What was it like travelling with some 200 wealthiest and most powerful people in town? Well, you could tell the difference once you boarded the chartered Dragonair flight, wisely named - flight KA 8880 - the three 'eights' meaning wealth and affluence for Chinese. KA 8880, proudly wearing the SAR's new red dragon logo, is taking its precious passengers - who together own about a third of Hong Kong's market value - to Xian, Beijing, Chengdu and Urumqi during a nine-day inspection tour. The media pack, sitting at the back of the plane, were flattered by the service. Fresh fruit juice and water, served promptly by smartly dressed flight attendants - all carefully picked for the special mission. It was a much-needed reviver after two hours in the check-in counter trying desperately to chase up brief interviews with the SAR's captains of industry. Some of passengers felt the airline was adding these obviously special additional touches as a gesture of support for the delegation and for the whole the Go West programme. Yesterday, most frequently asked questions of the tycoons on the trip was: How long are you going to stay together with the group? Will you leave early or complete the whole trip? While some delegates were frank that they were not prepared to go whole hog, others were more diplomatic and said they had not yet decided. No wonder Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen had to resort to a 'secret prize' to coax the busy businessmen to stay the whole journey as he welcomed the visitors on to the flight yesterday. 'I hope the trip can be successful from beginning to end. That is why I hope everybody can stay until the end. And those who participate for the whole trip will receive some sort of prize,' Mr Tsang said in a message to his delegation, broadcast when they were all in the aircraft. Asked by reporters what sort of 'special prize' he had in mind, Mr Tsang said he had yet to decide, 'maybe a flying kiss from me'. The mobbing by reporters, that began in the Hong Kong check-in counter, was repeated when the plane landed in Xian. This time it was more than 100 mainland journalists - all keen to find out the delegation's first impressions and areas of interest. With her signature hairdo, Chinachem Group's Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum stood out as the most eye-catching target. The tycoons had the run of the Sheraton Hotel in Xian which had cancelled other bookings to make room for the Hong Kong party. As part of the security measures, visitors were politely asked to leave. A hotel official said the security has been stepped up and everybody was on full alert. 'I really cannot tell you the level of security we are following in looking after this delegation. But we only provided such security for state leaders before.'