Struggling Hong Kong Airlines cancels more long-haul flights with Vancouver, Los Angeles and San Francisco routes affected
- From June, flights to Vancouver will be cut to three a week from a daily service, according to schedule
- Los Angeles service will see two of seven flights a week cancelled while San Francisco route is also cut back
Cash-strapped Hong Kong Airlines is cancelling more long-haul flights – this time to North America – as it again dials back on its venture into intercontinental travel.
From June, flights to Vancouver will be cut to three a week from a daily service, according to its schedules. The Los Angeles service will see two of the seven flights a week cancelled. Additionally, the San Francisco route has been reduced from four flights a week to three between September and October, according to flight-schedule tracker Airlineroute.
There have been growing doubts about the airline’s financial health for months, leaving passengers who have been rebooked on different flights with concerns about their travel plans.
Paul Harper-Cox, 34, learned his flight to Vancouver in June was cancelled and he was automatically rebooked for the next day.
“I received an SMS notification followed by an email a few hours later, telling me I had been automatically moved to another flight. There was no information on any alternative options or availability of a refund,” he said.
Harper-Cox will travel with his wife and one-year-old daughter to Canada, linking up with other family members flying from Britain. He said given the complex travel arrangements, he would have preferred to be moved to an alternative carrier.
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“It’s worrying to see the scale of their financial problems. I have very real concerns that I could end up being stranded midway through my holiday, or not even able to take my trip at all,” he said.
By December this year, it will offer around 745,000 seats for sale on 3,042 flights, or a 10 per cent cut in flying and seat capacity on the same time last year, according to data from FlightGlobal, an aviation website. However, the figures do not reflect the most recent reductions to North America.
The flight cuts “seem to be the tip of the iceberg”, according to Ellis Taylor, FlightGlobal’s Asia finance editor, with the carrier making “tough, but necessary, choices”.
“I think we’ll see the network shrink further as it concentrates on the routes that can generate enough cash to sustain its operations,” Taylor said.
Under standard accounting practices, airlines cannot book money from flights until customers have flown, meaning revenue on cancelled flights would be in doubt until passengers decided whether to accept new travel dates or cancel outright.
As well as pulling out of New Zealand last month, the carrier withdrew from Australia last year. It also operated a short-lived service to Moscow.
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Apologising for the latest inconvenience, the carrier said it was trimming flights to North America between May and October, as it anticipated low travel demand. The company said it offered passengers a free change of travel within 14 days of the original date, a full refund or a flight to a different destination, but not seats on rival airlines.
“We will review our customers’ requests on a case-by-case basis and offer an appropriate travel arrangement accordingly,” a spokeswoman said.
Michael Allen, editor of Business Traveller Asia-Pacific magazine, said: “I don’t think the carrier’s troubles are so great that people are going to stop booking in droves, but it would be a legitimate concern given what has been reported recently.”
Florence Wong flies four times a year to Vancouver with the airline and although she has not been affected by any changes she is due to travel there again in May and is worried.
“The cancellation does worry me because Hong Kong Airlines is my first choice to Vancouver. Now they are cutting flights, I will book with hesitation,” said Wong, who was attracted to the airline by its food and its frequent flier programme. “If they cancel, as long as they can offer me another flight on another day, it’s OK.”
The Consumer Council said airlines should establish good communication procedures so affected passengers and the public could be kept informed about the latest arrangements.
“Consumers should not hesitate to pursue their rights by asking about compensation details and alternative flights,” the watchdog said.
Hong Kong Airlines, which is privately held and does not need to disclose its finances, was not included in a possible deal that could see rival Cathay Pacific buy its sister airline HK Express.
