HONG KONG AIRLINES: New, daily, Sydney to Hong Kong route

Starting 20 June 2025, Hong Kong Airlines will introduce daily flights to Sydney. That’s a disrupter for the long-standing OneWorld duopoly on non-stop flights held by Qantas and Cathay Pacific.

The new service adds a daily flight between the cities taking the count from five to six. This means seat capacity will be boosted by around 20%. With more competition on the route, expect a drop in airfares.

Hong Kong Airlines Sydne to Hong Kong flight schedule

These daily flights from June will deploy an Airbus A330, with a slightly dated 32 lie-flat business class seat sand 260 in Economy.

• HX17 departs Hong Kong at 22:25, arrives Sydney at 09:50 +1 day
• HX18 departs Sydney 11:30, arrives Hong Kong 19:15

The older style Business Class has smaller IFE screens and no USB power outlets. Still getting a lie flat bed on the overnight leg from Hong Kong to Sydney is better than travelling in Economy.

Lounge Access

We don’t know yet what lounge Business class passengers will have access to in Sydney. The airline’s Club Autus lounge in Hong Kong is at Terminal 1 Midfield Concourse.

Ticket Pricing

Tickets are now on sale. Business Class fares in July are around AU$5,800. These prices are a little higher than Qantas and Cathay Pacific, which tend to sit plus or minus a couple hundred dollars at AU$5,000. In Economy, fares in July are below AU$1000, compared to Qantas and Cathay Pacific, which hover around the AU$1,300 mark.

Hong Kong Airlines may well adjust these prices, or offer some launch specials.

As of today, Google Flights has not loaded fares beyond the first few weeks of July. If booking on the Hong Kong Airlines site, fares are displayed in Hong Kong Dollars.

Hong Kong Airlines & Velocity Partnership

HK Airlines, a subsidiary of China’s Hainan Airlines, is not a member of an airline alliance. However, it does partner with Virgin Australia’s Velocity program. That provides some perks to frequent flyers. Velocity members can earn between 5,960 and 9,170 points on a one-way Business Class trip between Sydney and Hong Kong. Obviously, this depends on fare type. You will also earn 110 Status Credits.

Velocity Gold and Platinum have entitlements to a bigger baggage allowance and get priority at check-in and boarding. However, you don’t get lounge access for status.

At the moment, Velocity Points cannot be redeemed for Hong Kong Airlines flights. HK Airlines also runs its own loyalty scheme: Fortune Wings Club. It has three elite tiers—Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You get the standard perks like lounge access, a greater luggage allowance, plus the usual priority treatment.

2PAXfly Takeout

HK Airlines is worth adding to your options if you travel to Hong Kong. However, be warned that reviews on Skytrax Airline Quality are not kind. Complaints range from cancelled flights to additional un-flagged charges, or inadequate support services. On the more positive side there are some nine and ten out of ten scores for Business Class. This seems mainly because of their pricing policy, which means prices remain reasonable up until a day or two before a flight when they rise.

The most telling comment I read was, ‘They are just meeting expectations,’ which I think says it all.