For travellers jetting between Sydney and Hong Kong, there hasn’t been a lot of choice lately. Sure, Cathay Pacific and Qantas both fly the route – but both are members of the oneworld Alliance. If you were, say, a Velocity Frequent Flyer member, your best option was to jet through somewhere like Singapore. Until now.
That’s because Virgin Australia’s partner Hong Kong Airlines is now running direct flights between Sydney and Hong Kong. From 12 December 2025, there’ll also be direct Hong Kong Airlines services from Melbourne. It’s a significant win for Velocity members, who haven’t had a direct Hong Kong option since the days of Virgin Australia’s own flights, pre-COVID. (And, Virgin Atlantic before that…)
On these new routes, Velocity members can earn Velocity Points and Status Credits. And what’s even more exciting is that you can also book these flights to Hong Kong using Velocity Points. You’ll spend 75,000 Velocity Points for a Hong Kong Airlines Business Class flight from Australia, per person, one way. (You can also book Economy for 32,500 Velocity Points, one-way). Co-payments are modest, as there are no carrier charges – only the genuine taxes and fees. From Sydney to Hong Kong, these charges are just $114.25 per person, one way.
Hong Kong Airlines has a vast network beyond Hong Kong as well. If you’re heading to places like Mainland China and Thailand, the connections can work particularly well from Sydney. Curious to see what waits for passengers making the Sydney-HK trek, I’ve hopped aboard Hong Kong Airlines to find out.
American Express Velocity Platinum
Check-in, lounge and boarding
There are predictable priority lines at check-in and boarding for Hong Kong Airlines’ Business Class passengers. They’re a handy timesaver, as you can make the most of your time in the lounge before zipping on board. Speaking of lounges, you’ll begin your journey from Sydney Airport at The House. It’s a relatively standard independent lounge that we’ve previously covered in detail.
But, when departing Hong Kong, Business Class passengers have access to Hong Kong Airlines’ flagship Club Autus lounge. It’s an inviting space nestled above the main departures level of the Midfield Concourse. It’s a quick ride here on the airside train, once you’re through security and passport control.
Club Autus is a beautiful lounge, and one that’s not particularly busy before these evening flights. Right now, the guest list is tight, which keeps the lounge serene. Entry is gratis with a Hong Kong Airlines Business Class ticket. There’s an extensive buffet, and a counter serving a cooked-to-order dish. Today, it’s wonton noodle soup, which goes very well with a Tsingtao.
But, here’s a tip. Hong Kong Airlines opens its airport check-in counters exactly three hours and 15 minutes before departure. Yet this means you can’t check-in until after 7pm on the day you fly back to Australia. Well, that is, unless you make use of the handy In Town Check In facility in the city itself. Located at Kowloon Station and Hong Kong Station, you can send your suitcase on its journey as early as 6am on the day you fly.
It’s perfect for me. On this trip, I manage to get a free 5pm late checkout at my hotel (thank you, Hilton Diamond!). I make my way over to Hong Kong Station before the 6pm closing time of In Town Check In. My suitcase is sent to Sydney, I have my boarding pass and my lounge invitation… and I’m not even at the airport yet. This means I’m comfortably settling into the lounge and winding down my day before regular airport check-in has even opened. The journey home is off to a great start.
Business Class seating on Hong Kong Airlines’ Airbus A330
Club Autus is a stunning lounge. Now, I can’t use the same word to describe Hong Kong Airlines’ Airbus A330 Business Class cabin – it’s a little bit dated. But the seat is still reasonably comfortable. There’s a lot of red, visible mostly when standing. But once you’re seated, the only red you’ll spot is on the carpets and footrests. In that sense, it’s nice to have a little colour: particularly when many aircraft cabins are magnets for white plastic.
Seats are arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, giving everybody direct aisle access. When flying solo for work, my pick are the window seats. Specifically, those closest to the actual windows, because you’re a bit further away from the aisle. This brings a more private feel, and given the layout, you’ll also have one extra window (except in the back row) compared to the rows that place passengers by the aisle.
Storage is a little bit tight, although it’s large enough to squeeze in my phone charger and an extra bottle of water. The seat controls are a little old school, but they get the job done. The inflight massage feature is a nice addition.
Is the seat looking a little bit familiar to you? Swap the bold reds for royal purples, and it’s the same seat you’ll find on Thai Airways’ Airbus A350 flights to Australia. It’s also the same seat flying on the Boeing 777s of Etihad Airways, among many other airlines that use it. It’s based on the original ‘Solstys’ design: an off-the-shelf product that airlines can buy, tweak and travel with, to save designing their own seat from scratch. For a carrier like Hong Kong Airlines, it’s a smart play.
It’s an older product, no doubt – and the older version of Solstys, at that. But it’s quite comfortable. On the overnight flight home, I skip all meals and go straight to sleep. I’m in bed as soon as the seatbelt sign is off, and I wake only to the announcement that the cabin will soon be prepared for landing. There’s just enough time to get changed out of my pyjamas (on this flight, they’re BYO). It’s a great night’s sleep.
Food and beverage in Hong Kong Airlines’ Airbus A330 Business Class
The journey from Sydney begins with an offer of juice or water before take-off – and a quip from the cabin crew. “Have a refreshing morning,” they say. Ha!
