugs to sleep if your body clock is off.

I've done (b) many times from both JFK and LAX and didn't have any issue going to morning meeting (after quick shower at the arrival lounge).

I've never done (a) - i've always gone with either midnight or morning flight ex-US.

Count me in on the late departure camp.
I have done this many times and find it easy to sleep and wake up a few hours before landing.
I have done this on 873/889/845/829 multiple times and have never had a problem.

Thanks for feedback I appreciate it

OK a little OT but I'm OP so I guess maybe I have the right! Have any of you frequent fliers to HKG on CX had any luck with US based ticket consolidators for C tix? I see these websites, some seem sketchy. I understand there's a wholesale market for consolidators that some travel agents can use, but I haven't used a travel agent for 20 years so I wouldn't know where to start.

Any feedback?

I know some consolidators but I mainly use them for Y class tickets as that is corporate policy.

I do the day flights to HKG all the time. I also do the "forced no sleeping" on the flight over. I get to HKG in the evening and then by the time I get to the hotel I crash and pretty much am 100% the following morning.

I've never tried online consolidators for flights to asia - it's either corporate TA (work) or chinatown TA (personal).

My suggestion is to check with TA in chinatown in chicago (presumably that's where you're based?).

The seat is good enough to risk the late-night option, but it's not as if HKG is an awful place. If you were flying somewhere worth avoiding, I'd say take the early-AM arrival.. But HKG is a great place for a quick wander, and a nice meal and a drink before getting a full night's sleep in a proper bed.

People still take drugs for long haul flights these days??