CX/KA to cancel flights between HKG SAR and China

[MEL_Traveller]

If you have upcoming travel plans involving connections through HKG to Shang Hai, keep an eye on your bookings as CX/KA intend to cancel some flights to cope with the recent delays into and out of China.

According to this article there have been 230 delays on the Shanghai route in May/June, prompting this action. Passenger seats will remain the same as CX/KA up-guage aircraft.

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific to cancel some mainland China flights in wake of delays chaos | South China Morning Post

 

[kamchatsky]

I don't blame them. China airspace is constantly restricted by the government and military. Makes sense for them to do this as it gives passengers plenty of time to plan ahead.

 

[smit0847]

If you have upcoming travel plans involving connections through HKG to Shang Hai, keep an eye on your bookings as CX/KA intend to cancel some flights to cope with the recent delays into and out of China.

According to this article there have been 230 delays on the Shanghai route in May/June, prompting this action. Passenger seats will remain the same as CX/KA up-guage aircraft.

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific to cancel some mainland China flights in wake of delays chaos | South China Morning Post

Yikes. Im doing both HKG-PVG and PVG-HKG next month on KA.

Is there any general rule about what is the best time of day to fly to limit delays? Im doing HKG-PVG departing 16:05 and PVG-HKG departing 08:40

 

[david1]

I have HKG-PEK this weekend and return next weekend, PEK flights don't look to have been affected as much, but I don't have a long layover in HKG coming home....

Apparently Typhoon Soudelor will hit Taiwan and China between tomorrow and Monday, which could well cause some problems in that area.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yikes. Im doing both HKG-PVG and PVG-HKG next month on KA.

Is there any general rule about what is the best time of day to fly to limit delays? Im doing HKG-PVG departing 16:05 and PVG-HKG departing 08:40

In general - the first few of flights for the day - relatively on time. Then progressively longer delays from mid-morning/noon through to afternoon, evening and night.

The 8+ hour delays and cancellations last month affected the evening departures. Earlier in the day the delays were significant, but less severe.

 

[mushez]

Yikes. Im doing both HKG-PVG and PVG-HKG next month on KA.

Is there any general rule about what is the best time of day to fly to limit delays? Im doing HKG-PVG departing 16:05 and PVG-HKG departing 08:40

As a rule of thumb, any flight out of PVG I assume it will be an hour delayed. If flying CX ex PVG, I always aim for around a 2 hour transfer in HK or slightly more knowing it will end up being reduced to an hour. Even then I was moved to another flight to SIN last year because we had a 3 hour delay then and arrived an hour after my booked onwards had departed and had 55 minutes to get to and catch my new flight.

Delays out of shanghai are normal, and normally has to do with traffic in the sky on the narrow corridors and no where else to slot another flight up there, so you simply sit on the plane awaiting permission to take off.

I am very surprised at how many narrow bodies they use and even CX/KA use a few A320 on the route while having a lot of volume on it and frequency so nothing stopping them dropping frequency to up gauge their offerings.