Want the cheapest flights out of Hong Kong? Lufthansa, British Airways offer half-price fares – with a catch
Traditional airlines experimenting with reduced perks such as no checked-in baggage and forfeited seat choice as they strive to beat back expanding low-cost carriers
Lufthansa and British Airways are testing a new class of airfare in Hong Kong, which may cut prices of regular economy-class tickets for flights from the city by nearly 50 per cent.
But there’s a catch: passengers will get no allowance for check-in luggage, board last, and forfeit selection of their seats, flight times or even carriers.
Lufthansa – Europe’s largest airline in terms of passengers – and British Airways are among the first traditional carriers to alter their offerings with special discounts as passengers increasingly opt for low-cost fares and no-frills service.
Working alongside its Swiss and Austrian partners, Lufthansa wants its passengers to sacrifice flexibility – such as not knowing the exact airline or flight times until a few days before departure – to enjoy cheaper fares. The German airline giant is using Hong Kong as the first international market to test its concept.
We are asking the traveller to give us this flexibility and in return we give them a very attractive price
In its trial programme, Lufthansa is offering a discounted one-way flat fare of HK$2,488 (US$317) to 13 destinations, including Barcelona, Milan and Venice.
Flights from Hong Kong to Lisbon under the scheme cost HK$4,976, but using the regular Lufthansa search function, the lowest price on the same selected date was HK$9,441.
British Airways is exploring additional enticements: lower fares for no checked-in luggage, boarding last, and seating choices left to the airline.
“We know that when our customers travel with us their needs vary from trip to trip,” the carrier’s chief commercial officer Adam Daniels said. “We need to ensure that the fares we provide reflect those differing needs so customers can select the best option for them on that occasion.”
Low-cost Norwegian Air Shuttle has emerged as one of the main challengers to traditional airlines, initially on transatlantic routes and now in Asia. Yet despite its popularity, Norwegian is under significant financial pressure amid heavy losses from its low fares and expansion.
US carriers have rolled out similar basic-economy fares, with a focus first on domestic flights while rolling out deals for flights to Europe.
Basic economy: why cheap long-haul flights could be the best deal for savvy travellers
Keen Hong Kong travellers stand to benefit from the higher number of cheaper long-distance flights.
“People are travelling much more frequently and for lots of different reasons,” he said. “As people’s needs change and get more varied, clearly we will start looking at how best we can meet those needs.”
Polytechnic University aviation management professor Henri Hie believed established airlines including Air France, at which he formerly served as vice-president for Asia-Pacific, needed to be “very open-minded” in the current market.
With budget airlines flying long-distance routes more frequently and reaping greater success, he said, traditional carriers were starting to “follow” competitors’ offerings and travel conditions with “reactive pricing”.
