Impact of HKG-China high speed rail on CX
Sep 18, 2018, 5:39 am
#31
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: New York
Programs: AA, CX, Hyatt, Marriott
Posts: 1,484
They find the full Y one-way for comparison. Dare to use Discounted Y round trip??
FYI I actually travel to HuiDong quite a bit. The station is in middle of nowhere, taxi is non-existence, and on China train ticket website you can never buy a ticket on that route. So go back to drive for me again
FYI I actually travel to HuiDong quite a bit. The station is in middle of nowhere, taxi is non-existence, and on China train ticket website you can never buy a ticket on that route. So go back to drive for me again
Oct 2, 2018, 12:45 am
#32
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,053
Finally had a chance to take the HSR from Futian to Kowloon. A smooth ride of 16 minutes. Awesome!
Arriving Kowloon West wasn't great though. While centralized immigration is smooth, the taxi queue was around 120 people and the walk to other means of transportation (at Elements) is lengthy and tedious. It really feels like a shopping mall that happens to have a train station somewhere below.
My point with regards to CX is that for medium-haul destinations to Changsha and Wuhan, I would certainly consider this option - but only if I don't have luggage and/or kids to drag around.
Arriving Kowloon West wasn't great though. While centralized immigration is smooth, the taxi queue was around 120 people and the walk to other means of transportation (at Elements) is lengthy and tedious. It really feels like a shopping mall that happens to have a train station somewhere below.
My point with regards to CX is that for medium-haul destinations to Changsha and Wuhan, I would certainly consider this option - but only if I don't have luggage and/or kids to drag around.
Oct 2, 2018, 2:12 am
#33
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,033
As I mentioned up thread, I rarely take trains any more on routes that also have reliable air service, but Imo the shear presence of the jinghu hsr noticeably forced the airlines to significantly up their game within the span of 6 months:
-dedicated check-in for "express" flights
-better airplanes
-concerted effort to operate close to on schedule, at the expense of their captive routes
-fares also dropped, but not by a huge margin
I'm not convinced KA will need to react in the same way though because PEK/SHA are simply out of the question for most rationale people, and they don't seem to have great difficulty filling up 320s on the shorter routes.
-dedicated check-in for "express" flights
-better airplanes
-concerted effort to operate close to on schedule, at the expense of their captive routes
-fares also dropped, but not by a huge margin
I'm not convinced KA will need to react in the same way though because PEK/SHA are simply out of the question for most rationale people, and they don't seem to have great difficulty filling up 320s on the shorter routes.
Oct 2, 2018, 2:50 am
#34
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,053
I am looking at it purely from an ex-HKG perspective, flying almost exclusively on CX. I have had nothing but bad luck in and out of short/medium distance second tier cities to and from HKG. To a point where I need calculate an additional 2 hour delay into any business meetings / travel plans. This has been particularly true for CSX where I will certainly consider taking the train next time around. Other destinations where I've spent more time sitting on the plane on the ground rather than in the air include NKG and HGH, although I am not sure the train will help much.
Oct 2, 2018, 8:34 am
#36
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,033
Oct 2, 2018, 11:39 am
#39
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,033
Oct 2, 2018, 11:57 am
#40
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,033
I'll definitely be taking advantage of the HSR on short/medium haul trips to China moving forward. I find flying from HK to China to be a pain even on CX (particularly the delays), and given I mainly travel in Y the low miles/club points earnings on CX don't justify flying solely based on miles earning. I earn nearly all of my miles through card spend and long haul flying anyway.