Hong Kong-Singapore 'travel bubble' flights sold out

Flights for next month's Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble have sold out in both directions, according to the websites of Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines, Bloomberg reports.

The first Cathay flight is slated to leave Hong Kong at 9:10 a.m. on May 26. Singapore Airlines’ departure that day is 8:40 a.m.

The 'air travel bubble' is due to open on May 26, and demand was always going to outstrip supply given there will only be one return flight per day and with capacity limited at 200 travelers.

There were no departure flights available Wednesday morning on Cathay’s website until June 5. Searches for designated flights with Singapore Airlines yielded nothing until the agreement broadens to the carrier offering daily flights from June 9.

An economy-class Singapore Airlines ticket for a flight leaving on June 16 and returning from Hong Kong on June 18, for example, is available for US$466. Cathay has a basic economy bubble flight from Hong Kong on June 16 and returning on June 18 priced at US$380. The Cathay flight leaving Hong Kong on June 5 and returning June 8 costs US$902.