The Champagne comes out once we’re in the air – and today, it’s Yves Jacques Cuvée MCM 32 Brut. I don’t mind a top-up. While I sip, I take a moment to appreciate the art on the menu. This is something Hong Kong Airlines has been doing for years – hiring artists for some fun decoration. Today’s menu depicts cabin crew flying on a boarding pass turned into a magic carpet, with the dialling code (852) of the destination. See what else you can spot as you click through the images below.
Lunch kicks off with a duo of salads. There’s prosciutto salad served as the appetiser, and a standard garden salad to back things up. Warmed garlic bread hits the spot. For the main course, there are three options – braised beef, stir-fried seafood, and cheese tortellini. I order the seafood, but there’s a miscommunication, and the beef arrives instead. I’m still a little sleepy from the day’s early start and I’ve already forgotten that I’ve ordered something else. Evidently, the beef was delicious enough for me not to notice the swap, at first. Cheese and crackers conclude the lunch.
That pre-arrival bite…
Dinner is served closer to landing as a single tray service. Options are a little similar to lunch, with a pesto and cheese casarecce pasta or a stir-fried beef fillet dish. Having ordered the seafood for lunch, I’d preselected the beef for dinner. Given the lunch switcheroo (swapping my “Chinese favourites” for “Western favourites”), I at least wanted to try something from the “Chinese favourites” part of the menu. Sure, it was quite similar to lunch, but still delicious.
The wine and beverage list could be a little broader, though. There’s no Hong Kong-style milk tea, and other than the Champagne, there’s one white wine and one red wine. Then again, Hong Kong Airlines’ fares are more competitively priced, so you get what you pay for. More on that later.
On a personal note, I found it odd that the crew collect the menu before take-off, as soon as you’ve ordered. Sure, that’s what happens in a restaurant – but there, I’m not choosing food that I’m also going to eat later that day. By the time the next meal rolls around, you forget what’s coming. And during the flight, you can’t see the beverage list. I ask to hold onto the menu until closer to landing, and the crew oblige.
Service in Hong Kong Airlines Business Class on the Airbus A330
I spend most of the flight to Hong Kong working, and most of the journey home sleeping. But there’s time to take in a couple of movies along the way. The selections of English language content are quite limited. There doesn’t seem to be a ‘comedy’ category within the Movies folder, but there’s enough here to fill the gaps. If I’d spent all day watching movies, though, I might’ve needed to branch out further to find flicks to fill the time.
We know that these are older seats, so the screens aren’t anything to write home about. They’re operated by touch with the remote control as backup, and are a little dim even on maximum brightness. Drawing down the window shade on daytime flights helps with that considerably. That said, there’s a well-stocked bag of amenities – even if the bag itself isn’t quite the keepsake of other carriers.
Service-wise, crew are friendly, if a little inexperienced. I find that premium cabin crews on most other airlines are good at reading the room: knowing when to be present, but also, when to leave their passengers be. Today, though, there are frequent interruptions to top up a glass of water after almost every sip. When I’m typing furiously on my laptop as an idea comes to mind, crew come past and start a conversation – while I’m still typing and clearly in the zone. I say, “oh, I’m really focused on something at the moment, would you mind coming back,” but they keep talking anyway. A ‘do not disturb’ light would be very handy here.
After a while, the crew catch on that I’m in ‘work mode’, and the frequent interruptions to top-up my glass are replaced with a large bottle of water all to myself. The change makes for one of the most productive flights I’ve had in quite some time. Bliss.
The verdict
This isn’t my first time travelling with Hong Kong Airlines, so my expectations going into the trip are set appropriately. I know the journey isn’t going to have a world-leading Business Class suite with closing doors. I know the TV isn’t going to be huge. And I know that meals will generally be good, but there won’t be an extensive wine list. But there’s a reason for that.
Hong Kong Airlines has some very sharp Business Class fares. In fact, booking Hong Kong Airlines rather than a competitor could save over $3,000 on a return trip between Australia and Hong Kong. Yes, I’m a fussy frequent flyer who’s more observant than most. But my reduced expectations align with that lower price tag. Here’s what I mean.
Want to fly Qantas between Sydney and Hong Kong in early November 2025? Expect to pay $7,476 return for the cheapest available ticket: ‘Business Saver’.
How about Cathay Pacific? For travel on the same dates at broadly the same time – daytime up, overnight back – Business Lite fares begin at around $5,283 return.
But Hong Kong Airlines? The price can be under $4,445 return. That’s a 15% saving compared to Cathay Pacific, and around 40% less than you’d pay for Qantas. And you still get a meal, bed, direct aisle access and lounge entry at either end.
For the price, the offering is very reasonable. And for your points? For 150,000 Velocity Points return from Australia, plus a little over $200 in cash on the side, you’re still getting a trip worth almost $4,500. That’s around 2.8 cents per Velocity Point redeemed – not bad by any stretch. You’ll just have to call Velocity to book: these reward flights won’t be found on the Virgin Australia website.
Sleep tight: Rest test in SriLankan Airlines’ Airbus A330 Business Class (Colombo-Melbourne)
All photography by Chris Chamberlin, who travelled as a guest of Hong Kong Airlines.
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