Hours of waiting for flight ticket discount hopefuls

Many people eager to grab a share of the 100,000 discounted Cathay Pacific flight tickets had to wait for hours to access the airline's campaign website and choose a flight after the promotion began at 2pm yesterday.

The discounted tickets cover 34 short - and long-haul destinations including Bangkok, Tokyo and London. But the departure period for these tickets will be from January 1 to June 30 next year.

A round-trip to Taipei costs as low as HK$1,220 while round-trip tickets to Bangkok start at around HK$2,000. Travelers planning to visit Japan can spend HK$2,980 to get to Tokyo and HK$2,750 to Nagoya, while round-trip tickets to London start at HK$5,500.

However, many people complained that they could not enter Cathay's campaign website after waiting for two to three hours.

"I couldn't get access to the website after waiting for three hours," a web user said.

Another said: "It's so disappointing. After I chose a destination, it was difficult to pick a suitable departure date. When I finally picked a date, the website said I have to wait for more than an hour."

But some were happy that they successfully secured discounted tickets, saying the price was even lower than before the pandemic.

Meanwhile, long queues are expected at Causeway Bay on August 26 and 27 as Hong Kong Airlines announced that it will distribute 1,000 free flight tickets at Fashion Walk shopping mall from 9am on a first-come, first-served basis.

The airline said the free tickets will cover four new destinations launched this year - Beijing Daxing, Fukuoka, Phuket and Nagoya - as well as popular travel destinations such as Bali, Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, Okinawa and Tokyo.

As the number of tickets distributed for each destination varies, Hong Kong Airlines will announce the distribution schedule for the different destinations on its Facebook page on August 23.

"Ticket winners will also receive a discount code for their companions to enjoy cash discounts on air tickets to any destination," the airline said.

HK Express also announced that it will run a new route to Manila from October 13, with daily flights.

The budget airline is offering a limited-time deal until Sunday, allowing passengers to buy one-way tickets to or from Manila for as low as HK$38, with a travel period from October 13 to March 30 next year. Customers can also upgrade their baggage allowance from 20 kilograms to 30 kg for an additional HK$10.

"We are delighted to launch this route so that many could travel to spend time with loved ones or discover the wonders of the archipelago on a long-awaited holiday," said chief executive officer Jeanette Mao Jie-qiong.