Velocity (Finally) Allows Online Redemptions for Hong Kong Airlines Business Class

Velocity Frequent Flyer has quietly made a positive change to its partner airline redemptions. Business Class redemptions on Hong Kong Airlines are now bookable through the Virgin Australia website.

Velocity redemptions on Hong Kong Airlines

In 2017, Virgin Australia launched a reciprocal partnership with Hong Kong Airlines. This was part of its wider partnership with the HNA Group, which owned Hong Kong Airlines. When Virgin Australia went into voluntary administration in 2020, Velocity suspended all its partner airline redemptions.

It was only in June 2025 that Velocity Frequent Flyer brought back the ability to redeem points again on Hong Kong Airlines. But until recently, only Economy Class redemptions could be booked online. You needed to call to book Business Class redemptions.

Why this is good news

Until now, if you wanted a Hong Kong Airlines Business Class seat, you had no reliable way to see what was available before calling up the Velocity call centre. You could get a rough idea of the loads by searching for reward seats directly on the Hong Kong Airlines website with a free Fortune Wings Club account.

That guesswork is now gone. You can log in to the Virgin Australia website and search the same way you would for any other partner airline redemption. Third-party websites like seats.aero are also now displaying Hong Kong Airlines availability.

Note: Business Class reward seats on Hong Kong Airlines flights between Hong Kong and Vancouver still need to be booked by calling up the call centre.

Redemption Costs

Hong Kong Airlines currently flies to both Sydney and Melbourne. Both redemptions cost the same 32,500 Velocity Points in Economy Class and 75,000 Velocity Points in Business Class.

The good news extends to fees and taxes as well. Velocity charges around $120 each way for Hong Kong Airlines redemptions, which is very reasonable compared to what Velocity Frequent Flyer charges for its other partner airline redemptions.

Better still, at the time of writing this article, the availability is good. There are two Business Class reward seats on many dates over the next few months. You can also redeem Velocity Points for Hong Kong Airlines flights across its network.

Hong Kong Airlines operates its Airbus A330-300 aircraft on Australian routes. The onboard product is a little dated. Nevertheless, it is a lie-flat Business Class seat with 1-2-1 layout and direct aisle access. Additionally, Velocity Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus members receive priority check-in, priority boarding and extra checked baggage on Hong Kong Airlines flights.